The Pizza Stop

From the time that I started this blog, and many times thereafter, I published posts about The Pizza Stop, primarily the original location on State Street. That was no coincidence, as it was (1) close to my workplace and (2) the made terrific New York style pizza, which is my favorite pizza style.

The original owner, Jim Staffieri, sold the business in 2023, at which time I was taking an extended break from blogging. 

After resurrecting this blog in 2025, I got a query from a reader asking whether I'd been back to The Pizza Stop, as some folks claimed that the quality of the pizza had slipped. I hadn't, largely because I retired last year, so it's no longer convenient.

But spurred by the reader's inquiry, I recently went back, for a lunchtime pizza to share with a friend. I ordered a medium pie, half regular pepperoni and half beef pepperoni. I also asked for it well done, thinking that since I wasn't planning on reheating it after getting it to my friend's house, the bottom would be a bit more crisp.

After picking it up, I put the pizza in an insulated pizza bag and got to my destination in about ten minutes. In general, it looked like the Pizza Stop pizza I remembered. But I suppose I gave it more scrutiny than I ordinarily would, so I did notice a few things.

The baking was just a bit uneven, with one side of the pie noticeably more charred underneath. Not to a great extent, but a bit. Not a criticism, but an observation. A few seconds is all it takes in a pizza oven, so I'm not faulting them.

The crust was crisp, but not crackly, with some charring, and quite thin. The sauce and cheese weren't skimpy, but not over-applied either, and balanced each other and the crust. The sauce had a basic, cooked-tomato flavor, without much in the way of herbal notes, which is as I recall from before. The cheese was melted and slightly browned, not stretchy but not congealed, as one finds with some lower-quality cheese.  

As for the pepperoni, I was intrigued by the choice of both regular and beef pepperoni. I've seen beef pepperoni, but never gave it much thought. It's like bologna: there's regular (usually a combination of beef and pork) and all-beef. Never really thought about it, frankly. I guess it's primarily for people who don't eat pork, for religious or cultural reasons. Or if you just prefer it.

I found the beef pepperoni chewier and meatier than the regular, which was saltier and oilier. It would be difficult to say I preferred one over the other. The regular was more what I would expect from a New York slice, and I did sop up some of the exuded oil with a napkin. The beef pepperoni had more flavor without the saltiness, but it wasn't "classic" NY style pepperoni.

So, how does this compare with The Pizza Stop pizza of old?

Alas, I cannot honestly say.  Memories fade, and nostalgia takes over. All I can do is describe my current impressions. I've re-read some of my old blog posts, but even so I can't fairly compare this to what I had so many years ago. Even having re-read them, some Pizza Stop pizzas looked a bit different from others.

With that in mind, this was good, for sure. As I said, it's been too long to compare it to pizza I last reviewed over nine years ago, but I enjoyed it. Despite my nitpicking from scrutinizing it more than I ordinarily would, it's still good NY style pizza.

The Pizza Stop

131 State St., Rochester

 Sunday 1:00PM - 6:00PM
Monday - Thursday 11:00AM - 6:00PM
Friday 11:00AM - 8:00PM
Saturday 12:00PM - 8:00PM

(585) 546-7252  

 

 

