Gia's Pizza Kitchen, East Rochester

 After checking out one pizza place in East Rochester, which I liked very much, I decided to try another. And I liked this one too.

 I know East Rochester has historically been home to a large Italian-American population, and some very good Italian restaurants. But Gia's Pizza Kitchen, which opened last October, just came up on my radar screen recently.

I ordered a large pie to go, half cup and char pepperoni, half onions and sweet peppers.

I didn't realize until I got there to pick up the pizza that Gia's is a full-service restaurant. There is a small bar near the door and several tables to the right as you enter; the kitchen is in the back and is visible from the bar.

I got it home quickly and was quite pleased with the pizza. The underside, though a bit heavily dusted with cornmeal (or maybe it was rice flour; I should've paid closer attention, but hey, I'm out of practice), was slightly charred, and firm though not crackly crisp. The crust had a chewy texture, with a well-formed cornicione and bread-like flavor. It was on the thinner side. Quite nice overall.

It all starts with the crust, but that's not to discount the importance of the toppings. They need to be good, and applied in balance with each other. And these were good.

 The sauce was a tad sweet, but not in a sugary way, more tomatoey. The cheese was nicely melted. And both were applied in good proportion to the crust. I'm not a fan of heavily laden pizza, with a lot of sauce and cheese, especially with a thin crust, and this was just about right.

The pepperoni was done right: browned and crisp along the edges, chewy in the middle. On the other half, the use of yellow bell peppers was unusual but not unwelcome. They have a milder, slightly sweeter flavor that the usual green variety. Both the peppers and the onions were softened but not browned.

I came away rather happy with this pizza. I'm not sure how I would classify it, not that I need to, but it worked for me. Good job, in my opinion.Gia's Pizza Kitchen

211 Main St., East Rochester

Wed. - Fri. 11:30 am - 9 pm
Sat. 4 - 9 pm
Sun 12 - 7 pm

Closed Mon. & Tue. 

 

 

GG's, East Rochester

During my long hiatus from updating this blog, I never stopped wanting to try new pizzerias around Rochester, and I maintained a to-do list, which I updated any time I found out about a place I hadn't tried before. Although I would occasionally manage to cross one off the list, it wasn't often enough to prevent the list from getting longer and longer.

Now that I'm back to blog writing, I'm hoping to whittle down the list. My current goal is to visit at least one establishment a week. Last week, I got to work on that goal by ordering takeout from GG's Pizza in East Rochester, which came highly recommended by a friend and former coworker. 

Deciding what to order was a bit daunting, as they offer various specialty pizzas and 26 different toppings, as well as several options like well done, par bake (for reheating at home), square cut, thick crust, thin crust, etc.  

My first time trying a place, I try to keep it relatively simple, so I went with a large, half cup 'n' char pepperoni, half onions and green peppers. I did not specify any other options, and as to crust thickness the first time around I always want to try their default crust. 

Got it home in about 20 minutes, for family dinner. The three of us polished off eleven of the twelve slices (I'm not sure which of us was the slacker who only ate three.) 

As I mentioned, GG's offers thin and thick crust options, and this was indeed medium. Thick around the edge, quarter inch maybe inside the perimeter. 

I was a bit disappointed at the underside, which was heavily screen marked and a splotchy brown. It was firm but not particularly crisp underneath. But that was a relatively minor matter as the crust was quite good. 

My litmus test for pizza crust is, is it good enough to eat on its own? And this was. It was bready (which my autocorrect insists is not a word, but it is in my vocabulary), meaning it had the texture, aroma and flavor of freshly baked bread. 

The sauce was slightly sweet and applied in good balance with the crust. Another test that pizza has to meet is the balance test. The crust and whatever is on top of the crust, be it sauce, cheese, or other toppings, need to stay in balance. Now if you want to pile on the toppings and get five kinds of meat and extra cheese, go right ahead. I'm not about to tell you you're wrong. But that's not how I evaluate a basic pizza. 

The cheese was also good, nothing but processed mozzarella as far as I could tell, but it seemed to be a good quality cheese as it was nicely melted, without a lot of exuded fat. Pepperoni was crisp, and the onions and peppers were nicely done, and would have been quite at home on an Italian sausage sandwich.  

My takeaway was that this was a great example of Rochester-style pizza. Not that we have a particularly unique style of pizza; by "Rochester style" I mean, the style that came to be predominant around Rochester. A little thick on the crust, a little sweet on the sauce, a bit heavy on the cheese. In many ways, it's the template for what became American pizza. 

I'd certainly like to go back to GG's, to explore their other options, but as I said at the start I have a long list to get to, so it may be a while. Next time I might ask for the pie to be baked directly on the oven deck, to crisp up the bottom. A slice I reheated at home on a cast iron skillet was nicely crisp. I could also go with the par-baked option but generally I don't want to have to finish baking an entire pizza after I get home.

