I picked up a pizza the other day at LB's Pizza in East Bloomfield. It's at 10 Main Street, the former site of Hometown Pizza, which I reported on in 2011.I spotted LB's a few months ago, but I didn't have a convenient chance to do so until a couple weeks ago.
I got a large pie,half pepperoni, half green peppers and onions.
The pepperoni was for my daughter. For myself, I'm good with plain cheese, but I've found you need toppings on the whole pie to get it to bake evenly. I'd go with pepperoncini, but my wife prefers green, a/k/a sweet peppers. That's fine with me.
What especially intrigued me about LB's was their slogan, "It's the crust!" Where pizza is concerned, I agree, it's primarily about the crust, so that drew me in.
This pie was still in the oven when I arrived, but I assured the counter person I was in no hurry, and that I didn't mind waiting until it was properly done. While I was waiting, she gave me a bit of background on LB's.I learned that LB's is a reincarnation of a family-owned pizza shop that operated in Lima for many years, but closed some 15 years ago. She also informed me that the dough and sauce are both made in-house, daily.Once the pie came out, I rushed it home in my insulated bag. When I opened the box, I found pie with a medium-thick crust, and a medium-brown underside. The slices were firm but pliable.
I don't know if it's typical, but the cornicione was formed in a way that created a slight gap between it and the rest of the crust. I suppose if you like to dip the crust into some sauce, this would make it easier to tear off the outer crust.
My daughter found the crust to be underbaked. Given her preference for thin, NY-style pizza, I can understand that. But to me, a more apt description would be "fresh," as in freshly-baked bread. Even after a half-hour-plus car ride, this crust exuded the aroma of bread right out of the oven. It was slightly chewy but not tough, moist but not gummy. The predominant flavor and aroma were not of a charred exterior, but of an interior that was much like a just-baked loaf of bread, right out of the oven. On top, the cheese was smooth and well melted. The pepperoni and veggies were abundant and evenly distributed, tasty if unremarkable, and the pie as a whole was evenly and well baked.
So I think your reaction to this pie would depend a good deal on what you like in terms of the crust. This was bready, firm underneath, soft inside, not crunchy or crackly, or oily, or flabby. It was like bread topped with well-melted cheese and fresh toppings, with a scent of bread that came with each bite. And that's not a bad way to describe a pizza.
LB's Pizza
10 Main St., East Bloomfield
585-657-6190
Tue. - Sat. 11 - 9, Sun. (Summer) 3 - 8, (Winter) noon - 8
Delivery 5 p.m. - closing time, within 6-mile radius
