3 Daughters Pizzeria

May 2026 saw the opening of 3 Daughters Pizzeria on East Avenue, in the former location of Big City Deli & Pizzeria (which I never got around to trying). I happened to be in the area recently around lunchtime, so I stopped in to check it out.

It's a small place with a modicum of seating (two tables, as I recall), so I got a couple slices to go. 

They had four varieties available:  cheese, pepperoni, Margherita, and the "113 East Ave Special" (garlic pesto marinara base, sausage, pepperoni, onions, peppers, finished with hot honey drizzle). I opted for a cheese slice and a Margherita slice. The counter person / pizzaiolo rewarmed them prior to handing them over. 

Both were thin-to-medium, from about a quarter-inch thick near the tip to a half inch nearer the outer edge. They had a chewy interior and a very crisp bottom. Much of the latter was surely due to the reheating, but the Margherita slice was crisp enough that I could hold it horizontally without folding and with no "flop" at the tip. When I did try to fold it, it cracked down the middle. All of which is OK with me; I'll take that over a soft, limp crust any day, and while well browned, these weren't burnt.

The cheese slice was covered with a layer of what I took to be mozzarella and cheddar. It was nicely melted and stretchy. This is purely subjective, but I would've been happy with a lighter application of cheese, as it overwhelmed the sauce, which was rather tasty, with some subtle notes of garlic and herbs. But I was only able to taste it near the outer perimeter where the cheese was absent.

(As an aside, I should note that if you look closely you may see what appear to be creases in the cheese. That resulted from the server putting both slices in the same bag, and the cheese slices was on the bottom, so it did indeed get some indentations from the wax paper separating it from the Margherita slice above. It's more of an esthetic issue, so I didn't mind, but it's some indication of the thickness of the cheese.) 

I noticed when making my selections that I didn't see any basil on the Margherita, which seemed odd, but I almost always go for a Margherita when it's offered, and it looked pretty good regardless.  When it came out the oven, the server gave it a drizzle of some sort of sauce. I need to learn to speak up more, because I should've asked what it was, but I didn't, and all I could make out from the label on the bottle was "Glaze."

I'm still not sure what it was. I thought perhaps it was some sort of basil-infused condiment, but I didn't detect any basil notes. It was sweet but not spicy, so it wasn't hot honey. I was thinking balsamic, and the color was consistent with that, but I didn't really pick up any vinegar. To confuse matters further, the menu describes the Margherita as topped with "red sauce, fresh mozzarella, Roma tomato, oregano, finished with olive oil and fresh basil." No fresh basil here, and the glaze was not just olive oil, I'm certain of that. So for now it remains a mystery.

Regardless, I enjoyed the slice. It was definitely heavy on the tomatoes, with a thick layer of sweetish tomato sauce (some of that sweetness might've been from the mystery glaze), as well as slices of Roma tomato. The fresh mozzarella was applied over the tomato slices, and tended to blend in with them rather than stand out as distinct islands of cheese, but overall the slice had a good flavor, particularly if you like your pizza on the tomatoey side. Margherita? Mmm, no, but nomenclature aside, I liked it.

Aside from the four sliced pies available that day, 3 Daughters' pizza menu has some interesting choices, many of them sandwich-inspired, including a BLT pizza, a Cuban pizza (garlic base, carnitas, ham, salami, mozzarella, Swiss, pickles, Cuban creamy creole mustard drizzle), a Reuben pizza, and a Spicy Pickle pizza (garlic Cajun base, mozzarella, cheddar, jack, dill pickles, and house pepper ranch and Sriracha drizzle), which despite my predilection for pizza purism, sounds intriguing enough that I wouldn't mind giving it a try.

I should also mention that 3 Daughters Pizzeria is next door to 3 Daughters Tap & Tavern, which has a separate food menu (which includes flatbreads but no pizza). The bar is in the space formerly occupied by Temple Bar & Grill, although it appears that 3 Daughters' owner retained most of Temple's staff, and 3 Daughters' website still refers to it in spots as Temple Bar & Grill, so I gather there is a certain amount of continuity there.

All in all, I was pretty happy with my two slices. I could quibble about a few things. Both seemed a little out of balance to me:  the cheese sauce was almost too cheese-laden, and the Margherita was heavy on the tomatoes, but I know that where pizza's concerned, a lot of folks have a more-is-better attitude, so maybe that's just me. And then there was the whole no-basil Margherita thing, but hey, it tasted good. I don't get downtown as often as I used to, but 3 Daughters has earned a spot on my options list when I do.

3 Daughters Pizzeria

113 East Ave, Rochester, NY 14604

(585) 355-4027
3daughterspizzeria.com 

NOTE:  the hours listed below were lifted from a Google search result. I strongly suggest calling to confirm before going. 

Friday    11 AM–2 AM
Saturday    11 AM–2 AM
Sunday    12–10 PM
Monday    11 AM–11 PM
Tuesday    11 AM–12 AM
Wednesday    11 AM–12 AM
Thursday    11 AM–2 AM

Sagra Italia

My wife and I recently had dinner at Sagra Italia on St. Paul St., which opened in late 2025 in the former site of Fifth Frame Brewing in downtown Rochester. Sagra had been on my radar screen for a while, after I learned that they offer pizza made with house-made focaccia. 

 Sagra Italia doesn't accept reservations, but although it was Saturday, I hoped that if we got there relatively early we wouldn't have much trouble getting a table. Fortunately, I was correct. They were moderately busy at around 5:30, but we were seated within a few minutes after our arrival. 

 Sagra is a fast-casual operation, with the food counter and kitchen on the right, and bar at the left. After making our choices, my wife put in our food order while I fetched us a couple drinks at the bar.

Any time there's Margherita pizza on the menu, I'm probably going with that, and so I did here. Rather than order an entire pizza, we got a single square-cut slice, which allowed us to try a second variety, the La Bianca (white pizza). We also shared a bowl of Shellfish Scoglio, which the menu describes as comprising Italian bronze-cut spaghetti, mussels, shrimp, grape tomatoes, marinara, white wine, garlic, chili flakes, fresh parsley, and Parmigiano/Romano (both? either? don't know).

Not long after putting in our order, our food was delivered to the table. The Margherita was topped with marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil pesto. The crust was an inch or so thick (it's focaccia, remember), and though my predilections run toward thin crust, I very much liked it. It was airy and crunchy, which indicated good gluten development. The flavor was quite good as well, and I was happily surprised by the use of basil pesto rather than fresh basil. I don't think that would've worked quite as well on a thin crust, but on a focaccia pizza, the pesto added basil flavor plus a bit of olive oil that helped balance the thick crust, in a way that fresh basil alone wouldn't have done.

I wasn't sure if I was going to like the La Bianca, but I was again pleasantly surprised, particularly by the lemon ricotta. Frankly, I've never been a huge fan of ricotta on pizza. Maybe it's just me, but it's always seemed like a substitute for fresh mozzarella. And lemon on pizza? Giddouttaheah!

But this was good. It would be easy to overdo lemon, but this was subtle enough that with the other toppings, it worked very well. Whoever is coming up with these ideas clearly knows what they're doing.

Oh yeah -- our shellfish was good too, as were the wine, beer, and service. I was also happy to see them busy, and I encourage you to check them out.