The Pizza Stop, One More Time - And a Giveaway to Boot

When I started this blog in 2009, one of the first places I reviewed was The Pizza Stop in downtown Rochester. That was no accident, because The Pizza Stop was one of my favorite pizzerias. And it remains so.
Interestingly, that post, which I published on March 5, 2009, remains one of my most read posts of all time (oddly enough, the most-read is a post about a patent for a pepperoni-making machine).
As I wrote recently, I have decided to stop writing The Rochester NY Pizza Blog on a regular basis. There will, I think, be a few more posts in the future, but I wanted to do one last review, before I hang it up. So what better way to do it than to go back to The Pizza Stop?
This review actually encompasses two recent visits. A few weeks ago I picked up two pies at The Pizza Stop: a Chicken Spinoccoli, which is a white pizza, and a red pie with chicken, pepperoni and bacon. My wife and daughter made those selections, respectively. But I was happy with both.
On the second visit, I got back to basics, with a large pepperoni pie that I shared with two friends for lunch. I'll get to each in turn.
If I could only eat red or white pizza for the rest of my life, I'd choose red, hands down. That said, I like a good white pizza now and then, and this was very good indeed. The underside was crisp and charred, and the toppings were flavorful and well complemented each other. The mozzarella was melt-in-your-mouth smooth, and the other toppings, chicken, broccoli, spinach, extra virgin olive oil and garlic, made for an outstanding combination. I can't say I missed the tomato sauce.
My daughter selected the three-meat pie. I'll have to admit, it's gratifying that I haven't raised a tofu-eating vegan (just kidding!). But to be honest, while I am a full-fledged carnivore, I generally do not much like meat-heavy pizza. That said, this was tasty, not greasy, and well executed. The trio of meats that my daughter chose seemed odd to me at first, but the thick chunks of chicken held their own quite well against the spicy pepperoni and the smoky bacon. And I did grab a second slice before I was done.
On my more recent visit, I got a large pepperoni pie, pictured at top. Since I've written at length about The Pizza Stop's pizza in the past, I won't go on at length about it, other than to say that it was a fine example of The Pizza Stop's usual, reliable, classic New York style pizza. Well balanced and flavorful, with a thin, bready, crisp crust.
While I was waiting for my pie to come out of the oven, I had a chance for a brief conversation with owner Jim Staffieri. Business continues to be good -- no surprise there -- but fans should take note of The Pizza Stop's frozen stuffed pizzas, which are made in house and are currently available only in house. Eventually you may see these in your local supermarket, but for now you'll have to buy them at The Pizza Stop itself.
Having decided to take a respite from keeping up this blog on a regular schedule, I may find myself going back to The Pizza Stop more often than in the past. In fact, I expect to hit several of my old favorites more often than I used to, now than I don't feel the pressure to keep up with the newest pizzerias. And I may post about them, now and then, either here or on my Facebook page. But for now, let me sign off on my regular reviews by saying what I said in 2009. For its classic New York style pizza, The Pizza Stop remains one of my all-time favorites.
Anyone under the age of 40 (maybe 50) may be unlikely to get this cultural reference, but as Lt. Columbo used to say, "Just one more thing."  Jim graciously agreed to donate a $20 gift certificate for me to give away to a reader. So as in the past, all you have to do to enter to win is to shoot me an email at ROCPizzaGuy@gmail.com. Put "Pizza Stop" in the subject line. I'll need your name and mailing address too, which I will under no circumstances share with anyone else.
I usually run these for a week, but since we're coming up on Thanksgiving, I'll extend the deadline to Monday, November 28, at noon. I'll pick a winner shortly thereafter. Until then, eat good pizza!

The Pizza Stop, 131 State St., Rochester
(585) 546-7252

Monday - Thursday, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Friday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Saturday, 2 p.m. - 8 p.m

The Pizza Stop: an Old Favorite, and Something New

Through a combination of circumstances, I recently went for over a week with no pizza. But after literally dreaming about pizza several times over that time, I knew it was time for a pizza fix.
And I knew it was time to get back to The Pizza Stop, one of my go-to places for great pizza. I've mostly been going to new places lately, which has meant neglecting some old favorites. But I can only stay away from them for so long.
When I walked in the door, I wasn't sure what to get, aside from a plain cheese slice. When I'm craving pizza, a plain cheese slice is still what I want.
But I was hungry enough for a second slice. I was initially inclined to get a Sicilian slice, but on the spur of the moment I got a slice of a more recent creation, a sweet-chili chicken and bacon slice.
I went back and forth between them, but started first on the latter. Both slices displayed the crust that puts The Pizza Stop among my top tier of local pizzerias. Thin, crackly yet pliable, with some interior chewiness, and with some charring underneath, but no burnt areas. If the room had been quieter, or if my hearing were better, I probably could've heard the crust cracking as I folded it. It's a classic New York slice, which to me is as good as it gets.
The chicken slice was generously laden with toppings, but not enough to overwhelm the crust, which still passed the "fold test." The drizzled-on sauce had a complex flavor, with sweet, smoky and spicy-hot notes. It well complemented the chunks of chicken and the crisp bacon bits.
Obviously, this is not for minimalist, pizza purists. But one thing to like about The Pizza Stop is that in addition to their classic pies, they're always trying out new combinations. Owner Jim Staffieri told me that coming up with ideas for new toppings and combinations is pretty much an ad lib process; "ideas just come." From there, it's a matter of gauging customer response.
As I mentioned, I went back and forth between these slices, but I saved the bulk of my bites for the cheese slice. To me, a plain cheese slice is the ultimate NY style pizza.
I will confess to having squeezed a bit of hot sauce between the cheese and the cornicione. I did the same, with sriracha, on the chicken slice. Pizza purists may take issue with that, but it's the eater's prerogative to doctor the slice any way you'd like, and I enjoy the extra kick that a squirt of hot sauce adds to the otherwise naked crust. That's why you see that red ring on the cheese slice.
Which was as good as ever. There's not much I can say about it that I haven't said before. When I'm eating a Pizza Stop slice, I could well be sitting somewhere in NYC. Crackly crust, well melted cheese, and just the right amount of tomatoey sauce to balance it all out.
If you haven't been there in a while, don't forget that The Pizza Stop has moved just up the street into bigger quarters. There's plenty of seating, they've also added a well-chosen selection of draft beer, and they've extended their hours of operation. In short, there's no reason not to go there, soon.

The Pizza Stop
131 State Street
Rochester, New York 14614

(585) 546-7252

Hours:
Monday - Thursday, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Friday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Saturday, 2 p.m. - 8 p.m.

