An exploration of pizza in and around Rochester, NY, one pizzeria at a time
Monday, June 1, 2009
Colombini's, Chili Ave.
Colombini's is on Chili Avenue between Coldwater Rd. and Paul Rd. It's a deli as well as a pizzeria.
I had a pepperoni slice, which was fresh out of the oven (pepperoni was the only slice available). It was a normal size, not a "giant" slice, but it was also under 2 bucks.
The underside was browned in some areas, and pale in others. It bore signs of large air holes that had burst, which was a little odd since the interior of the crust wasn't very airy. It was a little greasy.
The medium-thick crust was soft, even on the exterior, and had a somewhat dense, spongy texture with some bready flavor. I had the impression that it was baked at relatively low temperatures, mostly due to the lack of crispness. Even the edge was soft.
It was a cheesy slice, with a layer of mozzarella that had been baked to the point of melting, but not browning. The sauce was laid on fairly thickly, and had a deep red color and a well-cooked, tomatoey, slightly herbal flavor with some acidic bite. The wide-and-thin pepperoni was tasty and nearly crisp along the edges.
Colombini's offers a fair number of toppings, and a handful of specialty pizzas. They also do wings (which they boldly claim are the "best in town"), subs, and other grilled/fried items, plus cannolis and other pastries. They also advertise ice cream, which I didn't see, although I wasn't looking for it. There's an ice cream place right next door called Sprinkles (which doesn't open until 2:00 or so), so one way or another you can get ice cream if you want it, at least when they're both open. Oh, and they only deliver for orders over $50. At least that's what the menu says.
This was decent pizza, in what I would call "Rochester style" - medium thick, a little heavy on the cheese and sauce, maybe a little greasy. It was OK for me, but not great. I'll give it a C.
Labels:
Chili,
grade C,
Rochester style,
slices
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Should check them out again, They started doing HUGE slices and they seemed to have improved over the other smaller slices!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip! Two and a half years is too long to go without checking them out again anyway.
ReplyDeleteThe slices may be huge, but order a pizza and you'll think you got the wrong size. We ordered a party sheet that was supposed to be 40 pcs; it was, but when they don't even measure 2x3 inches (yes, I pulled out a ruler for the whole party) I don't think it counts. The sauce was bland, tasted like a jar (and a cheap one), and the toppings were sparse. It took three in a row like this before I gave up on them.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, they were our go-to pizza joint for 25 years and used to be excellent, so we didn't give up on a whim.
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