Sagra Italia

155 St. Paul Street

Wed. - Sun. 11 am - 10 pm, closed Mon. and Tue. 

Vive, East Avenue

I recently had the pleasure of enjoying dinner with Chris Lindstrom (whose name you might recognize from his Food About Town blog, from his restaurant reviews in City Newspaper, or if you're a curling participant or fan) and John Vito, former proprietor of the much-missed O'Bagelo's on State Street, as well as the author of the Food and Stories blog. (Every shmo with a computer has a blog these days, I guess. And I should know, having been at this for seven years and counting.)
We met at Vive Bistro and Bakery on East Avenue, which coincidentally is very near the former site of another of John's restaurant ventures, the shorter-lived but also memorable Baked and Carved.
Thanks to their awareness of my never-ending mission to seek out new pizzerias, and to boldly go where no pizza blogger has gone before, John and Chris correctly took it as a given that if we were going to meet up for dinner, it would almost certainly have to be at a place that serves pizza. So they let me suggest a place, and they agreed to meet at Vive, a vegan restaurant in the East End that bills itself as serving "artisanal French cuisine."
Now I'm not a vegan by any means, nor would I ordinarily be drawn to a vegan restaurant. But when I learned that Vive serves focaccia pizza, I added it to my to-do list, and I'd been meaning to check it out for some time. My wife and I had tried to stop for dinner a few weeks earlier, on a weekend night without a reservation, but the prospective 40-minute wait dissuaded us. On this early Thursday evening, my reservation proved unnecessary, and we got a table immediately.
I frankly didn't realize until after we got there that Vive is 100% vegan. When I had seen references on their online menu to Parmesan, ricotta, etc., I figured, OK, they don't do meat, but they still use animal products, including cheese. But I was incorrect in making that assumption. Vive's "cheeses" are all non-dairy; soy-based, I believe.
As I mentioned, what drew me to Vive was its pizza, specifically two focaccia pizzas, a Mediterranean and a tomato rabe pizza.  The former is topped with herb pesto, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives, and Vive's take on Boursin cheese. (Boursin is actually a trademarked brand of Gournay cheese, so maybe it would be more accurate - or safe, from a legal standpoint - to refer to it as Gournay.) The tomato rabe pizza includes broccoli rabe, roasted onion, house ragout, and shaved Parmesan.
Vive  also offers "Socca Pissa," which is not to be confused with the "wicked" variety. Socca Pissa is described as "a new twist to the traditional pissaladiere." Socca is a chickpea-based, gluten-free flatbread. Pissaladière, in turn, is a pizza-like dish that hails from Southern France. Traditionally, it's often topped with onions, olives and anchovies, on a medium-thick, tart-like crust.
At Vive, the Socca Pissa comes in three varieties: Pear and Fig (fig-and-black olive tapenade, arugula, pears, and blue cheese), Blanc (confit garlic, caramelized onions, artichokes, and ricotta), and Mushroom Florentine (roasted cremini, balsamic red onions, wilted spinach, and Parmesan spread).
With its wheat-based crust, the focaccia sounded closer to "regular" pizza than the Socca Pissa, so I opted for that. For no particular reason, I chose the Mediterranean.
It had a thick crust, rather pale all around, though not underdone. I wondered if it had been baked at a relatively low temperature, which caused the surface not to brown. So it lacked some of the flavor and aroma of good, freshly baked focaccia.
It wasn't bad, though. The crust had a tight crumb, but was not heavy or dense. The texture was somewhat biscuitlike, and there didn't seem to be a lot of gluten development. It was not overly dry, brittle or crumbly, but it wasn't very chewy either.
The crust's very plainness, however, made it serve admirably as a base for the toppings, which were quite flavorful. Bits of fresh herbs were visible in the pesto, which combined well with the salty olives, the slices of sweet, roasted red bell pepper, and the Boursin. I don't think I've ever had actual Boursin cheese, but I've seen it described as creamy yet slightly crumbly. Vive's version leaned more toward the crumbly than the creamy, and was reminiscent of a crumbly blue cheese. Overall, the combination was quite pleasing on the palate, with complex but harmonious flavors.
And that seemed, I'm happy to say, pretty typical of the food at Vive. This blog post is already longer than I'd anticipated, and I want to focus on the pizza, so I'll try to keep this brief, but we began by sharing a plate of tartines, which are essentially open-faced sandwiches similar to crostini. Of the four varieties that we had, the surprise standout was the avocado and grapefruit. Those aren't two ingredients I would've thought of putting together, to say the least, but they made for a happy marriage, with the citric acidity and tanginess of the grapefruit cutting through the buttery richness of the mashed avocado.
I also liked the acorn squash risotto with toasted pecans and parsnip ribbons, with its mix of creamy, crunchy and crisp textures. I'd rank the sweet potato gnocchi as the least successful dish, as the gnocchi had a slightly gummy texture; for me, texture typically takes precedence over flavor. But having said that, the flavor of the dish wasn't bad, with a puree of smoked cauliflower and caramelized onion as a base for the sweet potatoes.
All in all, I came away from Vive rather impressed. I knew that vegan meals can be good, so good that even omnivores like me won't miss the meat, but it takes creativity and skill to pull it off.
Vive did so. Vegan here doesn't mean just hockey-puck black bean burgers and fried, rubbery tofu. The ingredient combinations were innovative, well-thought-out, and well-executed. I'd like to go back. I might even discover that chickpeas make for one wicked pissa crust.

Vive Bistro and Bakery, 130 East Ave., Rochester
(585) 481-2021
info@vivebistro.com

Lunch daily 11 - 3
Dinner Mon. - Thu. 5 - 9, Fri. & Sat. 5 - 10

Schiano's, Alexander Street

I heard an ad on the radio recently for a new pizzeria, Schiano's, on Alexander Street, which occupies the former site of the Alexander Street Pontillo's, just north of East Avenue.
First chance I got, I went over at lunchtime for a slice. The slices were quite large, so I just got one, a pepperoni slice. (The only other option at the time was plain cheese.)
The pie had recently come out of the oven, but I asked for it to be rewarmed. I've found that in general, that's a good thing to do.
The crust was thin, just a little browned underneath, but crackly. I usually consider surface crackling a good thing, but in this case the crust tended to separate horizontally into two layers, which is not such a good thing. I like a nice mix of chewiness and crunchiness, but the crust should also be a unified whole.
The cornicione was narrow, not too thick, but bubbly, and had a breadlike flavor and aroma. Overall, the slice was marked by an aroma of garlic and tomatoes, reminiscent of a slow-cooked spaghetti sauce. The sauce was mildly flavored, not particularly sweet or salty, and I mostly noticed the garlic in the aroma, rather than on my tastebuds.
The cheese was quite melted, almost semi-liquid. I'm sure the reheating had something to do with that. I liked it, but it was a little gloppy. I'm sure John Kasich would've used a fork on this one.
Schiano's pizza comes in three sizes (14" medium, 16" large and sheet) with 15 available toppings and . They offer five specialty pizzas, including the "Schiano Special," described as "our take on an old fashion Margherita pizza." I'm curious to know what their "take" is on a Margherita. They also do stromboli, salads, "plates," "hero's" [sic], wings, and several appetizers, including "Geo's meatball ina cup," which apparently is just what it sounds like, a huge meatball in a cup, with marinara sauce and cheese.
My slice was $4, which is a little steep for around here, although admittedly it was quite a large slice (a plain cheese slice is $3.50). So I guess I can't complain too much about the price. I think they also do a lot of bar business, and I'm sure that many bar patrons around there aren't too particular about spending an extra buck or two on a slice of pizza.
But in general, I was pleased with this slice. There was the one issue with the crust, but I'd rather have too crackly than too soggy. Otherwise, it was pretty nice overall, and I'd say that Schiano's is a welcome addition to the local pizza scene.

