Elite Event: Regents Pizzeria

Pizza… on a weekend… uhhhhh Fuck yeah.
So that is how it started… unlike most people here I was not totally down with the grub… except the Meat Lovers Deep Dish… that was solid and worth the trip back alone. Mini beers also curtailed my inebriated fun a little… oh well… probably for the best as Jaz, Mari, Yvonne and I ended up day drinking the day away.
Brad still somehow manages to land the unexpected and unthinkable events for SD Unilocalers… if you only knew how hard he works for you and how lucky you little bustards are… I digress.
To the highlights (or lowlights)…the wing eating contest. I preface what I am about to say with that I am a total puss about eating hot things… mouth no likey… stomach no likey… ass no likey. A few brave souls entered… and then there was also Meefy… who I thought would get a top 3 finish :(So throughout the battle people fell quickly as the wings seemed to be winning. I actually have a photo essay of Jeff S. and the many faces of the contest for sale on my website… or I can just show them to you for a shot… your choice. Jeff finished a solid 3^rd… about 5 places higher than my bookie’s odds had him. Battling for the top spot came down to Todd and Omar… who tied. LAME… As in the immortal words from Karate Kid «No Mercy» when you have an opponent down step on their neck… this was like such a buzzkill… sorry guys… I’d say good effort. I couldn’t do that… blah blah blah… but compete to win man.

Apparently, I’m the last person in the County to eat at Regents Pizzeria. For years, Regents was a student hangout with decent pizza and middling reviews, and recently made themselves over as a modish craft beer and artisanal pizza restaurant, drawing enthusiastic appreciation from those who remember the «old days.» I’m glad I found Regents when I did.
February’s Elite Event at Regents drew a large number of Unilocal Celebrities including: Jack M., Mel J. and Vin S., Jazmin S. and Diego V., Chun P., Chang L., The Mari’s (Mari H. and Maricela H.); the list is extensive, comprising everyone I’ve ever met at a YEE, which, as things got started, made me wonder how Regents would handle the crowd.
Happily, Regents organized and managed our Event as they might any catered affair, with assistance from CM Brad B. and Estefany B. Things ran smoothly, and there was an abundance of wonderful food. The restaurant set up several serving stations, offering:
— House-​made Bacon — a pemmican-​like bite that was tender, sweet, peppery and delicious.
— Chicken Wings — large, juicy Buffalo-​style wings, about which more later.
— Shishito Peppers — truly, the reason I attended this YEE; I’ll commute for Shishitos, and Regents got them right.
— Walnut Gorgonzola and Goat Cheese Salads — I passed on salads, though both appeared fresh and nicely dressed.
— New York White Pizza — focaccia-​ish, with fresh spinach, ricotta and mozzarella, and rosemary garlic olive oil sauce; this was surprisingly delicate in flavor, and despite the cheeses, not overrich; an excellent bite, perhaps a future «starter» for the table.
— New York Soppressata — the other reason I attended this Event; last year, I became a fan of pizza topped with spicy salamis, and Regents, using quality soppressata and a deeply flavored tomato sauce, delivered the sort of pie I prefer.
— Chicago Popeye and Meat Lovers Pizzas — I grew up on New York-​style pizza. I don’t understand Chicago-​style pizza, so I don’t eat it.
— Tiramisu — After vying in the hot wing contest, I was grateful for this cool, creamy poultice.
About the hot wing contest:
I am a large man with a round face who believes it’s unseemly for large, round men to engage in games that put us center-​stage, shoving food into our mouths.
But Brad, my Unilocal guide and mentor, assured me that his would be a respectable, refined competition, valuing tenacity and stamina over garrulous gluttony. Brad is a master of men who can persuade by smiling, and he sold me, so I signed up.
Entrants were asked to eat one habanero-​sauced wing (350,000 Scoville units), then one sauced with Bhut Jolokia or «Ghost» peppers (1,000,000 Scoville units), then individual wings rolled in sauces touched with increasing levels of Trinidad moruga scorpion chilis, which are, at 2,000,000 Scoville units, as yet the hottest peppers known to man. The last remaining eater would win.
OK. No problem. I like hot stuff. Besides, I wouldn’t need to eat a ton of incendiary poultry; I ‘d just have to outlast nine guys. I joked with the others, telling one fellow I thought it was «cute» that he thought it was a contest. I figured a little trash talk couldn’t hurt my chances.
Then we sat down, and looking around the table, I saw Lisa W., a buff and beautiful Friend of mine who has reviewed literally ten times as many restaurants as I have, which suggests she’s eaten everything, everywhere, and can’t be surprised by food. I was already facing the prospect of hurting myself; now, I had to consider the prospect of doing so, then being beaten by a girl, who, in her review of this Event, pointed out that she had «balls.» I grew nervous. The contest began.
Round after round, we ate, licked our plates (a requirement added late in the game, thrown in, I think, to amuse the mob), then waited for something hotter. I sweated, dabbing my brow carefully so as not to touch my face with fiery fingertips. I tried to enjoy the flavor of the chilis, and tried not to cry.
One by one, the others bowed out, Lisa leaving the game half-​way through, until eventually, it was just Todd P. and me.
Wing after wing, the burn increasing with every bite, I ate slowly, unamused and unhappy, watching for Todd to waver, but he was a rock — chewing, swallowing, intently waiting me out.
Then, while Regents’ staff prepared our sixth level of torture, I asked Todd: «Why don’t we just split the prize?» We agreed that we’d each take a bite, then quit simultaneously. We were served a final wing, took our bite, then, glancing at each other like tigers passing on a dark jungle path, threw down the fiery bones and announced our resignation.
Victorious and relieved, we accepted tickets for downtown’s Mardi Gras and St. Pat’s block parties, and a pair of $ 50 gift cards for Regents.
That’s the good news.
The bad news is that I’m pretty sure Lisa let us win.
**************
Todd P.‘s Review:

