Parkside Pizza & Sub, Bloomfield

Having recently reviewed Hometown Pizza in Bloomfield, I got to looking around for other pizzerias in that area, which led me to Parkside Pizza & Sub, which is about three quarters of a mile down the road from Hometown. Parkside is a little mom 'n' pop shop that's been in business since 1999.
I ordered a large pie, half pepperoni, half sweet peppers. It had a very soft crust with a browned underside. Even the outer edge was soft, and that's often the one part of a pizza that will get crisp, even if the rest of the crust is soft.
Although the crust was medium thick, it didn't appear to have risen very much. The interior had a touch of sweetness, but a doughy flavor and not much breadiness.
On the plus side, the red sauce had a bright tomatoey flavor, and the cheese was applied in good balance with the other components. The sauce and cheese were both prominent, but not overdone, and with the pepperoni and peppers they gave the pizza a good flavor overall.
Unfortunately, though, they couldn't completely make up for the crust, which was just too soft for me. Some people may like it that way, but I'm not one of them. I know some pizzerias will attempt to accommodate you if you're like me and prefer a crisp crust, and next time I think I'd ask at Parkside.
Parkside does have an impressive lineup of specialty pizzas, including a cheeseburger pizza (red sauce, ketchup, ground beef, onion, tomato, pickles and American cheese), Buffalo chicken, Philly steak, and even a spaghetti pizza. At the time of my visit, they also had a Reuben pizza on the menu for only 10 bucks. Other items include wings, which are available breaded or sauced, hot and cold subs, and "broaster" chicken.
I wanted to like this pizza, as I love little mom 'n' pop pizzerias, but this crust just didn't do it for me. For what it's worth, my seven-year-old pronounced this pizza "delicious," but I'm beginning to suspect that her palate is less than discriminating where pizza's concerned.
Then again, maybe it's just me, that is to say, maybe it comes down to a matter of personal taste. I've been to a few pizza tasting events where I was amazed to see how some people genuinely seem to like, or at least don't mind, a soft crust. If you're one of them, you might really like Parkside; as I said, it tasted fine. But for me, soft crusts are hard for me to get past, no matter how good the toppings are. So while this wasn't among the worst pizzas I've had around here, I have to put it below average, and I'll give it a C-.
Parkside Pizza, 15 South Ave., Bloomfield 657-4440
Located one block off Rt. 5 & 20, just behind Elton Park
Sun. noon – 9:30 p.m., Mon. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.