Schiano's Pizzeria
315 Alexander St.
Rochester, NY 14604

585-445-8208

Matthews East End Grill

I'm always on the lookout for places that serve pizza, even if they're not pizzerias as such.
One that's been on my list for a while now is Matthew's East End Grill in downtown Rochester. I stopped in recently for lunch.
Pizza is not the main focus of the menu at Matthew's, so my expectations were tempered a bit. When I order pizza at a restaurant or bar that doesn't specialize in pizza, or that doesn't have a full-fledged pizza kitchen, I'm generally just hoping that it's decent. If it turns out to be very good, so much the better.
Matthews offers seven- and ten-inch pies. The choices are relatively few, but they cover the basics - pepperoni, white pizza, veggie, and a pizza of the day. The available toppings include onions, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, black olives, feta cheese and pesto.
I got a seven-inch pepperoni pizza. As always, I first checke out the underside.
It was crisp and dry, and marked by browned concentric rings. The cornicione (the thick part along the edge) was deeply browned on top, but white along the sides, suggestive of direct, radiant heat from above. From there, the crust tapered to a thin center. The interior was a tad dry but had some chewiness, and a faint bready aroma. With its surface crunchiness and browning, the crust can best be described as toasty. 
The toppings were rather good. The sauce was a basic red, but had a rich tomatoey flavor. Despite the deeply browned cornicione, the generously applied mozzarella was not at all browned. It was nicely melted, smooth, stretchy and a little gooey, in a good way; it struck me as high-quality stuff. The wide, thinly-sliced pepperoni was flavorful, and the pie looked to have been given a light dusting of hard, grated cheese, although I didn't detect it on my tastebuds. All in all, the components were well balanced and worked well together.
Matthews is a laid-back place that should satisfy a variety of crowds. There are enough TVs for sports fans, and I'm sure it does a brisk business during games, but it's not overly sports-oriented. The bar and dining areas are well separated, and there's some outdoor seating in warm weather. Owner Carl Falk is often on hand, chatting with patrons and occasionally pitching in behind the bar.
Beyond pizza, Matthews' menu extends to burgers, sandwiches and wraps, wings, salads, soups and other pub grub. They offer a kid's menu and a few desserts, and free refills on soft drinks.
The pizza? Overall, it was reasonably good. I can't say Matthew's is a "must" destination for local pizza lovers, but I can say that if you're dining there, the pizza is worth considering. And that Matthews is worth a visit, whether for a casual workday lunch, family dinner, or drinks and socializing at the bar.

Matthew's East End Grill, 200 East Avenue, Rochester
(585) 454-4280

11:30 - 2 a.m. daily

East End Pizza & Deli

As I noted in a late June post, Stromboli Express recently moved from its former location on East Avenue to a site across and down the street, and has become Stromboli's Restaurant.
While I can understand that move and change, I figured the area around its former location still needed a slice joint, especially one that's open late. Despite being in a bar-heavy area, Stromboli's has always closed relatively early, even on weekends. (And I can understand that too - I don't think I'd want to deal with people coming out of bars at 2 a.m. But if you're willing to tolerate those customers, there's money to be made.)
In Stromboli's former space  now comes East End Pizza & Deli. I stopped in the other day and got a slice.
At my noontime visit, they had just cheese or pepperoni slices available. I got one pepperoni slice.
My immediate reaction was a bit of shock at the price - $3.75. I can get a pretty good slice around town, or even in New York City, for well under that. So if you're charging $3.75 a slice, it had better be good.
And it was good, but not that good. I was told that they had a special, two slices & a 20 oz drink for $7,which isn't bad, but I didn't really want two slices, or a drink, or to spend $7, so I declined.
On to the slice: I was asked if I'd like it rewarmed - that should always be asked, so that's a plus - and I said yes. I've learned that in general, even when they say a pizza has just come out of the oven, it's usually a good idea to get your slice rewarmed. Mine spent maybe another minute in the oven.
This slice had a dry, crackly bottom, with some screen marks.There was a light dusting of either corn meal or semolina flour - it was very light, so I couldn't tell. I don't have a problem with that. The slice also held up to the "fold test," meaning that I could fold it and hold it out straight, without the tip flopping down.
The slice was extremely thin near the tip, i.e. the center of the pie. Some oil had seeped through, also near the tip, but as I said, the crust was mostly dry to the touch. It was considerably thicker and more breadlike near the outer edge. The cornicione was nicely formed, with some light bubbling and blistering on top.
On the negative side, the cheese was a little overdone - maybe that was the downside of having the slice rewarmed - and it didn't seem like the greatest cheese. It hadn't melted so much as separated, and I wondered if the oil separating from the cheese was the source of some of the oil on the bottom of the slice. The pock marks on the cheese indicated that the solids and liquids comprising the cheese had separated from each other.
The pepperoni was pretty good. It was thin, crisp and a little spicy.
The slice was light on the sauce. It was there, but it was lightly applied, and frankly I had a hard time identifying it on my palate. There was nothing wrong with it, as such, it was just so much in the background as to be almost undetectable.
I'll let you peruse East End's menu for yourself, but it is interesting. No wings, but they do offer sandwiches, including prime rib sandwiches, and, under the heading "comfort food," sausage rolls, mac & cheese, and grilled cheese.

As for the pizza, this was not bad, overall, but in my judgment this slice was not worth the price. Maybe their late-night customers won't mind, but during the day, I can get pizza at least as good, not far away, for less. That said, and price aside, there were things to like about this pizza, and I hope they do well.

East End Pizza & Deli, 113 East Ave.
585-434-4280

Sun. noon - 11 p.m.
Mon. & Tue. 11 - 11
Wed. & Thu. 11 - 2 a.m.
Fri. & Sat. 11 - 2:30 a.m.

