Carbone's, Hilton

In May 2009, I did a post on Carbone's on Dewey Avenue. I gave it a C+ for flavorfull toppings but a crust that was a little gummy. That relatively poor review prompted one loyal Carbone's customer to compare me to a Holocaust denier, so while it's taken some time, I have made it back, this time to the Carbone's in Hilton.
I got a single pepperoni slice, which was very fresh out of the oven. It seemed a little bigger than the slices I got last year at Dewey.
The medium-thick crust on this slice had a browned underside, with no screen marks. It was a bit greasy, with an oily sheen, a soft texture, and a slight aroma of cooking oil. Fortunately, the interior of the crust was better than the outside, with some bready chewiness.
The toppings also weren't bad. The cup-and-char pepperoni was nice and crisp, and the browned cheese was melted but not burnt. The only reason it looks so sloppy in the photograph is that the pizza was so hot, having just emerged from the oven.
The sauce had a distinct, though not overpowering flavor of herbs - oregano and basil among them, I think - and was moderately applied, in good balance with the rest of the components.
Carbone's has a relatively modest pizza menu, with nine toppings, just one specialty pizza (a white pizza with fresh garlic, olive oil, Romano and "spices"), and a "double dough" option for those who like it thick. They also do hot and cold subs, wings, chicken fingers, french fries and mozzarella sticks.
At the risk of being subjected to more unfavorable historical or cultural comparisons, I can't really give this pizza high marks. The flavor was OK and all, but that crust was too soft and too greasy for me. I'd call this an average slice of pizza for the Rochester area, so I'll give it an average grade, a C.
Carbone’s Pizzeria, 144 South Ave., Hilton 392-1111
Mon. - Thu. 3:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m., Sun. noon - 9:00 p.m.