I felt like I was carb loading for a race. YOW!
Regents treated Unilocalers and our plus ones like royalty by stuffing our faces with yummy appys, salad, pasta, pizza, and a tiramisu dessert. What I appreciated are the different stations for the goodies. There were 4 stations where you can get your food so that lines were not long. Each area had staff to assist getting you samples and beer.
Oh yes, the beers. We had awesome pairings with our carbs. I love the mini sample cups. I even went to the bar and asked for a sampler of their cider. It was delicious, and I will definitely be back for that!
I truly loved the pizzas that were offered — both the deep dish and the NY style. It honestly depends on what you feel like as to which type you’re in the mood for.
The staff at each of the stations were super nice and helpful. Couldn’t be anymore friendlier! I really love the redesign of the new place, too. I used to come when it was the old location. This has much more room and I like the patio area outside.
The wing challenge was so funny! We totally need more contests at our parties.
Thanks to Chris Brake for all the fab photos!
Thanks Regents for having us, and thanks Brad and Estefany for setting this up for our Sunday Brunch! Nothing beats beer and carbs on a lazy Sunday!!!

While everyone else was piggin on the pizza I was grazing on the salad. I don’t know what possessed me to be drawn to their greens but I was. Walnuts, cranberries and delicious yummy ranch that even a turd would taste awesome if covered in it.
The bacon at this Regents was like none I have ever had. Very thick and smokey. I almost felt like I was eating a rib. Almost.
I also sampled some of the meat lovers deep dish and it was tasty, hearty and Chicago style, My hub won a gift card to Regents because he was one of the winners of the HOT wing eating contest and I can guarantee we will be using it on the deep dish for sure.
Regents layout is spacious with a very nice patio and they have an extensive beer list. I really enjoyed the dark beer that had a 4% ABV.
I can imagine what a hit this new location is going to be in this area. They were always popular but now they can serve even more people.
Thanks to Brad and Estephany for another great event. Great meeting new elites and seeing old friends. It was fun seeing the old guys kick some wing eating a$$. Yes Todd did survive and no he didn’t have any after affects.