Stromboli's

It's hard to believe that it's been that long, but I last reported on Stromboli Express in 2009. It's since moved and become Stromboli's Restaurant.
At the time of my last review, Stromboli Express was on the south side of the 100 block of East Avenue, between Scio and Chestnut Streets. In 2014, they moved across the street, to a new space with a little more room.
I recently stopped in and got a cheese slice and a Philly cheesesteak slice. I wouldn't ordinarily order a cheesesteak slice, but it was a daily special, I wanted something to contrast with the cheese slice, and it looked good, so I went for it.
Both were thin, and the slices were foldable but not floppy. They were a bit oily underneath. The cheesesteak slice was more so, probably because of the toppings, which comprised cheddar, mozzarella, onions, sweet peppers, tomatoes and shaved steak. It was tasty, although the beef was a little well done, for my taste.
The cheese slice - which was noticeably wider than the Philly slice - was a pretty good, more or less NY style slice. It too was a little oily underneath, on the bottom surface. The edge was drier and crisp but a little dry.
The flavor was good, with a nice balance of melted mozzarella, tomato sauce, and herbs. The sauce had a medium consistency. The cheese was well melted, but had exuded a bit of oil. Not bad.
I suppose at some point I should get a stromboli from Stromboli's. It's a close relative to pizza, and it is after all what they're named for. But aside from stromboli and pizza, Stromboli's offers calzones, subs, wings and pasta. Check out the full menu here.They've also got twelve specialty pizzas, which you can see here.
These were good slices, with some minor flaws. Primarily, a little too oily underneath. They weren't soaked through with oil - it was mostly on the surface - but I'd have liked them a little drier to the touch, and a little crisper. The crust here was more of a platform for the toppings than something worth seeking out in its own right. But nonetheless, the crust served that role well. I enjoyed these slices, which had good flavor and balance. I'd say they were better than average, so I'll give them a B.

Stromboli's Restaurant
130 East Ave, Rochester 14604

585-546-2121

Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Sat. 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Sun. noon - 6:45 p.m.

Veneto Revisited, Plus a Conversation with a Fellow Food Blogger

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Chris Lindstrom, the author of Food About Town. It's a terrific new blog covering the Rochester area food scene.
I've seen food blogs come and go, but I think this one is going to stick around for a while. Chris is passionate about food, and about food writing.
And about pizza, in particular. In fact, he's been apprenticing at Fiamma, an outstanding pizzeria on Rochester's west side that I've posted about before.
Chris and I met at Veneto, an East Avenue wood-fired pizzeria that I hadn't reviewed since 2009. We had a very pleasant conversation that touched upon food, food blogging, pizza, and other topics, including his passion for curling. I've never participated, but I've long had a soft spot in my heart for curling, dating back to my childhood when we picked up CHCH-TV out of Hamilton, Ontario, and I used to watch curling on days when I'd stay home from school, either actually or faking sick.
Let me start with the pizza. We shared two pies, a Margherita and a Rustica.
I was surprised that the Margherita had no basil. On checking the menu, I see that it is described as a pie with "pomodoro sauce topped with mozzarella cheese." No mention of basil. So I can't complain about false advertising or anything of that sort. Still, there are certain terms, and "Margherita" is one of them, that suggest a certain type of pizza, and this is the first time I've had a so-called Margherita that didn't include basil.
Having said that, I obviously should've checked my own prior review of Veneto, where I noted that I had to specifically ask for basil. So I'll take the blame for that.
OK, so let's forget about the name, and focus on the pizza. Was it good?
Yes, ... and no. The crust was disappointingly bland and boring. The underside was rather pale; even along the edge (which is often blackened with wood-fired pizza) the crust was not all that well cooked. It wasn't undercooked, in the sense of being gummy, like raw dough, but it wasn't as well baked as it could've and should've been. And I did get a hint of raw flour, perhaps from the dusting of flour that the underside picked up from the pizza peel.
The crust also hadn't risen much, and was lacking in both the big air holes that make for a good, chewy crust, and the flavor that develops during a long, cool rise. The Rustica's crust was a little more well done, but not much better.
As for the toppings, the Margherita was all right, as far as it went, but it was basically just a tomato sauce and cheese pizza. When I order a Margherita, I'm hoping for fresh mozzarella, and crushed tomatoes or a very simple sauce. This was just an ordinary sauce, with a "cooked" flavor, and ordinary processed mozzarella cheese. It was OK, but call it what it is - cheese pizza - not a Margherita.
The Rustica is described as topped with "pomodoro sauce topped with Italian sausage, green peppers, caramelized onions and mozzarella cheese." Which it was, and it wasn't bad. Often, with wood-fired pizza, I want my toppings on the minimal side, so as not to overwhelm the typically thin crust. But this crust wasn't so good to begin with, so I welcomed the flavorful toppings.
More broadly, these pizzas pointed up a problem that I often have with wood-fired pizza. By going to the trouble of using a wood-fired oven, a pizzeria should produce something that's qualitatively different from "regular" pizza. Not necessarily better, but different, and, it should go without saying, good. If you're using a wood-fired oven, in other words, you should learn how to maximize its potential to turn out some truly great pizza.
But too many places get by on that phrase alone:  "wood-fired pizza." As if that makes the pizza inherently better.
Not so. I have never baked a pizza in a wood-fired oven (although I have baked a pizza in a superheated charcoal grill, on a pizza stone, at temperatures in excess of 800 degrees, so I have some idea of the process, minus the flames), but I've had enough wood-fired pizza to know that these ovens can, in the right hands, produce some fantastic pizza. But if not properly utilized, they can also turn out a very mediocre product, no better and sometimes worse that what you would get from a conventional gas or electric oven. In short, wood-fired heat is no guarantee of good pizza.
As demonstrated here. These weren't bad, but they were certainly disappointing. The thin crust was underdeveloped, bland, pale and lifeless. Good enough to eat, but they fell far short of what I think were my legitimate expectations.
Now that I've vented about the pizza, let me return to my dinner with Chris. Thanks in part to one of my posts about Fiamma, he has become a regular over there, and has been doing what amounts to an apprenticeship, where he handles some prep work and learns various aspects of the pizzamaking process. If I could squeeze a few more hours out of my days, I'd love to try it myself. Until then, I'll have to be satisfied with following his blog, and I invite you to do the same. If nothing else, he's inspired me to try to keep my own blog interesting, and to that end I have some interviews lined up that I think my readers will find interesting.
Chris and I shared some thoughts about food, blogging, and pizza. And we agreed on a number of things. We are both, I think, passionate about our topics of interest. For me, it's pizza; for Chris, it's food in general. There's no other way to do a blog like this and keep it going, and I've found that successful blogging is as much about perseverance as anything else.
Second, we are attracted to those who are also passionate about those subjects. So our favorite chefs, restaurateurs, and pizzaioli tend to be very dedicated to their craft. They're the kind of people whose eyes light up when you ask them about their trade, and who enjoy talking about it at length, at least if you're not interrupting them in the middle of their lunchtime crush.
Chris and I also agreed that to produce a top-notch pizza, one needs high-quality ingredients, dedication, and good technique, which mostly comes with practice. But there's no reason that any of those are outside of the average person's reach. No, your home oven may never approximate a wood-fired oven, but that doesn't mean that you can't use it to turn out excellent pizza. The hard part, for a home baker, is doing it often or regularly enough to hone one's skills. But for a professional pizza maker, there's no excuse for bad - or even mediocre - pizza.
And this was, I'm afraid, mediocre pizza. Maybe I walked in holding Veneto to a higher standard than I should've, but again, if you're putting yourself out there as a wood-fired pizzeria, I think you're creating certain expectations. Those expectations were not met here, as far as I'm concerned, particularly in light of my prior visit, when my pizza had a crust that was nicely charred and crackly, and good enough to rate an A-minus.
Which brings us to the grade for this one. As on some other recent occasions, I find myself having to resort to pluses and minuses, although I prefer to avoid those. A "D" means no better than "edible." These were better than that, certainly. But I can't say that they were as good as average, ordinary, "C" pizza, either. They were less than they should've been, and in my opinion not as good as typical Rochester pizza. I think I can most accurately peg these at a C-minus.
Veneto, 318 East Ave., Rochester
(585) 454-5444
Mon. 5 - 9 pm, Tue. - Thu. 11:30 am - 2:30 pm, 5 - 10 pm, Fri. 11:30 am - 2:30 pm, 5 - 11 pm, Sat. 5 - 11 pm, Sun. 4:30 - 9 pm