That, however, is a minor quibble in light of how enjoyable this was. For classic Rochester style pizza, I can well recommend GG's.

 GG's Pizzeria, 326 W. Commercial St., East Rochester

585-360-2050

Mon. - Thu.11:00 AM - 7:45 PM

Fri. & Sat. 11:00 AM - 8:45 PM

Sun. 12:00 PM - 7:45 PM

Leo's Bakery and Deli, East Rochester

My wife, daughter and I had lunch on Sunday at Leo's Bakery and Deli in East Rochester. It's a local institution going back to the 1940s, but I believe this was my first visit.

My main reason for going there was to try their pizza. My understanding from news reports is that it's a reincarnation of Surace's pizza, which used to exist on West Commercial Street. Surace's, which I reported on in 2009, suffered a devastating fire in 2015.

I say that's my understanding because I haven't found any mention of it on Leo's website. And when I called Leo's some weeks back I was told, rather curtly, that no, it's not officially on the menu. I got the impression that they seemed to be de-emphasizing the pizza, or at least the Surace's connection. That's all I can tell you.
In terms of the physical layout, Leo's has a bakery/grocery side, adjoining the dining area and food counter. Both were clean, attractive and comfortable.
We entered through the bakery side, and headed for the food counter, where I spotted three pizzas available for slices: cheese, pepperoni and Buffalo chicken. I got a cheese slice.

Based on my 2009 Surace's review, it was pretty similar to what I had then. Thin, firm but not crackly underneath, with a light dusting of flour on the bottom. And as before, some oil toward the tip of the slice, i.e. the center of the pie, which probably seeped down after the pie was sliced. But it wasn't greasy, and the crust had a pleasant aroma of fresh bread.

The slice was a bit on the salty side, from the sauce, I think. I didn't especially mind it, as I like salt (probably more than I should), but it was noticeable. Overall, think more salty than sweet. The cheese struck a nice balance between melted and chewy, with some lactic-tangy flavor.

My wife and daughter opted for a wrap and sub, respectively. I didn't try either so I can't say much about those other than that everybody seemed to like what they got. 

Aside from what we had, I was struck by the breadth of Leo's offerings. The cookie display was particularly impressive, but they also had a variety of breads and pastries, cold cuts, sausage, and imported foods. You can read about all their offerings on Leo's website.

In 2009, I gave my Surace's slice a B-minus. When I assign grades these days, I try to avoid pluses and minuses, as I think that gives a sense of exactitude that is unwarranted for something this subjective, but I feel comfortable giving this slice a B. It was good, basic pizza, fresh and flavorful.

Leo's Bakery and Deli

101 Despatch Drive, East Rochester

Tel. (585) 249-1000

Fax: (585) 249-9231

 

Mon. - Sat. 8-8, Sun. 8-6

Papa G's, Penfield

I saw an ad recently for a new pizzeria, Papa G’s, on Linden Avenue in Penfield. The site has been home to several pizza places over the years, including Bonafede’s and Gianna’s. I’ve also seen a reference to a place called Linden Hill Pizzeria & Deli at the same location, but if it ever existed, I wasn’t aware of it at the time. Most recently, this spot housed Lisa’s Quality Catering and Café, which I believe is still an ongoing enterprise, but which is now strictly a catering business. At any rate, I don’t think Lisa’s ever offered pizza. Point is, the site has seen a lot of businesses come and go.

Ordinarily, I’d have to wonder why somebody would plunge in where so many others have come and gone, but I’m not sure that all of those places literally failed. People can sell a business, retire, or otherwise move on, for all sorts of reasons. But if somebody else wants to go in and offer pizza, I’ll be there, eventually.

Sometimes, when a place changes hands, not much changes other than the name. Not so here. I reviewed Bonafede’s in 2010, and Gianna’s in 2011, and the pizza was qualitatively different both times.

That pattern continues to hold at Papa G’s. I got a single pepperoni slice (the only variety available during my lunchtime visit), and that was plenty for a satisfying lunch. The slice was quite thick, much more than at Bonafede’s or Gianna’s. The screen-marked underside was rather pale, but the interior had a pleasant, breadlike aroma, flavor and texture. The corncione had a good exterior crunch and that same bready interior. I liked it but I was wishing I'd asked for a cup of dipping sauce.

Topside, the crust was covered with a moderate layer of sauce. A few bits of dried herbs were visible, but this wasn’t a highly seasoned sauce. It had a good balance of saltiness and tomatoey sweetness.

