HOUGHTON -- Is there a more picturesque drive in the world than the drive up the Keweenaw Peninsula? It's especially stunning when you have an Ambassador's pizza waiting for you, fresh out of the oven.
Since May of 1965, The Ambassador has been serving up the same delicious thin-crust pizza, and hungry diners appreciate that consistency.
The Ambassador is all about family.
"For 45 years, it's been only family that makes the pizza sauce, so we want to keep it very consistent that way so it always tastes the same," says co-owner, Joe Rossi.
And for 45 years, customers have been saying the same thing about their pizza: "It's the best pizza in the U.P.," says Anette Schaefer, who's been dining at The Ambassador since it opened.
On a busy Friday night, the restaurant's pizza chefs serve up between 225 and 260 pizzas.
"On those nights, we make sure we have the ones that can make them fast. And good, too!" Rossi says.
What makes The Ambassador so good, and why is it a Top Choice candidate? First, the thin-crust dough is made fresh daily. That's key. The sauce and the sausage are also made fresh a few times a week. And the cheese--might as well use a dump truck to pour it on, because The Ambassador loads up their pies.
"If you came here in 1965 or you come here in 2010--and I have customers tell me this--'Boy, you haven't changed your pizza one bit. It's still the best pizza in the U.P.,'" Rossi adds.
"When you come in here, any time of the year, there are people who have been living here in the past who travel here, and they have to come to The Ambassador to get their pizza," Schaefer says.
Exhibits A & B: Mary and Randy Carlson. The Carlsons had their first date at The Ambassador 35 years ago. They live in Minnesota now, but they still make an annual trip to Houghton just to eat at The Ambassador.
"The sauce isn't overwhelming; it doesn't overpower the pizza," says Randy. "Generous ingredients, and the price is right."
Keep voting! You have one more week to determine the FOX UP Top Choice: Pizza.