Sully's Brickyard Pub: Sully's Plate Pizza

NOTE: Sully's Pub is now closed.
I recently had lunch at Sully's, where I shared a "Brickyard plate" pie with a companion. This is a pizza topped with the makings of what most of us refer to generically as a garbage plate, but since Nick Tahou's owns the trademark for that term (which officially describes "prepared entrees consisting primarily of one of the following, hot dogs without buns, hamburgers without buns, steak, pork chops, sausage, ham, fish or eggs and processed potatoes and processed beans"), the word "plate" has come to be known around here as shorthand for something along those lines.
This isn't something I would typically order - it was actually my friend's choice - though now and then I do like to try something out of the ordinary, just for fun.
Sully's Brickyard pie comes topped with, according to the menu, ground beef, oven roasted potatoes, mozzarella, meat hot sauce, and mac salad. But let's start with the crust.
Thin in the middle, puffy along the edge. Blistered from the heat of the wood-fired oven, but unevenly, with some areas blackened, and the opposite side pale, this could've used a turn, or at least a sooner turn, in the oven. Still an enjoyable crust, but I've seen better execution.
The toppings were good, I guess, though I'm no connoisseur of "plates." The presentation was as artful as could be expected, with a substantial mound of seasoned ground beef in the center, topped with an ice-cream-scoopful of mayonnaise-laden pasta salad.
That left a wide ring of the unadorned cornicione of the crust, which was pretty good if not outstanding. The crust had a good, breadlike flavor, but the unevenness of the cooking detracted from it a bit. The underside was also heavily blackened in some areas, but still pale in others.
As for the toppings, well, again I'm no expert in this area, but I could've used more seasoning. The ground beef was generously laid on, but I didn't get a lot of the flavor of traditional Rochester "hot sauce" (a term that's always puzzled me, as it's not particularly spicy - does it refer to the temperature at which it's usually served, to distinguish it from relatively cold condiments?). The mac salad was OK, but the smattering of potatoes was barely noticeable, as was the cheese. They were simply overwhelmed by the meat. Thankfully, "processed beans" (to quote the trademark document) were absent.

I'm not going to assign a grade to this pizza, because it's simply too unlike traditional pizza to make a grade very meaningful. Nor do I have enough experience with "plates" to assess the quality of the toppings, as compared to others of this ilk. Purely from my own subjective standpoint, I will say that this kind of pizza falls into that category that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, in that, if I want a "plate," I'll get a plate, and if I want a pizza, I'll get a pizza. Combining them just doesn't work for me.
But I don't hold that against Sully's. To do so would be like ordering a mushroom pizza and then giving it a bad review because I hate mushrooms.
What I can say is that this pizza pretty much lived up to its name and description. Think g___ plate on a flatbread, and you'll have a good idea of what it was like. If I could've changed anything about it, I would've liked a more evenly baked crust. And, in hindsight, I would've asked for ketchup. If ever a pizza would benefit from ketchup, this was the one.
Sully's Brickyard Pub, 240 South Ave., Rochester 14604
Open Tue. - Sat. 3 p.m. - close
232-3960

Baked and Carved, East Ave. Skillet Pizza - CLOSED

(4/11/13) - Baked & Carved is now closed.
For many years, O'Bagelo's was a staple of downtown dining, serving up excellent sandwiches from a storefront on State Street. Some months ago, it closed, but you'll find a reincarnation, of sorts, at Baked and Carved on East Avenue. It's located adjacent to, and shares an entrance with, Salingers, a popular East End bar.
B&C offers many of the same, or very similar, items as O'Bagelos, including from-scratch soups and terrific sandwiches. These come piled with high-quality meats (and meatless selections, if you're so inclined), some of which are roasted in-house, on equally good house-baked bread. But the menu has expanded to include some new items, including burgers, and, notably, pizza.
B&C's pizza is listed under the name "Bar Pies (Skillet Pizza’s [sic])." I wasn't sure what to make of that, but I was guessing that this referred to a very thin, crisp pie, maybe a little oily, but light enough to leave plenty of room for beer; see here and here for some discussion of the topic of bar pizza.
But I was wrong. This was a relatively thin pie, to be sure, but nothing about it particularly marked this, to me, as a "bar pizza," or distinguished it from any other small pizza. Maybe the "bar pizza" name refers mostly to its size - it's small enough to conveniently eat while sitting at a bar.
In any event, this pizza measured about nine inches across, which probably relates to its designation as a "skillet pie." That refers, I presume, to its having been baked in a nine-inch skillet.
Here again, we get into issues with labels. You can find various references to skillet pizza on the web, like this one and this one; heck, even Martha Stewart has a version, which is also denominated "Beer Drinkers' Pizza," tying it back into the concept of bar pizza.
Labels aside, this pizza had a pale bottom, which was dry, with just the faintest hint of oil. The slightly thicker cornicione was marked by a bready interior, and the crust as a whole gave off a breadlike aroma that was no surprise, coming from this bread-centered establishment.
The other notable aspect of this pie was the sauce. This pie was heavy on the sauce, which had a bright tomatoey flavor, lightly seasoned, apart from some saltiness. The melted, just-browned mozzarella was added in good proportion to the crust. It struck a pleasant balance between creamy and chewy, and though its mild flavor was accented by some tangy notes (a bit of Parmesan, perhaps?), it took a back seat to the sauce. The pie was finished off with nicely crisp, cup and char pepperoni slices.
Like its predecessor O'Bagelos, Baked and Carved stakes its reputation, justifiably, on its sandwiches. No surprise there, as the meats and breads are both of high quality. And proprietor John Vito's wit and wisdom are worth a visit in themselves.
As for the pizza, it makes for a good, if occasional, alternative to B&C's other fare. The crust had good flavor, although I would've liked a more crisp bottom, and the various components worked well together. Nothing particularly distinctive about this pie, aside from the generously laid-on sauce, but it would make for a satisfying lunch, or a light meal at the adjacent bar. I'll give it a C, along with an "unofficial" B for Baked & Carved's menu as a whole.
Baked & Carved, 107 East Ave. 14604
585-490-6530
Facebook: Facebook/bakedandcarved
Email: john@bakedandcarved.com
Mon. - Thu. 11 - 10, Fri. 11 - 11, Sat. 3 - 11