The Pizza Stop

I continue to search out new pizzerias, but as this blog is a record of my pizza experiences, allow me to do a quick post on an old favorite, The Pizza Stop, where I got a large cheese pizza the other day.
When it comes to toppings, as far as I'm concerned, you can't beat a simple cheese pizza. Especially with a New York style pizza, which is The Pizza Stop's specialty. Crust, sauce, and cheese - if they're all good, nothing else is needed.
And they're all good at The Pizza Stop. I'm probably repeating myself, but that's only because the pizza is consistently good at The Pizza Stop.
I'll say this again, too - to me, good pizza is all about balance, and The Pizza Stop gets that. The crust on this pie was dry to the touch underneath, with a few char spots, but not dried out inside, and it had some interior chewiness. It was evenly baked, which is also important - no overly blackened or pale areas.
The sauce had a straightforward tomatoey flavor, with a good balance of sweetness, salt, acidity, and herbs. The well-melted mozzarella was added in good proportion to the crust.
Since I've written about The Pizza Stop before, I won't repeat a lot of what I've already said about them. Just keep in mind that they moved a few months ago, just up the street, to more spacious quarters at 131 State Street. But the ovens moved with them, so you'll get the same great pizza you did at their former location. And I should also repeat that if you like a thick-crust pizza, don't think that The Pizza Stop is all about thin crust. Try The Pizza Stop's Sicilian and stuffed pizzas, both of which are also among the area's best.

The Pizza Stop, 131 State St., Rochester
(585) 546-7252

Monday - Thursday, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Friday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Saturday, 2 p.m. - 8 p.m

Pizza Stop Giveaway!

I stopped in to The Pizza Stop on State Street in downtown Rochester for a couple of slices today. I decided to keep it simple this time:  a Sicilian (thick) and a Neapolitan (thin) slice, each with pepperoni.
Both were up to The Pizza Stop's usual standards, which is to say, pizza that is every bit as good as what you'd find in New York Ciry. There's a false perception that New York pizza is the same thing as thin crust, just as there's a false perception that Chicago pizza always means deep dish.
In fact, in any decent pizzeria in NYC, you'll find thin and thick crust pizza, and The Pizza Stop does a great job on both. The thin-crust pies have a nicely charred, crackly-crisp bottom with some chewiness, while the thicker-crusted Sicilian pizza avoids the all-too-common, overly-oily pitfall of its Americanized and bastardized cousin, the "sheet" pizza. That's why, when I go to The Pizza Stop, I usually get one of each. As much as I like thin-crust pizza, it's just too hard to pass up their Sicilian slices.
But don't take my word for it. I've got two $10 gift certificates to give away, so you can see for yourself. And both are going to one lucky winner. That will get you plenty of pizza.
To enter to win, all you need to do is leave a comment here, after this blog post. I'll pick a winner, at random, in one week, on July 18, a little after noon. You don't need to leave all your information now, but I will need to be able to identify you as the winner, and I will need a full name and mailing address if you win.
Check back here next Friday to see if you've won. I'll also post the winner on my Facebook page, and I'll send out a tweet. If you enter, you can also send me an email immediately at rocpizzaguy@gmail.com, to identify yourself, and I'll contact you if you win.
Lastly, if you win, when you use your gift certificate, please let the folks at The Pizza Stop know that you got it through the Rochester NY Pizza Blog. For me to continue to offer these giveaways, pizzeria owners need to know that it's worth their while. Thanks, have a great weekend, eat some pizza, and good luck!


The Pizza Stop
123 State Street
Rochester, New York 14614

(585) 546-7252

Monday - Thursday, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Friday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Pizza Stop: Review and Giveaway

As much as I like to seek out new pizza places, sooner or later I'm going to end up back at The Pizza Stop on State Street.
I stopped in the other day for lunch, and got a slice from a "steak, sweet BBQ and peppers" pie.
I love barbeque, and I love pizza. But I'm not always big on mixing the two. It's all too easy to overwhelm a pizza with the assertive flavors of barbequed meat.
This was a nice take on a barbeque pizza, though. First off, the crust was, as always, terrific. Exterior crackling, thin but with some interior chewiness, and enough backbone to pass the "flop" test - in other words, I could fold it and hold it along the edge, without the tip flopping over.
But as I said, the problem with barbeque pizza tends to be that the toppings are just way too much for the crust. Not here.
The toppings on this slice were proportionate to the thin crust. The slice received a swirl of barbeque sauce, chunks of beef, sliced pepper rings, and a layer of mozzarella. All were well balanced, with enough to add flavor without overwhelming the crust. The toppings were not skimpy by any means, but they were added with enough restraint to complement, rather than overpower the crust. And the pepper rings added a nice vinegary kick that rounded out the flavors very nicely.

Now - I've got a $10 gift certificate to give away for The Pizza Stop. That'll get you a small pizza, or most of a medium, or a good chunk of the price of a large. I'll be giving this away in one week, on Friday, May 16. To enter, leave a comment after this blog post. If you win, I'll need your mailing address. So check back here next Friday, or on my Facebook page, or make sure you're getting my Twitter feed. If you'd like, you can email me your mailing address when you enter, at rocpizzaguy@gmail.com.
If you've been to The Pizza Stop, I don't need to tell you how good it is. If you haven't, you need to find out. So don't miss this chance!

