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Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Tony Pepperoni, Greece - CLOSED


Back in April 2009, I did a post on Tony Pepperoni in Henrietta, giving it a B for its pretty decent thin-crust pizza. Not long ago I decided to check out its sister location, on Latta Road in Greece.
Somewhat oddly, this Tony P. is located right next to a gas station, although I wouldn't call it gas-station pizza, thank god. By that I mean it's not the usual frozen/microwaved/premade crap you see sitting there under a heat lamp at convenience stores everywhere. This is a genuine pizzeria that simply happens to adjoin a gas station.
My very fresh pepperoni slice bore little resemblance to the one I got at Henrietta, which was roughly similar to a NY-style slice. This one had a thin to medium crust, with a big, puffy edge. The underside, which bore no screen or pan marks, was medium to dark brown. It was a bit crisp on the outside, but very pliable, with a softness that made it necessary to fold the slice (this slice was still pretty hot out of the oven, which I'm sure had some effect on the texture). The crust in general had a toasty, bready aroma and flavor, which again probably had something to do with its being so fresh.
That freshness also would account somewhat for the gooiness of the cheese, but even aside from its having just come out of the oven, the cheese on this one was cooked just enough to melt completely, with no browning. The pie from which this was cut appeared to be considerably less well done (as in the degree of doneness, not how well it was made) than a cheese pie that was also available. Perhaps the employee took it out of the oven a little sooner rather than later because another customer and I were both waiting for pepperoni slices.
The sauce, which had pooled a bit toward the tip, was slightly sweet, and moderately applied. A lot of sprinkled dried herbs were visible, and there was a noticeable aroma and flavor of oregano. The pepperoni was OK, though not cooked enough to get crisp along the edges.
Tony Pepperoni has a fairly extensive list of pizza toppings and specialty pizzas, nothing especially exotic, although the "Italian Assorted" is a little unusual, with ham, cappicola, and salami among its toppings (I've put salami on homemade pizza before, and it's actually quite good, provided you use good salami). Pizzas come in 12", 16", and 18" pies, and sheets. Other offerings include jumbo wings, hot and cold subs, and sides, plus a few dinners, including pasta, fish fry and chicken parm. It's a takeout and delivery place only.
This was kind of a messy slice of pizza, but kind of good too. Granted, it was pretty hot out of the oven, and hadn't really had time to set, but that big, bubbly edge pretty much guaranteed that the cheese and sauce would migrate toward the tip, and with that thin, pliable crust, this definitely required that a couple of napkins be on hand. Still, the crust was pleasantly bready and a little crisp, and the overall flavors were good. I'm going to shave a point off for the sloppiness of it, but I'll give it a B-.
Tony Pepperoni, 2044 Latta Rd. 621-0230
Sun. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

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