Sully's Pub: Buffalo Chicken Pizza

NOTE: Sully's Pub is now closed.
Back in April 2010, I posted a review of Sully's Pub downtown. I really liked all three of the wood-fired pizzas I tried on that occasion, and gave them a collective A-minus.
Recently I went back to Sully's, and though this time around I just had one pie, I did venture further into their pizza menu, with Sully's Buffalo chicken pizza.
This pie had a thin crust, with a crisp bottom that was lightly charred. There wasn't much of an interior crust to speak of, except along the thicker outer edge; this is not what I would call a bready crust - it's just too thin for that.
The edge was also crisp and charred, though in one spot it was blackened to the point of being what I would call burnt, meaning that it extended past the surface into the interior of the cornicione. The top side was well cooked, and the cheese was browned, but still chewy and not dried out.
Sully's take on Buffalo chicken pizza uses a combination of tomato sauce and hot sauce, resulting in a pizza that's something of a cross between a traditional red pizza and the Buffalo-chicken-on-a-crust that you find at a lot of pizzerias. It had a medium level of heat, but some tomatoey sweetness in the background.
Also differentiating this pizza from other Buffalo chicken pizzas that I've had around here were the additional toppings. The mozzarella was dotted here and there with small chunks of blue cheese, which, interestingly, seemed to be more noticeable the next day eating the cold leftovers. Big chunks of diced chicken were spread over the entire surface, and it looked to me as if Sully's had taken breaded chicken, fried it, and then cut it up before putting the pie in the oven.
Also unusual was the addition of vegetables. Although they were few and very small, this was the first Buffalo chicken pizza I've seen with celery slices. More prominent were the carrot slices, which contributed some crunch but little in the way of flavor, relative to the other toppings.
Since I've previously given the rundown on Sully's menu, hours, etc., I won't repeat myself here. You can also see a copy of their menu on their website.
I was a fan of Sully's pizza after my prior visit, and I remain one. I haven't been rating Buffalo chicken pizzas, just because they're so dissimilar from each other that it's hard to compare them, so I won't start now. I will say that the overall preparation and quality of this pizza was very much in line with my prior experience. As for this particular example of Buffalo chicken pizza, it was not one of the more "wing-like" pizzas I've had, despite the presence of carrots, celery and blue cheese. I think the use of tomato sauce pushed it closer to traditional pizza than some versions that only use hot sauce, or a mix of hot sauce and blue cheese. But I found it very enjoyable in spite of, or perhaps because of, that. I'd order it again, which is, after all, the basic test for any menu item.
Sully's Pub, 240 South Ave. (Woodbury Blvd.), Rochester 14604
(877) 805-3570
Their hours seem to change with some frequency, so check before you go, but -
Wed. - Fri.: 11 a.m. to close, Sat. 4 p.m. - close

Scotland Yard, Revisited

Last October, I posted a review of Scotland Yard, a St. Paul Street pub with a variety of wood-fired pizzas on its menu. On that visit, my pizza was good, although the crust wasn't quite as crisp as I expected from a place with a wood-fired oven.
Some time after that post, I was invited back by owner Sam Paniccia, who wanted me to try some of Scotland Yard's other pizza varieties. I finally got around to accepting that invitation a few weeks ago, accompanied by my wife. We were able to sample three pizzas, as well as Scotland Yard's "Dragon's Breath" chicken wings.
This was not my usual anonymous visit, then, and the pizzas were on the house. So I won't be rating them here, given those circumstances. But having tried these pizzas, I do think it would be of some value to my readers for me to relate our experiences on this visit, so here's a rundown.
First up were the Dragon's Breath wings, which the menu describes as "Asian inspired spicy garlic wings served with our Scotland Yard Sauce." I had thought that these might've been roasted in Scotland Yard's wood-burning oven, but they were deep-fried, which was fine by me. I've had baked, roasted and grilled wings, and none of them beats a well-fried wing, as far as I'm concerned.If you don't like your wings especially wet, then let them know when you place your order, because these were doused in Scotland Yard's eponymous sauce. With a tangy-sweet flavor, it fell broadly within the category of "Rochester style" sauce, but the sweetness of the sauce was restrained enough not to be cloying, and was nicely balanced by a vinegary tartness and a touch of background heat. Numerous thin slices of cooked garlic contributed additional flavor, as well as textural contrast. At the bottom of it all lay a single slice of white bread, soaked with sauce - I'd never seen this done before, but it was a nice touch (and yes, I ate it. What can I say? I liked the sauce). The wings were meaty, and done to a medium crispness; fans of super-crisp wings should ask for extra crispy when ordering.
With all that sauce, the wings hardly needed the dipping sauce that came on the side, but it was welcome nonetheless. From its pinkish-orange hue and slightly spicy kick, I'm guessing it was a blue-cheese dip blended with a bit of Scotland Yard sauce. And kudos for the inclusion of celery sticks - a lot of places skip those now, but to me, they're still a must, partly because it's traditional, plus a few sticks of celery makes you feel better about eating all those little saturated-fat bombs.
Right on cue, as the last wing was being stripped to the bone, our pizzas began to arrive. We shared three, the Dragon's Breath, Scotland Yard, and Classic.
I was afraid, given the name, that the Dragon's Breath pie was simply going to be a pizza version of the wings, but it had a far more complex flavor profile. Yes, the pie was topped with that same Scotland Yard sauce that coated the wings, but added to that was the sharp edge of Asiago cheese, as well as that of cheddar, red onions, chicken, and "dragon sauce," which apparently is not the same as Scotland Yard sauce. I still haven't figured out what the difference is between the two sauces, but all the toppings combined to make this one very tasty pizza.
The crust was also markedly crisper than last time. The underside displayed some moderate charring, and was reasonably crisp, but those qualities were most pronounced along the edge, which was blackened in spots and crackly.
Next up was the Scotland Yard pizza, a white pie topped with goat cheese, artichoke hearts, and prosciutto. Now goat cheese is not for everybody, and it did have an assertive presence on this pizza, but I liked it. Somewhere in there, there must have been some garlic as well, because its unmistakable flavor contrasted nicely with the sharp, lactic tang of the goat cheese and the salty/sour slices of artichoke (which is a very interesting vegetable, by the way).
For our third pizza, we got back to basics with the Classic, a red-sauce pie topped with processed mozzarella, pepperoni and Italian sausage. There were some other intriguing pies on the menu, but I wanted to try one simple, straightforward, American style pizza, and this fit the bill..
This was a very saucy pizza, with a super-thin crust. While it was nicely charred along the edge, the combination of thin crust and ample sauce meant that the crust was rather soft in the center of the pie, making a knife and fork a good idea, at least for the tip of each slice.
Though the overall flavor was good, after the Dragon's Breath and Scotland Yard pies, the Classic seemed less interesting by comparison. I think that was more attributable to my palate having become dulled by the strong flavors of the other pies than to any lack of flavor in the Classic, though, and I probably should've started with this one first.
Having said that, I had no real complaints about this pie. The flavor was good, with an herb-tinged tomato sauce, well-melted cheese, and crisp slices of pepperoni and bits of sausage.
All three of these pizzas were nice and crisp along their edges, which displayed some significant charring and crackling. They were baked in Scotland Yard's Wood Stone oven, a gas/wood combo oven which, I was surprised to see, had an internal temperature of only about 500º F, well below that of some commercial pizza ovens. Brian, who was manning the oven that night, informed me that he can get the temp a little higher, but keeping it around 500 is more practical for preparing diners' various orders, and the pizzas still bake up nicely in just a few minutes.
What puzzled me for a moment was that most home ovens, mine included, can reach 550º, yet many home pizza bakers struggle to achieve a crust that's charred along the edges, like Scotland Yard's. What gives?
The answer, of course, is that Scotland Yard's oven has an open flame at the back (the only time my home oven had a flame in it was when I accidentally let a piece of parchment paper come into contact with the heating element). The average temperature at the oven floor may be around 500, but obviously it's a lot higher than that close to the flame. So by getting the pizza just close enough, and turning it at the right intervals, a skilled pizzaiolo can get a nice, crisp, charred edge at a relatively low oven temperature.
In addition to a Wood Stone oven, by the way, Scotland Yard also uses a Wood Stone pizza dough recipe, specifically Wood Stone's "West Coast Dough" formula (available here), which calls for General Mills Superlative Flour (a relatively, though not super high-gluten flour) as well as a proportion of General Mills Semolina #1. I'm not sure if Scotland Yard actually uses General Mills brand flour, but those ingredients would, I think, tend to yield a pretty stretchable dough with a bit of bite and chewiness.
I liked all three of these pizzas. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be the Dragon's Breath, which had a complex, well balanced profile and a lot of flavor. I can see why it's a customer favorite.
I also really enjoyed the Scotland Yard pizza, though I don't think it would be for everyone. I know some people who won't go near goat cheese, but I thought it played off the artichokes and other toppings very nicely.
And I liked the Classic. It had a solid, satisfying combination of toppings, and if I had eaten nothing but that pie I would've been quite satisfied. After the other two pizzas, though, it didn't make quite the impression on my palate that it otherwise might have.
And as I mentioned, the crusts were noticeably crisper this time around. They were all very crackly, with some good charring along the edge. Particularly where the toppings were very heavy or wet, as with the sauce-laden Classic, the crusts were less crisp, and a bit floppy - though not soggy - in the middle. That's not surprising, given their thinness, and the fact that the center of the pizza is cooked more from the conductive heat of the oven floor than from the radiant heat (and higher temperature) of the flame at the back of the oven.
That aside, these were three very good pizzas. I'd gladly have any of them again, but there were also a few other pizzas that caught my eye on Scotland Yard's menu, including a barbecue chicken pie and a Greek pizza, as well as the design-your-own option. I'll be back.

