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Wednesday, September 9, 2009

La Famiglia, Latta Road, Greece

La Famiglia Pizzeria on Urbanspoon
First off, La Famiglia Pizzeria in Greece is not the same as the Famous Famiglia chain that you see at Thruway rest stops and the airport. No, this is an independent place on Latta Road, across from Wegmans, near the intersection of Long Pond.
I got a cheese slice and a pepperoni slice. I had to wait a few minutes, but that was OK since it meant they were fresh out of the oven.
Though La Famiglia doesn't advertise "huge" slices, they were in fact rather big, and it was a pretty good deal: two slices and a 20 oz. drink for about $6.
The slices were thin and foldable, a little singed on the bottom, but pretty light in color overall. The crust was not at all greasy, and a little crisp on the outside, with what I'd call a "cornmeal crunch." That sounds like a breakfast cereal, but what I mean is that much of what crunchiness there was seemed to come from the dusting of cornmeal that the dough had received prior to going in the oven. (Cornmeal acts like tiny ball bearings and keeps the dough from sticking to the pizza peel, but as a side effect it also gives the underside a certain crunch.) On the whole, though, this crust was more pliable than crisp.
As I said, these were hot out of the oven, and the heavy layer of melted mozzarella was still semi-liquid and gloppy, though it became more rubbery as it cooled. Below that was a thin, somewhat oily sauce - or maybe the sauce had just mixed with the oil from the melted cheese - making for a rather wet slice overall. In fact, by the time I got these out to my car, the moisture from the slices had soaked right through the paper to-go sleeve.
A few flecks of dried herbs could be seen here and there, but generally the sauce had a pretty straightforward, right-down-the-middle flavor. The pepperoni seemed a little spicy, and had good flavor.
La Famiglia has ample seating, and they also deliver. If you eat in, you order at the counter and the food will be delivered to your table. I believe they serve soft drinks only, but don't quote me on that.
If you're looking for a whole pie, La Famiglia offers four thicknesses: thin, regular, thick and extra thick. I assume mine were thin; if they were "regular," then "thin" must be super thin. You can also choose from red, white, or pesto sauces, and a pretty standard lineup of toppings. There are six specialty pizzas, nothing too exotic.
Besides pizza, they do calzones, hot and cold subs, "steak bombers" (is that a local thing? I see it a lot around here), fish fry, pasta, wings, salads, a few sides, and if you're up for dessert, cannoli and "pizza fretta," which are described as "pillows of fried dough coated with confectionary sugar & cinnamon."
As for the pizza, bottom line, it's decent thin-crust pizza. Not exactly NY style, nor do they claim it to be, but pretty good flavor and texture. It should especially appeal to those who like a high cheese-and-sauce-to-dough ratio. If you like your pizza a little more well-done than rare, I'd ask for it that way. I'm not saying these were undercooked, but the cheese was more melted than browned, and the crust more browned than charred, but that's strictly a matter of personal preference. Whichever way you like it, I'd say La Famiglia is among the better places around, and I'll give it a B.
La Famiglia Pizzeria, 3208 Latta Rd., Greece. 225-9200
Mon. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m., Sat. noon - 11 p.m., Sun. 3 - 10 p.m.

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