Atop that lay the cheese, of mostly uniform thickness, with a few small pockets of sauce along the rim and near the tip. It was OK, but the texture wasn’t particularly smooth or “melty.” I can’t say for certain what it was, but I think a full-fat, whole-milk cheese would have improved things.

The pepperoni slices were thin and mildly spicy.

So, some pros (nice interior on the crust, toppings well balanced, sauce had a pleasant flavor) and a couple cons (pale bottom, cheese could’ve been better). But all in all, not a bad slice by any stretch, and an interesting contrast to the pizza that was served here by Papa G’s predecessors.

Papa G’s Catering & Café, 514 Linden Ave., Penfield (just off Rt. 441)

585-673-2949 (café) 585-203-2090 (catering)

Café open for lunch Mon. - Thu. 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Fri. 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. (catering hours may differ, I don’t know)

Luca Brothers, East Rochester

Number 108 Main Street in East Rochester has been home to a pizzeria for some years. In June 2011, I did a post on Chris's Village Way, which I thought was good enough to rate a B, but it's since closed.
In its place comes Luca Brothers.which opened in 2014. I've been there a couple of times now.
I've wanted to like this place, given their stated commitment to authentic Italian pizza, by way of New York, but I haven't been that happy with what I've gotten.
I've had slices at Luca Brothers three times now, and each time I've gotten an underdone slice with a few browned areas underneath. The crust seemed underbaked and doughy. This does not fit with what I think of as New York style or authentic Neapolitan style pizza, which is what they claim to strive for.
In Luca's favor, the slices I've had have been well balanced, and the toppings tasted good. The sauce was nice and tomatoey with a touch of salt, the cheese was nicely melted, and the pepperoni was crisp. But the first thing that hits your tastebuds is the crust, and it just wasn't good.
First time around, I didn't get my slice rewarmed, and I thought maybe that was the problem. Pale and soft crust. Second and third times, I got it rewarmed, but then it just came out brittle, dry and flavorless. It's a shame, because as I said, the toppings were not too bad at all. Just not enough to save the poor crust.
Maybe a full pie, later in the day, would be much better. Maybe at lunchtime, the oven just wasn't hot enough. But I can only rate what I got, and if they chose to put out these slices at lunchtime, well, that's their decision. I hope they start putting out better pizza than this, but I have to give these a D.

Luca Brothers, 108 Main St., East Rochester
(585) 310-7201

Mon. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. - midnight, Sun. noon - 9 p.m.

Crust Pizza Kitchen, East Rochester

In August 2009, I published a post about Despatch Pizza Kitchen in East Rochester. (East Rochester, by the way, was originally named "Despatch," for railroad-related reasons.) Despatch occupied the former site of a Piatza's pizzeria.
But the door continues to revolve at this particular address, and the latest entrant on the scene is Crust Pizza Kitchen, which opened in January.
I got a single slice recently at lunchtime. The thin to medium thick crust was generally pale, with some browner areas, and displayed screen marks. It was rather soft, and very pliable. The interior had a little breadiness, but it wasn't particularly interesting.
The slice did have decent flavor and was pretty well balanced. It was toppped with a basic tomato sauce, which was very middle-of-the-road, not too salty, sweet, or herb-infused. The mozzarella was a little browned, not overly so, but enough to make it a little less stretchy than it otherwise would have been.
That probably has something to do with the abundant pepperoni, which was generously if somewhat haphazardly applied. When a pizza has a lot of toppings on it, particularly toppings like pepperoni that benefit from a longer time in the oven, exposed areas of cheese are likely to get browned. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing depends on whether you like your cheese a little bit browned. Me, I like it just to the edge of browning, baked enough to be stretchy but with a faint hint of caramelization on the surface.
Crust's pizzas come in 9-, 12-, and 16-inch sizes, as well as 18 x 26" sheets. There are over 30 toppings available, including several varieties of cheese (feta, ricotta, cheddar, provolone and Swiss), and one of my favorites, fresh garlic. They have an impressive list of 22 specialty pizzas, from a "Mac's Cheeseburger," which, like a certain "big" burger from a ubiquitous chain is topped with 1000 Island dressing, pickles, onions, tomatoes, and American cheese, to a "Señor Taco" pizza with ranch dressing, seasoned ground beef, tomatoes, onions, mozzarella and cheddar, plus shredded lettuce that's added at the end.
Crust also offers jumbo-size wings (four sauces), salads, a wide variety of hot and cold subs, calzones, plates, fish fries, wraps, burgers and hots, and a few sweets.
It's a good looking menu, and some of the items, including some of the pizzas, sound good. But this slice, while not exactly bad, didn't wow me. The flavor was OK, but the crust was just too soft, and didn't have enough backbone to stand up to the toppings. That was particularly disappointing given the name of this pizzeria, and the statement on their Facebook page that they “proof” their dough overnight, "which ensures that it has a 'flaky' finish without a 'cracker' quality. If you want to tell the quality of a pizza, look underneath it" The name and that statement led me to think, or at least hope, that the crust would be especially good here.
Alas, for my taste, the crust on this particular slice was not stellar. But I think that CPK's heart is in the right place, and since they've just recently opened, I'm not going to assign this one a grade. This is the kind of place I want to go back to sometime, and give another try.
Crust Pizza Kitchen, 115 W. Commercial St., East Rochester
218-0818