Spot, East Ave.

About a month ago, Spot Coffee on East Avenue reopened after a six-month-long hiatus during which it was remodeled inside. In addition to the physical changes, Spot also expanded its food menu to include "gourmet" pizza.
I'm never quite sure what to make of that self-aggrandizing "gourmet" label when it's attached to anything, and all too often it's an unintended warning that what you are about to eat is not nearly as good as its description would have you believe. But after recently trying one of Spot's new Margherita pizzas, I am pleased to report that this was not the case here. This was actually quite good.
Like the "gourmet" moniker, the menu's misspelling of the 19th-century Queen of Italy's name as "Margharita" did not fill me with confidence, but my doubts were quickly dispelled when I got my pie. It had a nicely charred crust, thin in the center, encircled by a wide, thick, bready cornicione. There was some exterior crispness along the edge, and the interior of the cornicione was airy but chewy, in a bready kind of way. My fingertips detected just the slightest hint of oil along the edge, but it wasn't at all greasy.
This pie was pretty saucy, topped with a thick sauce in which some dried herbs were visible, although the flavor was more sweet-tomatoey than herbal. I always hate to complain about being given too much of anything, but for me this ran close to an excessive amount of sauce for such a thin crust.
Atop the sauce, the melted fresh mozzarella was just slightly browned, but still soft and stretchy, not rubbery. A smattering of shredded basil added good flavor, and appeared to have been added at the end (as it should be), as it was still green and fresh-tasting.
Spot offers five other pizzas, but no a la carte pies, although I can't imagine why you couldn't get a plain cheese pizza or a pepperoni pizza (which would simply be Spot's "New Yorker" minus the mushrooms). And they've got sandwiches, salads, breakfast selections, baked goods, and of course plenty of coffee drinks.
After some initial uncertainty, then, this pizza was a pleasant surprise. The crust was very good, though a bit short of perfection, and the other components were also very enjoyable, though I thought the generous helping of sauce threw the pie slightly out of balance. Those minor quibbles prevent me from giving this one my highest grade, but this was good enough to rate an A- from me.
Spot Coffee,200 East Avenue Rochester 14604. 613-4600
Mon. - Fri. 6 a.m. - midnight; Sat. 7 a.m. - midnight; Sun. 7 a.m. - 11 p.m

Scotland Yard, St. Paul St.

It's taken me a while to get there, but I finally made it to Scotland Yard, a St. Paul St. pub with a wood-fired pizza oven. Part of the reason was that until recently, Scotland Yard wasn't open for lunch, when it's easier for me to run out and grab a quick pizza, while dinner mostly takes place at home with the family. But I do get out for dinner now and then, and so it was the other night, when I ate at Scotland Yard.
From the list of nine specialty pizzas, I chose the Marguerite, which is topped with fresh mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, and red sauce. I've seen "Margherita" pizza (named for an Italian queen) misspelled Margarita (nobody seems to know for sure whom the drink was named after), but that's the first time I've seen it given a French spelling. Well, a Margherita by any other name would taste as good, non?
I've had enough wood-fired pizzas around here by now to appreciate the differences from one restaurant to another, but also to make certain generalizations. Typically, they range from thinnish to almost paper thin, with at least some charring underneath and along the edge. Depending on certain variables, they can be anywhere from knife-and-fork floppy to stiff-as-a-board crisp.
This one was closer to the paper thin, floppy end of things. The crust was so thin that it had no real interior to speak of, and was more chewy than crunchy. The underside was browned, in a mottled kind of pattern, but was one of the less well-done wood-fired pizzas I've had, with nothing that I would call actual charring. A companion's white pizza was darker underneath, with a spotted pattern of light charring underneath.
The white pizza was also considerably crisper and firmer than my red pizza. Part of that is probably due to its being more sparingly topped, with garlic, olive oil, and a light sprinkling of mozzarella, Asiago, and Parmesan cheeses. Though the toppings on my pie would not have been particularly heavy on an ordinary, thicker-crusted pizza, they were more than the Marguerite's thin, lightly baked crust could bear; attempts to pick up an individual slice invariably resulted in the toppings simply sliding off onto the plate. After two or three unsuccessful tries, I gave in and asked the bartender for a knife and fork.
As for the flavor -- one of the reasons that I like a slightly charred crust is that it imparts a toasty, sometimes smoky flavor to the pizza. The crust on this one didn't add much flavor. Instead, the relatively thick layer of tomato sauce, combined with the slices of fresh tomato, made this a tomato-dominated pizza.