The Pizza Stop, 123 State St., Rochester, NY 14614

(585) 546-7252

Mon. - Thu. 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., Fri. 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Closed weekends.

Back to The Pizza Stop

Yes, I've reported on The Pizza Stop before, more than once, but a blog is, in part, a log, a record of one's activities. And since I stopped, after a too-long absence, at The Pizza Stop on State St. the other day, I'll provide a brief report. 
If nothing else, I can confirm that they remain consistently good. I got one thin pepperoni slice and one Sicilian cheese slice. And the worst part of the experience was trying to decide which one I liked better.
I've been accused of being biased in favor of thin-crust pizza, and I'll be the first to admit that I generally do prefer a thin crust. But maybe that's partly because a lot of thicker-crust pizza that I've had has been, well, not so great. Think of your typical sheet pizza, with an oily crust, fried-crunchy bottom, and squishy, cotton-like interior.
Done properly, though, a thick Sicilian pie is a thing of beauty. Pizza Stop's is thick but well balanced, with a crisp underside and an interior that's chewy but not dense. The slightly sweet, tomatoey sauce and thick layer of nicely melted mozzarella provide enough moisture to balance out the crust, and to add some textural contrast. I could eat this for a long time without missing thin crust.
But fortunately I didn't have to. I didn't eat these slices in sequence, but alternated, with a bite or two of each. The thin, New York style slice was as good as ever, with a pleasant bite and a nicely charred bottom that provided the perfect base for that unbeatable combination of cheese and sauce that almost meld into each other. And while I'm perfectly happy with a plain cheese slice, once in a while the addition of thin-sliced pepperoni adds a nice extra layer of flavor without compromising the simplicity of the slice as a whole. It also made for a bit of extra contrast with the Sicilian cheese slice.
Now while I'd be more than content to stick with these, once in a while I will get a little adventurous and try one of Pizza Stop's specialty pizzas, which run the gamut from vegetarian pies like a spinach, artichoke hearts and ricotta pizza to the "Mega Meat" with pepperoni, meatball, sausage and bacon, and one of my favorites, the never-disappointing meatball parm. (Check the full menu here.)
I'm always on the lookout for new pizzerias and places I haven't tried before, but now and then you've gotta get back to the old standbys, and The Pizza Stop remains on my short list of Rochester's best. It's nothing fancy-schmancy, no exotic ingredients or trendy styles, just good, basic pizza that's as close, pizzawise, to New York City as you're going to get this side of the Hudson River. So I may have said it before, but I'll say it again:  if you haven't been there, get there. You owe it to yourself.

The Pizza Stop, 123 State St., Rochester 14614
546-7252
Mon. - Thu. 10 a.m . - 7 p.m., Fri. 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Also at 2532 Ridgeway Ave. in Greece
225-5552
Sun. noon – 7 p.m., Mon. & Tue. 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., Wed. – Sat. 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Pizza Stop: Chicken Spinach Tomato slice

Just a quick post on a recent slice I had at The Pizza Stop, a place I've reviewed many times before. There's no point in reviewing the same consistently good cheese slices that I usually get here, but once in a while I try something different, so I like to report on that.
Recently I got, in addition to my cheese slice, a chicken-spinach-tomato slice. Particularly where New York style pizza is concerned, I don't tend to go for complicated specialty pizzas, but The Pizza Stop tends to keep it relatively simple, and when they do specialty pizzas, the toppings are generally well thought out.
So it was with the chicken, spinach and tomato pie. This may not have been a traditional Italian pizza, or based directly on an Italian dish, but it was in the spirit of great Italian cooking, with a few basic ingredients that added up to more than the sum of their parts.
On this slice, chunks of lightly browned chicken mixed with wilted shreds of spinach and tomato slices, on a bed of melted mozzarella, topped with shredded Parmesan. Nothing particularly exotic, but the toppings complemented each other well, with the browned chicken adding some meaty heft to the tangy cheese, sweet tomatoes (which weren't bad, for this time of year in upstate New York), and the slight vegetal bitterness of the spinach.
Those toppings could've saved even a weak crust, but fortunately in this instance they came atop The Pizza Stop's signature thin crust, which remains one of the best around. The chicken slice did not have quite the blackish, charred areas that you'll usually find on the thin crust pizzas here, but it was still nice and crisp on the bottom, with a pleasingly bready aroma, flavor and chew.
As I've said before, plain cheese will always remain my go-to pizza, especially when we're talking New York style pizza. But variety is good too, and if you're in the mood for a white pizza, The Pizza Stop's chicken spinach tomato pizza is a winner.
The Pizza Stop, 123 State St., Rochester 14614
546-7252
Mon. - Thu. 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., Fri. 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Closed weekends.