Mon - Thu: 11:00 am - 9:00 pm, Fri & Sat: 11:00 am - 10:00 pm, Sun: 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

Chris's Village Way, East Rochester - CLOSED

Note (8/15/14): this location is now the home of Luca Brothers Pizzeria.
Back in July 2009, I did a post on Mike's Village Way pizzeria in East Rochester, giving it a perhaps too-generous C for a rather greasy slice of pizza.
Not too long ago, I learned that the site is now occupied by Chris's Village Way, so I went there recently to check it out. Sometimes a name change is just a name change, and sometimes it's more than that, so I was curious to find out what kind of pizza I'd get from Chris's.
This time around, I got a medium pepperoni pizza instead of just a slice (in fact, they didn't seem to have any slices available when I went to pick it up at lunchtime). It had a medium to thick crust, and the browned underside bore some dimpled pan marks, but it was reasonably crisp and nicely bready inside.
The crust was topped with a bright tomatoey sauce and a moderate layer of melted mozzarella. Like the other components, the thin slices of pepperoni were applied in good balance with the crust. The whole thing was lightly dusted with Romano, and the thick, bready cornicione made a nice finish to each slice.
Chris's offers 20 pizza toppings, and five specialty pizzas, including a breakfast pizza. Pizzas can be ordered with a thin, thick, or "pan" crust. They also do calzones, wings, hot and cold subs, plates, pasta dinners, and a Friday fish fry.
This was pretty good pizza, and I enjoyed it more than the slice I got from the prior establishment. Though it didn't have the traditional square cut, I'd say it's in the Rochester style, a little thick, with a healthy but balanced amount of sauce, cheese and pepperoni. And the most important component, the crust, wasn't bad at all either. I think I'd have liked it even more if it had a little more toastiness underneath, but this was good enough to rate a solid B. I'll be back.
Chris's Village Way, 108 Main St., East Rochester 14445. 586-2919
Mon. - Thu. 10 a.m. - 10 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 10 a.m. - 2 a.m., Sun. noon - 9 p.m.