The cheese was more of a passive presence. The menu describes it as fresh mozzarella, and I won't dispute that, but the consistency seemed more like that of processed mozzarella. I didn't have any particular complaints about it, mind you, it simply had a thicker, less creamy texture than what I expect from fresh mozzarella. The fresh basil was sparsely applied, and added little more than color.
Scotland Yard's other pizza offerings include a chicken Caesar pizza, which is made with olive oil, garlic, Asiago, and mozzarella, "topped with a chicken Caesar salad." I'm not sure if I'd like it, but I'd like to see that. I assume the salad goes on after the pizza comes out of the oven? There's also a "Dragons Breath" pizza with "dragon sauce, chicken, cheddar, asiago, red onions, and Scotland Yard sauce." I don't know what the difference is bewteen dragon sauce (which is described as an "Asian inspired, spicy garlic sauce" and Scotland Yard sauce, but again it sounds intriguing. And again, I need to start asking more questions when I'm looking over the menu, so I can find out these kinds of things. You can also build a pizza by choosing any three of Scotland Yard's sixteen toppings, for the same $10 price as most of its specialty pizzas. Non-pizza offerings include "dragon wings," salads, sandwiches, wraps, and sides, including the either whimsically- or pretentiously-named "pork infused beans."
While its name suggests a faux English pub, Scotland Yard is, thankfully, more of an Americanized version of that venerable institution. There's a long bar up front, with several TVs tuned to sports channels, a few small tables near the front window, and several more in back. The dark wood paneling helps create a relaxing setting, and the overall atmosphere is something of a cross between a pub and an American tavern. There are several beers on tap, and while the draught lineup is not particularly Anglocentric, beer aficionados should find something to their liking among the several microbrews available.
Now - getting back to that pizza - Scotland Yard's website says that they use Wood Stone ovens, which come in wood-fired, wood/gas, and gas-fired configurations. I'm not sure if Scotland Yard is using an all-wood-fired oven or a wood/gas combo, but this pizza was not what I've come to expect (or at least hope for) from a wood-burning oven. It wasn't so much the floppiness per se -- I mean, the pizza I got at the Humphrey House was kind of floppy, and I liked it a lot -- as the lack of any genuine charring, or crisp outer bite to the crust. Also, while I hate to complain about getting overly generous toppings, this crust simply couldn't hold up under the weight of these toppings. I'm OK with eating pizza with a knife and fork, which is how it's generally done in Italy, I'm told, but as I've said many times before, I look for balance in a pizza, and in this instance the crust seemed to get lost under the tomato slices, sauce, and cheese, with the basil coming in a distant fourth. Next time I think I'd opt for something lighter, perhaps a white pizza with a few vegetable toppings.
As I'm writing this, I'm thinking that it sounds as if I really disliked this pizza, which I didn't. It tasted good, I ate most of it, and my wife loved the leftovers I brought home. I was just a little disappointed with some aspects of it, perhaps a victim of my own preconceptions. But to try to bring some measure of objectivity to this review, I'd say that while this fell short in a couple of areas for my taste, it was still a better than average pizza, and worth paying a visit to Scotland Yard. So I'll give it a B.
Scotland Yard Pub, 187 St. Paul St. 14604, 730-5030
Food Served Sun. noon - 8 p.m., Mon. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 10:30 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 5 p.m. - 11 p.m.
Cocktails Served Sun. noon - Till, Mon. - Thu. 4 p.m. - Till, Fri. 4 p.m. - 2 a.m., Sat. 5 p.m. - 2 a.m.

Pontillo's: Bushnells Basin vs. Alexander St.

One thing that bedevils smaller pizza chains is lack of consistency from one location to another, and one pizzeria that I've seen that complaint leveled at in particular is Pontillo's. Part of the issue with Pontillo's seems to be that each shop is independently operated, without a lot of central control or oversight. At least that's the contention I've seen raised on occasion.
So I decided to conduct a little test, by visiting two Pontillo's locations and comparing their slices. First, I went to the Bushnell Basin Pontillo's, which consistently gets high marks for its pizza. Then I stopped at the Alexander Street Pontillo's, about which I've read a fair amount of negative comments.
If you've never been to the Bushnells Basin Pontillos, be aware that, this being a tony East Side suburb, it's not marked by any big red-and-white signs as at other Pontillo's. Instead, you'll find only a discreet sign above the door to let you know that this is a pizzeria and not a real estate agency or a chiropractor's office.
Inside, it was quite busy, with a knot of customers around the counter awaiting their slices from the several types of pies sitting on racks on the left. Service was friendly and efficient, however, with pies emerging from the ovens to keep pace with demand.
My pepperoni slices had a thin-to-medium crust that was somewhat crisp and slightly charred underneath. Some oil from the top of the pizza had seeped down around the edges, although the underside didn’t seem greasy otherwise.
The toppings were all moderately applied, in good balance with each other and with the crust. The sauce had a slightly sweet flavor, and the mozzarella was nicely baked, just enough to brown a bit without losing its so well-baked as to tighten up or lose its "meltedness." (Anybody got a better adjective for me there?) The slices were lightly dusted with what I took to be Parmesan.
The edge was formed into a small lip, which was enjoyable. The dough in general had pretty good, bready flavor.
The Alexander Street Pontillo's is located half a block from East Avenue, in the heart of the East End. It's open late on weekends, so clearly much of its business comes from patrons of the many bars in the area. But it's open during the day too, which is when I stopped by.
Unlike the Bushnells Basin location, this Pontillo's was not busy at all on my lunchtime visit. In fact I was the only customer there. Again, I'm sure it's a different scene altogether at 2:30 on a Saturday morning.
There were, I think, four types of slices to choose from, cheese, pepperoni, Buffalo wing, and veggie. I took a pepperoni slice. 
Rather than two ordinary size slices, here I was given one big one, although I was offered the option of having it sliced in two, which I declined.
Otherwise, the biggest difference between this slice and those I got at Bushnells Basin was that the underside was considerably more charred, with some nearly black areas scattered around the bottom.  
The crust was medium thick, about the same as at BB. It was, however, of uneven thickness, with some spots noticeably thicker than others.
Given the charred bottom, it was no surprise that when I folded this slice, it broke right down the middle. The underside was dry and crackly, though it had a pleasingly toasty flavor, especially along the edge. Although not as pliable as I would've preferred, I did like the flavor and texture of this crust.
The sauce on this slice had a thick consistency, with a tomatoey flavor that was both slightly sweet and slightly salty. There was a noticeable flavor of dried herbs, though I'm not sure if that came more from the sauce or the sprinkling of herbs on top. The cheese was applied in a thin but pretty uniform layer, and the pepperoni was evenly distributed as well. Despite the well-cooked underside, the top was not so well done, and the pepperoni was more chewy than crisp.
So, what did this little experiment indicate? Well, this may not be a scientifically valid result, but I found the two locations pretty consistent with each other, and where they differed, I'm not sure that the Alexander Street Pontillo's came out on the short end. The only major difference was that the latter was more charred and crackly underneath, which may or may not be a bad thing, depending on your tastes.
I will say that the BB Pontillo's struck me as a smoothly run operation. Depsite the throng of customers, things were run efficiently, and the counter guy was courteous and friendly.
Service at Alexander Street was fine too, but I have no idea what it's like late at night on a weekend. Then again, the customers you get at that hour are not necessarily as easy to deal with as those you get at lunchtime. So I have to wonder if some of the complaints might have more to do with that than with the pizza itself. As far as the pizza's concerned, these were comparable, and though I wouldn't rate either among my favorites, they were both pretty good.
My inclination was to give them both a B, but I did give the Spencerport Road Pontillo's a B+, and I think these were about as good as that one, so for the sake of consistency I'll give them a B+ as well.