Red Osier Metro Cafe

I learned recently that The Red Osier had opened a lunch spot downtown and that they are serving pizza. Now The Red Osier is known mostly for its beef - which, at least at the original, flagship location is well worth a drive to Stafford in Genesee County - so I wasn't sure what to expect from their pizza, but any new pizza place piques my curiosity, so it didn't take long for me to check it out.
They had several slices available on warming racks, and I got a single pepperoni slice. It had a thin to medium-thick crust, with was dotted with brown spots underneath, from the pan on which it was cooked. Except for those spots, which must have been where the holes in the pan were, it was pretty pale underneath.
The crust was soft and doughy, and a bit gummy. Not a very good crust, I'm afraid.
The slice was topped with a solid layer of melted, congealed cheese, a fairly generous application of thin-sliced pepperoni, and a thick, tomatoey, somewhat salty sauce, with a noticeable presence of dried herbs. The overall flavor wasn't bad, fairly typical of Rochester-area pizza.
In addition to pizza, the Red Osier Metro Cafe offers a variety of hot and cold sandwiches, wraps and salads, and of course their signature roast beef. It's located on the ground floor of the County Office Building, but you can get to it without going through the hassle of the metal detector/security check at the main entrance.
I've had dinner at The Red Osier's original restaurant on Rt. 5 in Stafford, just east of Batavia, and very much liked it. And I plan to go back to the Metro Cafe for a beef on weck sometime. But based on this visit, the pizza is not great. Sometimes places don't stick to what they do best, with less than stellar results, and this was one example. I have to give this pizza a D.
Red Osier Metro Cafe, 39 W. Main St., Rochester 14614
413-0151
Mon. - Fri. 7 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Sneak Preview: Pizza Stop's Frozen Stuffed Pizzas

Even occasional readers of this blog probably know the high regard that I have for The Pizza Stop on State Street in downtown Rochester. One of my first blog posts was about The Pizza Stop, and over the past three years I've sampled and reported on their New York style, Sicilian, and stuffed-crust pizzas, as well as various toppings, and I've yet to be disappointed.
Now there's no substitute for going to The Pizza Stop to get a hot slice or pie right at the source, but I know that for reasons of geography and time constraints, that's not always feasible for everybody.
But if you find it difficult to get to The Pizza Stop, I've got good news. At least one of The Pizza Stop's wares may be coming to a store near you.
Owner Jim Staffieri has been at work for some time now on perfecting a frozen version of his stuffed pizza, and what I'll call the beta version is currently being tested. Jim was kind enough to let me try three of these pies recently, each with a different stuffing:  sausage and banana peppers, pepperoni and Italian sausage, and chicken and Ricotta.
Each pie measured about 7" across. While that may sound small, these pies were hefty, and each could easily make an entire meal for one person, or serve as a shared entree for two people, with a salad or other side.
Jim prebakes these pies, then adds sauce and cheese before freezing. He recommended a quick thaw in the microwave before popping into a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes or so. I gave mine 20 minutes on a pizza stone, and they came out very nicely - hot throughout, with well-melted cheese on top.
The underside of these pies was dry and slightly crisp, although obviously these are not going to be as crisp (nor would you want them to be) as a thin-crust, New York style pizza. What was especially nice about these was that they had a fresh, bready aroma and texture - not at all what you would expect from a frozen pizza. The sauce also liquefied nicely in the oven, without making the top crust soggy.
The stuffings were all well heated after 20 minutes in the oven, and if I had to pick a favorite, it would be the sausage and banana peppers. But I'm a hothead, pepperwise, so no surprise there. My 8-year-old daughter polished off nearly the entire sausage and pepperoni pie herself, but she's got a thing for pepperoni. Must be in the genes. Basically, whatever you like on your pizzas, could be put into a stuffed pizza, so it comes down to a matter of personal preference.
I wish I could tell you that these are now available at local supermarkets, but they're not. Not yet. Business and legal details remain to be dealt with before that happens. In the meantime, ask Jim about them next time you're in The Pizza Stop, and he may have some on hand. If so, grab 'em. You'll want a stack of these in your freezer.
The Pizza Stop, 123 State St., Rochester 14614
Tel. 546-7252
Hours: Mon. - Thu. 10:30 a.m. – 7 p.m., Fri. 10:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. Closed weekends.