Lemoncello, East Rochester

Lemoncello Café in East Rochester has gotten a fair amount of press lately, with recent reviews in both the Democrat & Chronicle and City. But neither of those gave a tremendous amount of attention to Lemoncello's pizzas, so, with that in mind, I hope to avoid going over ground that's been covered by others.
Before I get to the pizza, though, allow me to digress for a moment. Just a pet peeve, but if you're going to choose a foreign-language name for your establishment, don't "dumb it down" by misspelling it. According to an earlier piece in City, Lemoncello is named after Limoncello, an Italian liqueur and digestif, but the owners "decided to change the spelling to make it more accessible for non-native speakers." In similar fashion, Le Bon Vie restaurant in Penfield misspells the French phrase "la bonne vie" ("the good life"), presumably because "le bon vie" - which improperly mixes masculine and feminine word forms - is supposed to be easier for non-French-speakers to read or remember. I'm not sure why that bugs me; maybe it's because it strikes me as condescending to the clientele, though I'm sure that's not the intent. But if you're a business owner, and you honestly think that your customers are going to have trouble with a correctly spelled foreign name, then why not pick a different name? I know, I'm probably the only person in the area who's pedantic enough to be bothered by that, but what can I say? We all have our hangups.
OK, back to the matter at hand:  a couple of friends and I recently had lunch at Lemoncello, one of the latest entrants onto Monroe County's suddenly burgeoning wood-fired pizza scene (which *sigh* remains almost entirely east of the river). The day being a bit too chilly to enjoy Lemoncello's patio, we were escorted past the front dessert-and-coffee bar to the back room, a cozy spot with an eclectic, distinctive decor, a small bar, and several tables.
One of my two companions and I each ordered a pizza, while the third member of our party got a panini and fries. I ordered a Napoli, which is essentially Lemoncello's version of a Margherita, as it is topped with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil. My friend, meanwhile, got a "Berlin," with tomato sauce, mozzarella, hot ham and mushrooms. (Nearly all the pizzas at Lemoncello are named for cities, though the connections were not always apparent, at least to me.)
Both pizzas were very thin, though the crusts were a little bit different from each other. The crust on the Napoli was dry underneath, and well browned in some areas, suggesting some hot spots in the oven. The underside was not really crisp or crackly, though it was quite firm, and didn't bend easily. The Berlin had a softer, somewhat floppy crust, but neither crust seemed to have risen much, and they lacked any real interior or crusty chew, with a texture that brought to mind a thin biscuit or chemically leavened flatbread.
Again, both of these were red pizzas, topped with a mildly seasoned tomato sauce. Despite being applied rather thickly, the sauce on the Napoli seemed a bit dried out, perhaps simply from evaporation in the oven. That's not necessarily a bad thing, since it concentrates the flavors and helps keep the dough crisp. The sauce on the Berlin, on the other hand, lying under a thick blanket of cheese, presumably hadn't lost as much water through evaporation, and the crust had indeed turned a bit gummy after spending a while on the plate.
The fresh mozzarella was plainly visible on the Napoli, but didn't have much of a presence. It seemed to have been sliced rather thinly, and tended to hide behind the more prominent flavors of the sauce. The same is true of the fresh basil, small shreds of which were scattered here and there, but not in enough quantity to make much of an impression on my palate.
As mentioned, the Berlin was covered by a thicker, more widespread layer of (processed) mozzarella. Not being a fan of mushrooms, I only sampled it, but in general it was characterized by bolder, more assertive flavors than the relatively understated Napoli.
Lemoncello features 13 red and 6 white pizzas on its menu, with some interesting topping combinations, perhaps the most unusual of which is the eponymous Lemoncello pizza, with olive oil, prosciutto, shaved Parmiggiano, fresh arugula, fresh tomatoes and lemon juice. First time I've seen lemon juice on a pizza, I think. Prices for each personal-size pizza run from $10.95 to $14.95. There's a fairly broad selection of other, mostly Italian, selections on the menu, including the aforementioned panini (which my friend enjoyed, along with his crisp, lightly seasoned fries). A full dinner menu is available after 5 p.m.
This is another review where I look back at what I've written and think, gee, this reads a lot harsher than I intended. I think that happens because it's often easier to find fault with pizza - well, with just about anything, really - than to identify what's good about it. Perfection, after all, is often simpler than imperfection (think of a perfect circle, for instance), as well as harder to describe (what's easier to describe - a beautiful face or an ugly face?). The more that a thing falls short of its Platonic ideal, then, the easier it is to point out its various flaws.
All of which is my way of saying, these weren't all that bad, but they did have, from my perspective, some flaws. The crust seemed rather lifeless, for one thing, and though the toppings tasted all right, they were a bit out of balance on my Napoli, with the fresh mozzarella and basil overshadowed by the tomato sauce. While the Berlin had good flavor, its crust also committed the sin of being gummy, which is particularly noticeable when the crust is that thin. On the plus side, there were some good flavors at work, and the crust on my Napoli was at least somewhat crisp. So while I wouldn't call these "average" pizzas (in the sense of being "typical" of local pizza), I think they deserve an average grade, and I'll give them a C.

Lemoncello Café and Lounge, 137 W. Commercial St., East Rochester 14445, 385-6741
Café open Mon. - Fri. 9 a.m. till (?), Sat. & Sun. 11 a.m. till (?). Back bar and lounge open 4 p.m. till (?) daily. Kitchen open Mon. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m., Sat. noon - 11 p.m., Sun. noon - 10 p.m.