*stomach rumbling*
Let’s just say being in the hot wings contest wasn’t the smartest thing to do on a school night. Habanero, ghost chilis and scorpions… Ugh. I cannot imagine how Omar’s stomach was that night… First of all, I hate chicken. Not my choice of meat, put some of those spicy sauce on shrimp or crawfish I’ll eat it all day long. The hot chicken wings were so gross after awhile. The heat was a good kick, and I’m glad I had the balls to go against 7 big dudes (probably 2x my size!) of course I didn’t win but hey, for your entertainment right?! Wasn’t the first to quit, I think I quit half way… Pretty good. And still ate and licked the plates with class :-). And by the pics, I wasn’t sweating like a storm or had snot everywhere… Thank goodness. Great experience
I used to go to Regents all the time when they were smaller. Now they gotten more hip with the times and I think it’ll do well. Food was plentiful and exceptional. I really liked the pepperoni thin slice! That pepperoni was bomb. The tiramisu tasted great after your mouth burning too. They even provided to go boxes for us! Bill, the owner, was so cute and nice. He went around and talked to us all. It was very personal and it makes me like regents even more. It was a good event to see everybody! Until next time Unilocalers! Maybe no contest for me unless it’s a steak eating contest.

Omar, Todd, and our spiciest Elites wolfed down blazing hot wings in a gutsy contest. Their tongues sizzled like bacon on the flame. Elites and their plus 1’s cheered them on. Boisterous cheers filled the brand-​new bar and pizzeria at Regents Pizzeria. Volcanoes erupted like molten lava inside of Omar and Todd who won our hearts as well as the wing-​eating contest! What an exciting YEE!
The friendly Owner Bill aims to create the
Ultimate anerican Craft beer and pizza experience. Hoo-​weee! He succeeded! I’m pizza beer happy, and Regents pizzeria has
32 taps of constantly rotating beers!
It took a couple years to develop the crust for their pizza. Tiramisu is made from a recipe shared by an Italian executive chef with Michelin star.
Popeye is my fav Chicago style pizza with spinach, artichoke hearts, ricotta and Parmesan and sauce on top. Thick stuffed-​crust pizza is a fun style.
Hot sopressata with spicy Italian salami Parmesan and oregano is my fav NY style pizza.
Wings! Messy and yummy! There was an unlimited supply of wings. I took a bath in messy wings!
Salad dressings are homemade! Love the
House oil and vinegar and the Citrus vinaigrette dressing. Toasted Goat cheese salad with onion strings and mixed greens, apples, kaiware sprouts, red pepper, and warmed goat cheese was fabulous.
Walnut Gorgonzola salad with red onions and mixed greens, candied walnuts & cranberries, and Gorgonzola cheese was fresh and delish.
Hand-​made dough, and pizza is fired up in stone deck ovens.
Dry rubbed slow cooked bacon and
Shishito peppers are a treat! Yum!
We were treated to Rigatoni chicken pesto pasta with grilled chicken, artichoke hearts, sundried tomato, rigatoni and pesto cream sauce, and feta cheese. A marvelous creamy mouthful.
Chicago style meat lovers pizza hit the spot.
Tiramisu with rum, espresso and cocoa was one of the best I’ve had.
Fantastic YEE! Thank you Bill the owner of the new remodeled regents pizzeria and bar with 32 taps for beer! Thanks big bad rad Brad B and Unilocal! (-; The staff of Regents Pizzeria were really great, and I look forward to returning and posting a review for the restaurant & beer bar!

«Eat more pizza. Drink more beer. Be more happy.» Indeed! Thank you Brad for setting up this awesome event and to Bill and staff for taking care of us!
Had so much fun meeting fellow Unilocalers and seeing a few familiar faces. Always nice to meet the people behind the names on Unilocal!The place was PACKED! But they were well prepared, and had 4 food and beer stations around the restaurant! The staff were extremely friendly and their service was beyond excellent. Bill, a co-​owner of Regents, even chatted with us for a bit and gave us a little history lesson about the place! Really nice guy!
For appetizers, we had chicken wings, shishito green peppers, and the slow cooked house bacon (wow!). The chicken wings were mildly spicy, I thought they tasted pretty standard. The peppers looked like they were roasted and had that char on the outside, it turned out to be sweet and salty. The star of the appetizer line up was definitely the house bacon. Honestly, it looked so bad for you, but it tasted so good.
For the entrée, we had a couple of NY style and Chicago style pizzas. All of them were great, but my favorite would have to be the NY style white pizza. No tomato sauce, all white cheese! We also had the goat cheese salad and walnut gorgonzola salad. I liked the goat cheese salad more, just because the cheese made it that much better.
Tiramisu was great! Fluffy and sweet!
The spicy wing eating contest was just the perfect ending to the event! I like spicy, but not that kind of spicy, the smell alone was killing me. Those guys are crazy and they deserve that $ 100 dollar prize.
Thanks again Brad for the great event! And to Bill and everyone for the great food and service! We’ll be back!