The Pizza Stop: Spinach - Artichoke Slice

Just a quick post on a new (to me, at least) variety I tried the other day at The Pizza Stop. Pictured here is a slice (cut in two, for sharing with my lunch companion) of what is listed on The Pizza Stop's menu as their "spinach, artichoke hearts, & Ricotta" pizza.
I say it's "listed" that way because in fact there's more going on here than just those three toppings. Besides torn spinach leaves, marinated artichoke hearts (no hard, unchewable leaves), and several dollops of Ricotta, this slice was also topped with shredded Asiago cheese, a bit of chopped garlic, and cracked black pepper.
For me, white pizza's always been an occasional thing. Nothing against it, particularly, I just really love the flavor that tomatoes bring to a pizza, and that way that it complements the crust and cheese.
But this was good. I found the toppings well chosen, and thought they worked very well together, giving this pizza a complexity that made this more than just a pizza minus the red sauce.
One of my other complaints with some white pizzas is that I sometimes find them too heavy on the cheese, as if the pizzeria's trying to compensate for the lack of sauce by piling on the cheese. Not so here. The relatively light-textured Ricotta, and the restrained yet distinctive tanginess of the Asiago gave this pizza good cheese flavor and mouthfeel without that heavy, sinking feeling in the pit of one's stomach afterwards.
And of course I need hardly mention at this point The Pizza Stop's signature crust underlying it all, with its near-perfect balance between crisp and chewy. It's another "A" for this downtown institution.
The Pizza Stop, 123 State Street, Rochester 14614 Tel. 546-7252 Hours: Mon. - Thu. 10:30 a.m. – 7 p.m., Fri. 10:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. Closed weekends.

Pizza Stop, State St.: White Garlic pizza, Sausage & Pepper pizza

After too long a hiatus, I stopped into the Pizza Stop downtown the other day. I would typically get a couple of cheese slices, maybe pepperoni, but in the interests of research I decided to try something a little different. I got one white garlic slice, and one slice with Italian sausage and banana peppers.
The white garlic slice, which came from a freshly-baked pie (in other words, the slice was not reheated), had Pizza Stop's signature crisp underside, with a few small char spots dotted about. The surface was a tad oily, but that's normal for white pizza, and it wasn't overly so.
The flavor was, appropriately, more subtle than that of a typical red-sauce pizza, but no less tasty, with a blend of warm cheese, garlic, herbs and oil. I didn't spot any chunks of garlic, but the garlic flavor was unmistakable, though not harsh or overpowering. White pizza will never be my go-to pizza, but as white pizzas go, this was quite good.
I am more of a red-sauce guy, and I have a fondness for hot peppers, so I really liked the sausage and peppers slice. This featured chunks of Italian sausage mixed with slices of banana peppers. The peppers were the kind that come in a jar, but banana peppers are one of the few things that somehow seem to taste better canned than fresh. Something about that vinegar that gives them an added dimesion of flavor, I guess. The underside of this slice was also crisp, but more well-browned and less charred than the white pizza.
There's nothing particularly subtle about the flavors of Italian sausage and banana peppers, but this was really good. The toppings made this an almost "juicy" slice of pizza that definitely called for folding down the middle. Between the savory sausage, the vinegary kick and crunch of the peppers, the tomato-sauce and cheese base, and the crisp crust, it was like eating a hot, crunchy sub. A definite winner.
I've said on more than one occasion that for my taste, Pizza Stop makes the best pizza in town, particularly if you like thin-crust, New York style pizza. And it's been consistently good in all the years I've been going there. So while it hardly seems necessary to say yet again that it rates a solid "A" from me, it can't hurt to add these two varieties to the database. I'll continue to work my way through Pizza Stop's menu, and if I run across a clunker, I'll certainly report on that too. But that doesn't seem to likely to happen.
Pizza Stop, 123 State St., Rochester 14614 546-7252
Mon. - Thu. 10:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., Fri. 10:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Pizza Stop: Sicilian and Stuffed Pizzas

Although my blogging activities have kept me from stopping in as often as I'd like, eventuall y I always end up back at Pizza Stop on State St. I stopped in the other day and, as much as I love their NY style slices, I decided in the interests of research to try something different, so I got a corner slice of their Sicilian pie, and a sausage-stuffed pizza.
The Sicilian slice had a very crunchy crust, but this wasn't a "fried" kind of crunch like you get with many sheet or pan pizzas. The underside wasn't greasy at all.
The dough was well risen and fairly light in texture, with lots of air holes inside. The browned cheese was moderately applied, a bit thicker perhaps than on the NY style pies, but in balance with the crust. The thick, tomatoey sauce tended to collect in the folds of dough on top, so that some bites were "saucier" than others.
There was a slight sheen of oil on the top of the crust, along the edge. The edge was particularly crunchy but not dry. All in all, a nice, well balanced slice of pizza.
Moving on to the stuffed pizza - I honestly don't know if I'd ever had stuffed pizza before this. I've certainly heard of it, seen it on menus, but it's not the sort of pizza that I'd be apt to try. Being mostly a thin-crust guy and a traditionalist, in theory it sounds like it should be the antithesis of what I think of as good pizza. A layer of dough on top of the pizza? What is this, some Chicagoan monstrosity? (Personally I think deep dish "pizza" is a joke that Chicagoans foist on unsuspecting tourists, while they go back and secretly eat their thin crust pies.)
But this looked kind of good, so I tried a slice, and lo and behold, it was good. Very good. (Admittedly, I was hungry, but even taking that into account, it was good.)
It had a crisp underside, which, like the Sicilian slice, had some crunch but no grease. It wasn't charred or toasty like Pizza Stop's NY style pizza, but instead well browned, in a mottled pattern, something like the bottom of a pancake.
The cheese was definitely on the heavy side here, but again in good balance; this is a pizza that needs a heavier hand with the cheese.
The meatball stuffing worked very well with the other components of this pizza. I was never much for meatballs on my pizza - they just seem too "heavy" for me, usually (though I have to admit, I do like the meatball parm pizza at, where else, Pizza Stop) - but here they blended in and complemented the other components, rather than weighing down or overwhelming the slice. It made for a very tasty, satisfying slice, certainly a bit more filling than the average cheese slice, but light enough to eat with one hand. This was not some enormous, lead-heavy pizza that had to be eaten with a knife and fork.
So Pizza Stop, which is deservedly known for its authentic, NY style, thin crust pizza, shows that it's not a one-trick pony, and that they can turn out some very good thicker variations as well. Probably nothing will ever make a full blown, thick-crust convert out of me, and on my next visit to Pizza Stop I'm pretty sure I'll be back to the thin crust, but their Sicilian and stuffed pizzas are not to be ignored. I don't imagine I could ever like them as much as Pizza Stop's NY style pies, but for what they are, I found them considerably better than average, so I think a B+ sounds about right.

