badgerprof02 from Orem, USA

Good restaurants are scarce in Utah Valley, but Pizzeria Seven Twelve is a winner. Located at 320 South State Street, this restaurant serves the best pizza I have ever eaten. Sorry, New York.

By the way, the "712" is a reference to the temperature of the brick oven, imported from Italy. The server told me on the sly that the oven actually cooks at 780 degrees, but the owners liked the sound of "Seven Twelve." I am in favor of whatever it takes to get pizza that good.

I grew up in Osseo, and when I was a child, the Norke Nook was a small diner that had the feel of a school cafeteria. Truth be told, I didn't eat there much. My parents and I went out for fried fish every Friday night (I really dislike fried fish, so I usually ate chicken), but otherwise, I frequented the local A&W Root Beer stand.

When I was in high school, things started to change. All of a sudden, cars from outside the state of Wisconsin started to appear in downtown Osseo. They had read about the Norske Nook in Jane and Michael Stern's book Roadfood, which rated the Norske Nook among the ten best roadside stops in the US. When I was in high school, the only reason someone from outside of Osseo would have heard of my hometown was ... well, there really was no reason to know about Osseo. Now, when I tell people around here that I grew up in Osseo, they immediately recognize it as the home of the Norske Nook.

So later today, on our way to visit my parents, who have moved further north to Eau Claire, we will stop at the Norske Nook for dinner and some pie. If you find yourself there and are confused about which pie to order, here's a tip from an insider: Sour Cream Raisin. I know what it sounds like, but just trust me on this.