Rochester NY Pizza Blog Rochester restaurants LocalEats featured blog

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Clemenza's, Mendon

After one or two fits and starts, Clemenza's recently opened in Mendon, next door to the Cottage Hotel. I tried to go there recently, only to find a sign on the door stating that the opening had been delayed, but I made it back next week and found it up and running, just in time for Mendon's Fire Department Carnival.
I got a large pizza, half pepperoni, half cheese, which is always tricky, because the cheese tends to brown before the pepperoni gets crisp, but I've got to try to please the family.
I'll say right off the bat that I was pleasantly surprised by this pizza, from the time I opened the box and took a look at it. It was thin, with nicely browned though not overcooked cheese, a thick, crusty cornicione (edge), and a lightly charred underside. The charring was a bit uneven, with some areas more done than others, but not too bad.
And appearances in this case were not deceiving, as this proved to be pretty good pizza. It was a bit on the cheesy side, but generally well balanced, with a straightforward, tomatoey sauce that had a nice, bright flavor. The crust was fairly crisp on the outside, though as with the charring, the cornicione was softer in some areas than others. The interior of the crust was nice and chewy, and the cup and char pepperoni was crisp along the edges.
Clemenza's offers 25 pizza toppings (including one of my favorites, fresh garlic, which you don't see often enough around here), though at this point there are no specialty pizzas on the menu. They also do wings, of which I got a dozen. They were nice and meaty, my only quibble being that I ordered them mild with hot sauce on the side (family again), but what I got were considerably hotter than mild. I see now on the menu that Buffalo wings only come in medium and hot, and I would've appreciated it if they'd advised me that they have no true "mild" sauce. Sweet-and-sour and Cajun (dry rub) wings are also available. You'll also find hot and cold subs on the menu, along with a few Italian dinners and various sides.
You never know what to expect with a new pizzeria, and though I always hope for the best, I've often been disappointed. It's never good to take the first bite of a pizza and realize that it's just not very good, and now you've got this entire large pizza to deal with.
But not this time. On the whole, this was rather enjoyable pizza, with a pretty decent crust and good flavor. I look forward to trying Clemenza's again, but for now I'm going to peg it at a very respectable B+.
Clemenza's Pizzeria, 6 Victor Mendon Road, Mendon 14506. 624-5545
Mon. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sat. noon - 10 p.m.

13 comments:

  1. why did naked pizza in victor close???????

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey - wasn't Climenza the one in the Godfather that said, "leave the gun, take the canoli"?? Regardless, this pie looks outstanding. I'm driving to Mendon tomorrow. Nice blog

    ReplyDelete
  3. bjm - don't know, but you're right, they closed June 6.
    Eric - that explains their slogan, "leave the dough, take the pizza." That's one classic movie I've never seen, so thanks for the cultural reference.

    ReplyDelete
  4. If you don't want people parking in your lot..........you should put up a sign. BLOCKING CARS IN YOUR LOT BY PARKING YOUR BIG PICKUP ACROSS THE DRIVEWAY IS BAD FOR YOUR BUSINESS !!! IT WAS AN HONEST MISTAKE BY OUR YOUNG SON COMING TO JOIN US FOR DINNER AT THE COTTAGE HOTEL. We will not order pizza from you again.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The two separate buildings with Our Name clearly displayed on the front of Our building should be sufficient enough. Maybe you should have taught your son that when he became responsible enough to drive. If you had an issue, I really wish you would have stopped in to talk with us. But or course it's another thing you have failed to teach your son. What's bad for Our business is Our customers not having a place to park.

    ReplyDelete
  6. We live in Mendon and like to support local businesses. Clemenza's has done a great job with their renovations and service has been fast and friendly. The pizza tastes good, but I'm not a fan of the crust - too soft and chewy - my kids have a hard time eating it, and it's hard to cut. If anyone at Clemenza's reads this, please try to make some improvements to your crust so that it is crispier. Otherwise the pizza is good.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The pizza places that have closed in Mendon needed to do so If Clemenza's lasts I'll be very surprised. I ordered a pizza and when I tasted it I threw it out!!!!sorry but it was even worse than what we have or had in Mendon

    ReplyDelete
  8. That last comment is frankly hard to believe. If you ordered an entire pizza, "tasted" it and it was truly so bad that you could not eat it, then why didn't you take the uneaten portion back to Clemenza's and explain to them what the problem was? Most pizzerias will refund your money if it's truly inedible.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Are there any opening for a summer job here? And with a work permit, what age must you be to work here and what job options are there?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Better contact the pizzeria directly.

    ReplyDelete
  11. These guys offer the best pizza in the area (and I have tried them all). The sauce is flavorful and they will provide a "well done" pizza (which can be tough to get right at other places).

    ReplyDelete
  12. New place in Mendon opened up today. The place is called "Pizza D's" (http://www.pizzadsmendon.com) and its situated where a Pontillo's used to be.

    ReplyDelete