Pleasant Bunz, downtown

Pleasant Bunz is a downtown spot serving breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday. Although it's mostly a sandwich/burger kind of place, they do serve pizza slices at lunchtime, so I gave it a try.
My pepperoni slice was very soft, with a floppy crust that was a little oily underneath. It had that pancake-like appearance of dough that's been cooked on an oily surface. The edge was slightly crunchy, with a fried kind of texture and mouthfeel.
The cheese was melted and very stringy. It seemed to be all mozzarella. The tomato component was closer to chunks of canned tomato than to a traditional pizza sauce. The various components were in reasonably good balance, though. The pepperoni was of the wide and thin variety, and applied rather generously.
Pleasant Bunz's breakfast menu, which is available from 7 to 11 a.m., covers the usual bases, with pancakes, eggs, and some breakfast sandwiches. The lunch menu is considerably wider and includes wraps, sandwiches, burritos, salads and subs. Besides regular pizza slices, they offer French bread pizza too. Pleasant Bunz also has an order-to-to service - handy for downtown workers - and catering. There's some seating, but it's mostly a takeout operation.
Pleasant Bunz seems like a fine place to grab a quick breakfast or lunch, and I don't want to discourage anyone from going there and checking it out. But personally, I wouldn't go for the pizza. Mine had a crust that was way too soft, and it was rather bland all around, with its stringy mozzarella and chunky tomato "sauce." I applaud any desire to offer pizza, but pizza is not something you can put together quickly like an omelet or a sub sandwich and make it well. I just wonder if some eatery owners don't think that it's a simple matter to add pizza to a menu, without thinking through what's involved in making really good pizza. If your limitations of time, space or other resources prevent you from serving excellent pizza, it might be better to stick to the other stuff.
But that's me. For all I know, there's a whole army of downtown office workers who go to Pleasant Bunz specifically for their daily pizza fix. If so, far be it from me to say they're wrong. But this wasn't my idea of good pizza, and I'll give it a C-.
Pleasant Bunz Restaurant and Cafe, 87 N. Clinton Ave. 232-1370
Mon. - Thu. 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Fri. 7:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Pizza Stop Meatball Parmesan Pizza