One word: AWESOME! Love that it was a Sunday event! Everyone was really friendly and got to meet some of my fellow Unilocal friends and other new people :)
The Unilocal freebie flask was really cool! The food was great. My personal favorite was the Chicago Style Meat Lover Pizza! Yummm. All the portions were huge. I thought we would have little square bites of pizza but we got a whole slice!
Spicy wing contest was exciting haha. I’m a spice lover but not a wing lover. I’d probably die if I did it! Kudos to everyone who participated!
It was overall a great event. Thanks Brad!

Thank you Brad for the event and Lisa for being your +1! I had so much fun meeting all you Unilocalers on a Sunday Funday! Especially Happy to see Danimal! It was an honor to meet the Unilocal Queen Maria LOL!
I had a great time, everyone was friendly, food was delish. The event was well organized by Brad and Estefanie (sp?). Excellent job to everyone on the spicy wings contest! GO Lisa! Exciting to see everyone cheer each other on. I even saw my little cousins friends… Small world. I look forward to more events like these, its fun to mix and mingle especially if you’re single! Haha!

What makes a Unilocal Elite Event better than just a Unilocal Elite? A Spicy Wings Eating contest at Regents Pizzeria Elite Event, that’s what!
Yes, there was a hot wing eating contest, where Todd and Omar were crowned king of the hot wings, but the event started out, with some great eats and ended with a splendid tiramisu. In the beginning, very tasty and spicy hot wings were in order paired with featured craft beers (
). The wings were great, and so were the Shishito Peppers served with the Dry Rubbed, Slow Cooked Bacon: bacon that not only had great flavor via the dry rub, but also packed some spiciness (
). The bacon was just the right thickness that provided a good feel and texture. Nicely done.
I have to say, I loved all the pizza that was served this afternoon, from the New Style to the Chicago Traditional thick pizza. The New York Style Soppressata Pizza was just grand with its oily Soppressata: an Italian meat not used often in pizza, but one I appreciate. The New York Style White Pizza was bliss at well, and what made this slice special to me, was the fluffy ricotta cheese dollops peppered over the pizza. Eating it with the crunchy and also chewy crust, was a special treat (
).
The Deep Cheese pizzas were heavenly. Both came with a zesty light tomato sauce and packed with their perspective ingredients. The meat lover had a mild meatball and sausage with some great cheese and terrific crust (
). The Chicago Style Popeye Pizza had some great layers of flavor with fresh spinach, lots of cheese, which I loved, and I believe so artichoke as well (
), but best of all, both came with the same very well made thick lightly buttered crust. My complete respect for those who put these pizza together.
In the end, it was a beautiful slice of Tiramisu that we enjoyed (
). This coffee flavored Italian dessert was a great way to end the event. It was soft and creamy, but bold in flavor and pleasure.
Thank you Brad B. and Estefany B. for putting this out of the ordinary, but in a good way Sunday Elite Event. It was well put together and everyone had a great time. A special thanks goes out to Regents Pizzeria with its new great location, happy and supportive staff, and most importantly to the owners, for opening their doors to us.
Well done.

1 MEAL, 1 DAY, by Chun P
10:00AMish…wake up, drink coffee, and skip breakfast.
11:15AM…begin consuming massive quantities of delicious wings, healthy salad, yummy New York style pizza, superb Chicago style pizza, and excellent tiramisu.
1:00PMish…consumption of food ends.
8:30PMish…I’m still feeling full and skipped dinner.

Completely loving the new location! Regents Pizza you have definitely outdone yourselves with this Elite event!
So much delicious food! My tummy is definitely not complaining… Just wishing there was more room in my belly! From the scrumptious starters to the long anticipated pies! My favorite by far was the deep dish pizza that looked with it was just pizza crust filled with sauce! I would’ve been perfectly happy with just that since I love love love pizza sauce, but there was a layer of pepperoni and meatballs under all that sauce… I loved it even more!
Staff was on point! Smiles and great service, Yes, I will take another slice please! :)
Thank you so much to Regents Pizza and staff for an awesome Sunday! Thank you Brad, Estefany and Regents Pizza for taking such good care of the San Diego Elites!