Perlo's, East Rochester

Restaurants that serve pizza are a category unto themselves, separate from "regular" pizzerias. It generally takes me a while to get to these places, since I only go out to dinner a few nights a month, and when I do, it's not necessarily to a place that has pizza on the menu.
But eventually I do get around to them, as I did last week, when my wife and I had dinner at Perlo's in East Rochester. I'd heard good things about it, and I was intrigued by the grilled pizza on the menu (which is slightly out of date on their website - we'd planned on trying the grilled chicken wings, but they had disappeared from the menu on our visit).
As I understand it, to make grilled pizza, you grill the crust on one side, flip it, then add the toppings to the grilled side, while the other side cooks. Before going to Perlo's, I was certainly aware of the concept, but to be honest I don't think I'd ever tried a grilled pizza. I'm not sure that I've ever run across it, for one thing, and for another it's just not something I've sought out. I guess I'm a pizza traditionalist at heart, and grilled pizza always struck me as some bastardized California invention. But, some of Perlo's pizzas sounded good, and in the interest of thoroughness, I had to check it out.
We arrived at our reservation time, 6:45 on a Saturday, and things were in full swing, with a sizeable crowd at the bar, most tables occupied, and employees hustling to and fro.
We were, however, seated promptly. There are several dining rooms at Perlo's, and after squeezing between the bar patrons on one side and a two-man musical combo on the other (think Sinatra and Tony Bennett), we were thankfully ushered into the farthest room, which was a little more than half full and relatively quiet.
I had already decided on the pizza I wanted, but I still took some time to look over the menu, as I'd come hungry and wanted to supplement my pizza with an appetizer. One of my pet restaurant peeves is menus with cutesy names for all the dishes, and while Perlo's menu is full of them (mostly named after people I've never heard of, presumably friends or customers of Perlo's), thankfully the "real" names are given too. That spared me having to ask for a "Father Steve's" pizza, and I was able simply to ask for a Margherita (spelled Margarita on the menu). I considered getting a straightforward pepperoni pizza ("The Car Guys" pizza, on the menu), which the menu proclaimed, in capital letters, to be "everyone's favorite pizza," but I do like a good Margherita, and it's become something of a default choice for me when it appears on a restaurant menu.
When the pizza arrived, I could see that it had indeed been grilled on both sides. There were dark brown grill marks visible on top and bottom of the crust, but the dough having puffed up a bit here and there, it hadn't come into full contact with the grill, so the browned areas were mostly scattered, in contrast to the uniform, parallel or cross-hatch pattern you'll get with, say, a grilled steak.
The crust was firm, but not especially crisp. It was by no means greasy, but I thought I detected a very thin coating of oil on the underside, which I presume was applied to keep it from sticking to the grill.
The menu described the Margherita as topped with olive oil, garlic, crushed tomato, and "fresh basil and mozzarella cheese." I couldn't tell from that if the adjective "fresh" was intended to modify only "basil," or also "mozzarella cheese." And I'm still not sure. The cheese here was not the white, semi-liquefied slices that I've come to associate with fresh mozzarella, but a single, thick mass, with a slightly yellowish hue. It was well melted and creamy.
When we asked our server, though, we were told that yes, it was fresh, not processed, i.e., low-moisture mozzarella, and my wife - who loves fresh mozzarella - was also of the opinion that it was the fresh variety. I'm still not convinced. I think it was high-quality mozzarella, as evidenced by its smooth, creamy texture, but processed mozzarella nonetheless. I'm not saying our server was lying, but I'm also not sure she really understood what I meant by "fresh" mozzarella. As for my wife, well, sometimes husbands and wives disagree.
At any rate, the cheese had either been applied to, or migrated toward, the center of the crust, forming a fairly thick layer surrounded by a wide band of "naked" crust. Particularly as it cooled, the cheese had a tendency to come off the crust in one piece if I didn't cut or bite through it completely and cleanly.
Among the toppings, the mozzarella cheese very much played the lead role. There were a few browned bits of what might've been parmesan here and there, and the other components were pretty low-key. Some garlic was evident in the flavor, but not a lot. The basil shreds were pretty sparse, and the tomatoes, which were sliced, not crushed, I can best describe as OK - not bad, but hardly remarkable. The overall impression was of a very mild pizza, something like a flatbread with melted mozzarella and a few other toppings for flavor accents.
I must mention, though, that my wife absolutely loved this pizza. For her, this one hit a home run. She particularly liked the flavor and texture of the crust, and the cheese as well. In fact, she liked it better than her own entree, the Chicken Verde, which was fine but not as garlicky as anticipated.
Having said all that, both of us enjoyed our meals. We started with an Italian version of a Garbage Plate, which was very good - kind of like a cranked-up version of greens and beans, with chunks of sausage, kalamata olives, banana peppers, and a few other items thrown into the mix. With my bread, I sopped up as much of the light, flavorful sauce at the bottom of the plate as I dared, lest I get too full for my pizza.
I also enjoyed the tiramisu that I had for dessert. Although it was missing the distinctive edge of some, perhaps more traditional, versions that have been soaked in rum or another liquor, it had a pleasantly light, sweet flavor. The texture was moist, light and fresh, unlike some I've had that have clearly spent far too long in a dessert case.
Service was good as well. Our water glasses were promptly and repeatedly topped off, and our server was friendly, helpful and professional.
True to some reviews I'd read before going, the owner, Donna Perlo, was also present, and as I commented to my wife during dinner, she seems like a very hands-on proprietor, always on the move to head off problems and to make sure things are running smoothly.
And, I must add that for what they deliver, Perlo's prices are remarkably good. It took me some time to realize that the number at the bottom of our check wasn't just a subtotal, it was the grand total.
I look forward to going back to Perlo's, especially now that I'll feel free to explore some of the non-pizza items on the menu. I say that not because I disliked the pizza, but because there are a number of dishes on the menu that I'd like to try. I did like the pizza, even if it didn't quite win me over completely to the grilled pizza concept. Based on what I've read, and eaten, I also don't think this was the most authentic Margherita I've ever had - a little heavy on the cheese, a little light on the tomatoes and basil - but I'm not going to quibble much over semantics. The flavors were good, and I was intrigued enough to want to go back sometime and try "everyone's favorite" pepperoni pizza. But before I do that, I've got my eye on one or two of their pasta dishes. So it might be a while. In the meantime, I'm giving this pizza a B.
Perlo's Italian Grill, 202 N. Washington St., East Rochester 248-5060
Mon. - Sat. 4 p.m. – 10 p.m., Sun. 4 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Bonafede's, Linden Ave.