When I asked Jim Staffieri, proprietor of the Pizza Stop downtown, which of his own pizzas was his favorite, the one that he mentioned was his meatball parmesan pizza. I'd never tried it, as that's not the kind of pizza I would generally order - I tend to be more of a minimalist when it comes to pizza - but I figured if he liked it, I'd better give it a shot.
What with checking out other pizzerias, it's taken me a while, but I finally got around to it, and recently picked up a large meatball parm pie from the Pizza Stop. After trying it, it's easy to see how this could make anybody's short list of favorites.
It starts with the same crust as Pizza Stop's other New York style pies: thin, crisp but chewy, and just a bit charred without being burnt.
From there, though, things are a bit different: the meatballs are put on first, then the cheese, with the sauce coming last. And rather than a solid layer of sauce covering the entire surface, the sauce here is applied in a spiral pattern, which to those of us old enough to remember, might bring to mind those little "HypnoDisks" that used to be advertised (right next to the X-Ray Specs and Sea Monkeys) in the back pages of comic books.
I'm not sure if the HypnoDisks worked, but this pizza did have some hypnotic powers of its own. I suspect, though, that this had less to do with the visual effect of the spiraling sauce and cheese than with the aroma of fresh garlic, which always casts a spell on me.
Or maybe it was the flavors, and the way that they all came together. First, there's the cheese, which, despite the pizza's name, does not include Parmesan. Instead, Staffieri uses a blend of mozzarella and Romano, for more flavor than would be imparted from Parmesan (I guess "meatball Rome" just wouldn't have the same ring as "meatball parm").
Next, add the sauce. The spiraling looks nice, but it also helps keep the sauce in balance with the other components. There may be a practical reason for the spiral application - once the cheese is on the pizza, it would be hard to spread sauce over it uniformly, the way you would over a bare pizza, without messing up the cheese - but regardless of the reason, the spiraling ensures some sauce in each bite without drenching the pizza.
And then there are the meatballs. These were broken up into small chunks, which were evenly distributed over the pizza. They were moist without being greasy, and had a slightly spicy, peppery flavor.
An unseen but noticeable presence was the extra virgin olive oil, which is swirled over the entire pizza after the other toppings are applied, just before baking, with a little extra along the rim of the crust. The oil softens the crust just a tad, and also helps transmit the flavor of the other ingredients to the tastebuds.
Perhaps it's the oil, but what I really liked about this pizza was the way that the disparate flavors came together - the sauce, cheese, garlic, meatballs, and of course the crust. Some pizzerias - particularly the big chains - seem to stress quantity: how many toppings, or how much of each topping, they give you. Often, I think, that's intended as a way of distracting you from just how lacking in flavor and texture the crust is.
A good New York style crust, on the other hand, doesn't need to hide under an overabundance of toppings, and this one didn't. The various flavors here complemented, rather than competed with, each other and the crust.
A reader recently pointed me to a column from last summer by Frank Bruni of the New York Times. In it, Bruni observed that "great pizza and great pasta are kinfolk. What’s a margherita, after all, but a canvas for tomato, cheese and herb with less slickness, more crunch and more portability than noodles? Many of the flavors are the same." Pizza Stop's meatball parm pizza did indeed remind me of a pasta dish, but not one doused with sauce, meatballs and cheese. There was an overall unity, balance and harmony here that made this one terrific pizza, and a good choice for family dinner.
Speaking of which - my six-year-old daughter, who herself balances out my pretentious pizza pontificitations with a simple "yummy or yucky" approach, absolutely loved this pizza. I've never seen her scarf down as much pizza as she did on this one. Add in my wife's concurrence, and this one gets a triple "A."

Galleria, East Main St., downtown

Galleria Pizza is in the Reynolds Arcade building on East Main St., a half block east of State Street, which puts it right at "Four Corners," in the heart of downtown Rochester.
Like the Pizza Stop a couple of blocks away, it's mostly a daytime spot, but Galleria also does breakfast, and with its wider menu, it's more of an all-around lunchtime destination, though pizza takes center stage.
Given its heavy lunchtime traffic, this is very much a slice joint, although they can do whole pies, many of which I suspect go to local offices. If you do stop by for a slice, you can get it to go or "for here," in which case it's brought out to you on a genuine dinner plate.
It's hard to say how thick my pepperoni slice was, since it was thickest in the middle, and thinner toward both the tip and the outer edge. The underside was buckled and cratered, and was well browned where it had come into contact with the cooking surface, but pale in the concave areas.
The underside was also very crunchy, but it was more of an oily crunch than a baked crunch. It comes down to the difference between dough that contains a lot of oil, or that's been in contact with oil during the baking process (which essentially fries the dough) and dough that develops a crunchy crust from the baking process itself, during which the natural sugars in the dough caramelize and the water inside the dough evaporates. This seemed to me like more of an oily crunch.
Atop the dough was a cooked-down, thick, herbal sauce, with lots of flaked herbs that were most noticeable toward the outer edge. The more-melted-than-browned mozzarella was applied moderately, more thickly in some places than others. The pie having sat out for a bit, the cheese had congealed, and was a tad oily. The thin and wide slices of pepperoni were OK but unremarkable.
The slice ended in a medium-thick lip, which was quite crunchy, and finally, here, I found some welcome bready flavor, unobscured by the sauce or cheese.
Galleria is a little unusual in that it has a daily schedule for specialty pizza slices and for strombolis. On Monday, for example, the pizza du jour (or di giorno) is chicken wing, and the stromboli sausage & sweet pepper. Tuesdays it's steak with boss sauce or chicken alfredo pizza and pepperoni & sausage stromboli, and so on. They also offer a pretty wide variety of specialty pizzas by the whole pie, but you need to give them 24 hours' notice for that. Another option is the "Little Foot Pizza," which consists of two 6" pieces of French bread with mozzarella and one topping.
Besides pizza, Galleria offers hot and cold subs, salads, wings, various sides, grilled items, and dinners that include pasta dishes, fried chicken, clam strips, and a Friday fish fry. The menu also touts "after 3pm Super Specials," which I take to mean whatever's left over from lunch that day.
This pizza was all right, I had no real problems with it, but it was nothing special either. Maybe the specialty slices are big sellers, but my pepperoni slice was just so-so, with a less than outstanding crust and an overall flavor and texture that really didn't wow me. Galleria does a steady business and must have its fans, but for me, Pizza Stop remains the place to go for a downtown slice. I'll give Galleria a C.
Galleria Pizza, 16 E. Main St., 262-2222
Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Closed Sundays.