Godzilla and Mothra had Tokyo. Bush and Gore had Florida. Muhammad Ali and George Foreman had the thrilla in Manila.

Here in the East Valley we have the Thrilla With Vanilla.
Ice cream, that is.

In one corner is Oreganos Pizza Bistro, the hometown favorite. In the other is BJs Restaurant & Brewery, a heavyweight with a pretty face and a big following.
At stake is the title of Pizookie champion. Or, to be legally correct, champion of the pizza cookie dessert.

This colossal grudge match began in October when BJs, an established microbrewery known in its native California for its deep-dish pizza and big, diverse menu, came to town. Somewhere along the way it had trademarked the term pizookie to describe its signature dessert: a gooey cookie baked in a 6-inch pan and topped with vanilla ice cream immediately upon its exit from the oven.

The dessert sounds great, but it was nothing new to aficionados of Oreganos, known for its version of the same dessert with the same name.

In this battle, the gloves never came off. The law is the law, so Oreganos is now the home of The Original Pizza Cookie; BJs has its Pizookie.

But is this town big enough for two desserts that differ in name only? Must not there be a victor and a vanquished?

We say there must. So Get Out Food Spy Kathy Sandoz, 50, of Mesa a woman who watches her diet by skipping the occasional main course and heading straight for dessert and 17-year-old German foreign-exchange student Jouleen Ehebrecht of Gilbert got together with dining writer Michelle Burgess to declare the Pizookie/Pizza Cookie champ of the East Valley.

Oregano's
Our first stop was Oreganos Pizza Bistro (523 W. University Drive, Tempe, ), where the Original Pizza Cookie goes for $4.89.

Sandoz: Lets see, weve got a nice-looking cookie in a 6-inch pan with three scoops of ice cream is it Breyers? and a few chocolate sprinkles.

Burgess: Minor sprinkles.

Ehebrecht: I like it.

Sandoz: I dont think its Breyers.

Burgess: I like the cookie more than the ice cream.

Sandoz: Nice chunks of chocolate. Nicely underbaked, which is good

Burgess: and crispier around the edges, which is also good.

Sandoz: But this is not Breyers vanilla ice cream.

Ehebrecht: Its not very rich.

Sandoz: No, definitely not.

Burgess: Its almost like an ice milk.

Ehebrecht: It should have more flavor.

Burgess: The attention is definitely on the cookie and not on the ice cream.

Sandoz: Yeah. I definitely think the ice cream needs to be creamier. Im not getting a really big vanilla taste from it.

Ehebrecht: True. It should be creamier. It has almost no taste after a few bites.

Sandoz: But there is plenty of chocolate.

BJs Restaurant & Brewery
The next stop was BJs Restaurant & Brewery (Chandler Fashion Center, Chandler Boulevard and Loop 101, ), where the Pizookie is $4.35.

Burgess: OK, here weve got a dessert that looks bigger because the ice cream just two scoops is piled up. The pan is shallower, and there are no chocolate sprinkles.

Ehebrecht: Mmmm, that ice cream is definitely better.

Sandoz: More vanilla flavor.

Burgess: Definitely.

Sandoz: The cookies a little done for me, but then again, Im the queen of under-baking.

Burgess: No, I agree. It should have the squish in the middle and be crispier around the edges.

Sandoz: See how brown it is?

Burgess: Yeah. I dont think I like the cookie here as much.

Ehebrecht: I dont like it if its too done, but I really like this ice cream.

Sandoz: The ice creams better here, the cookies better there. Also, there seems to be a little less cookie here.

Burgess: Yeah, it does. I dont see how, though, since the pan is the same size and they are both just as thick. But there definitely seems to be less cookie here. Weird.

The champion
Sandoz: The ice cream was better at BJs it was creamier and had more flavor. But the cookie at Oreganos was much better, less well-done and with lots more flavor. I give the nod to Oreganos because the cookie was that much better.

Ehebrecht: The cookie was smoother at Oreganos and you didnt have to work so hard to eat it. But the ice cream had no taste. The ice cream at BJs just gave the whole thing more richness. I would have to recommend BJs for that reason.

Burgess: So I get to be the tie-breaker? For me, its easy. Anyone who reads what I write knows Im a dessert person, so the place with the squishier, better-tasting cookie is going to win out in my book. Call it whatever you like, but the version at Oreganos gets my vote.