Here's a place I never even knew existed until very recently: Bonafede's, which is on Linden Avenue, which is just off Rt. 441 in what I guess would be East Rochester. This particular stretch of road doesn't seem like a major artery, so I imagine Bonafede's is very much a neighborhood place.
My lunchtime pepperoni slice had a thin to medium crust with an attractively charred, non-greasy underside. The bottom crust and the outer edge had pretty good flavor, with some breadiness and a slightly chewy texture.
The cheese was melted without being browned. It seemed like basic mozzarella. The sauce was a tad sweet, with some herbs detectable in the background. Both were applied moderately, and in balance with the relatively thin crust.
Bonafede's has a decent list of pizza toppings - 17 by my count - and eight specialty pizzas, including a meatball parm pizza that may warrant a return trip. For some reason, their specialty pizzas are only available as a "large," so that will have to be a dinnertime visit.
In addition to pizza, Bonafede's has wings (five sauces, including a "Crazy Hot"), hot and cold subs, wraps, salad, grilled sandwiches, pasta, and fried fish and shrimp. (Fish fry is available on Fridays only, but fish & chips can be had anytime. I'm not quite sure that I get that, but I'm not that big on fish fry, so it doesn't matter.) Ice cream is also available in the summer months. There is some seating inside, though the atmosphere is pretty Spartan, just a basic fast-food type of setup, with a counter on one side, some tables on the other, and fluorescent lights above. Still, they had a reasonably good crowd on my workday visit.
All in all, this wasn't a bad slice of pizza. Bonafede's says on its menu that its "pizzas are hand tossed and cooked to perfection in (their) brick deck ovens," and while I'm not quite ready to say this was perfect, I did like the crust, the components were well balanced, and the flavor was pretty good. I'll give it a B+.
Bonafede's Pizzeria & Pasta Kitchen, 514 Linden Ave. 248-5040
Mon. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 8 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Closed Sundays.

Despatch Pizza Kitchen, East Rochester - CLOSED

This location is now the site of Crust Pizza Kitchen - RPG
Despatch Pizza Kitchen is a takeout and delivery place in East Rochester. It's in the former location of a Piatza's, and in fact the sign looks roughly similar to the Piatza's logo.
Unlike Piatza's, the slices at DPK are not "mega" in size, and they're also less expensive, so you're not forced to buy a quarter of an extra-large pizza if you're only in the mood for a normal size slice.
I never tried the pizza here when it was a Piatza's. Assuming that it was similar to the pizza that I had at the Piatza's in Brighton, though, the pizza at Despatch differs in some other ways besides the size and the price.
For one, it was not cooked on a screen. It was, however, very soft. In fact, the first thing I noticed about this slice - which was thin-to-medium in thickness - is how soft it was. No crispness or crustiness at all.
It was also on the greasy side. Some of that certainly came from the pepperoni, but the underside also had a slightly oily feel to it. It looked and felt similar to a soft bread that's been baked in a well-greased baking pan.
As for the components, this was a fairly saucy slice. The sauce was laid on pretty thickly and had a cooked-down, concentrated flavor. Some flecks of dried herbs were visible but I didn't really taste them. The cheese was rather browned, and with the thick layer of sauce between it and the dough, it separated quite easily from the crust. The wide and thin pepperoni was a little crisp and greasy enough to call for a bit of sopping up with a napkin.
Between the soft, moist crust, the ample sauce, and the grease from the pepperoni, this was a pretty "wet" slice. The crust was really quite overwhelmed by the toppings. The overall flavor was good, but I like a little more substance or backbone to my crust. This one was really all about the toppings, which may be to some people's liking.
Speaking of toppings, DPK has a long list of toppings and a wide assortment of speciality pizzas, including a "cheeseburger pizza" with 1000 Island dressing, pickles, onions, tomatoes, ground beef, and American and mozzarella cheese. It may very well be quite tasty, for all I know, but it sounds like a good candidate for this site. (In fairness, I should mention that there are more "healthy" alternatives, including several vegetarian pizzas.)
They also have a long list of subs, plus salads, wings, sides, "plates," calzones, wraps, a few Italian entrees, fried fish and shrimp, and even some desserts like "midnight fudge cake" and cannolis.
As for the pizza, again, my slice had some decent flavor, but the crust just didn't do it for me. Too soft and just not enough "oomph" to stand up to the toppings. I'll give it a C-.
Despatch Pizza Kitchen, 115 W. Commercial St., East Rochester. 381-6170
Sun. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Mike's Village Way Pizzeria, East Rochester - CLOSED

NOTE: This location is now the home of Luca Brothers Pizzeria.
Mike's Village Way Pizzeria is on Main St. - which really isn't the main street - in East Rochester. I tried a pepperoni slice at lunchtime. (I asked for cheese, but got pepperoni, which I didn't mind. The counter guy seemed as if he might've been new at the job, though. He was friendly enough but also had some trouble with the cash register.)
As an aside, here as at many places, the slices weren't visible to the customer. I like to see the slices before I order, to see if anything looks good and to see if I'm getting a fresh- or a stale-looking slice. That may be exactly why some places keep them out of sight (and I don't mean to suggest that's why Mike's does, since it could just be a matter of the physical layout of the place), but that's my editorial for the day.
This slice had a thin-to-medium crust that got gradually thicker toward the edge. It was fairly crunchy, though that may have been partly from its having been rewarmed in the oven, which will make any slice crunchier. It had some interior breadiness, which was more pronounced along the edge.
It was also greasy. Maybe some of it was from the pepperoni, but this was a pretty oily slice. It was one of those that you can hold by the edge and let the oil drip off.
The underside was pretty well browned, and bore some surface cracks as well. I'm guessing that both of those are attributable to the presence of the oil. That would also explain why I found more breadiness along the thicker edge, since the grease hadn't had a chance to soak through it as much.
The sauce had a straightforward tomatoey flavor, but pretty much stayed in the background. The cheese was applied just a bit thickly, making this a fairly cheesy slice.
Village Way offers pizzas, calzones, hot and cold subs, wings, hot sandwiches, burgers, sides and some Italian dinners like chicken parm and spaghetti and meatballs. They deliver for a $2 charge. There are a few chairs but it's pretty much a takeout or delivery place.
This wasn't a bad slice of pizza, but nothing special. In particular, it was too greasy for me. A little oil on top is fine, as fat helps convey flavor to the tastebuds, but to me a pizza shouldn't be greasy underneath. Overall, though, the flavors weren't bad, so I'll give Mike's a right-down-the-middle C.
Mike's Village Way, 108 N. Main St., East Rochester. 586-2919
Mon. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m., Sat. noon - 11 p.m., Sun. noon - 10 p.m.

Surace's Pizza & Subs, East Rochester

Surace's is in East Rochester on West Commericial St., which is actually more of the "main drag" than Main St. I had a couple of pepperoni slices at lunchtime. (These are not "mega" slices.)
The crust was pretty thin, and didn't seem to have risen much, except along the edges, which were fairly thick, and where some big blisters had developed. One slice also nearly had a hole in the middle, and I'm guessing there had been a CO2 blister there that had been stretched nearly to the breaking point.
Obviously, no thin crust can have risen very much, but even a thin crust can have a nice, chewy/bready texture. This crust seemed a little gummy to me, especially on top. Maybe it sat too long with the sauce on it before going into the oven. The underside, which had just some faint charring, was a little greasy, although that seemed to be from sitting on a greasy pan after it came out of the oven rather than during the baking process, which would have made it crunchy. Where it wasn't greasy, the underside had a nice, slightly crisp surface.
The sauce was pretty good, a little herbal, about what I would expect on a typical New York style pizza. The cheese, which seemed to be 100% mozzarella, was laid on pretty thickly, a little too much for a thin pizza, in my opinion. As a consumer I hate to complain about being given too much for my money, but I could've done with a little less cheese.
The pepperoni was OK, pretty basic.
Surace's also offers hot and cold subs, wings, pasta dinners, and a Friday fish fry. They have a few specialty pizzas, but nothing too exotic. (The menu has something called an "Italian style pizza," but I have no idea what that is.) They're open 7 days a week till 10 p.m. and 11 on weekends.
This is going to sound more negative than I mean it to, but my impression of Surace's pizza was of a NY-style slice, only not quite as good as what you'd likely get in NYC. It had the thinness, and the overall flavor was good, but the crust was a little too gummy and not quite crisp/charred enough underneath, and to me the heavy layer of cheese threw it a bit out of balance. Don't get me wrong - put a Surace's pie in front of me and I would easily down several slices without complaint - but for me, this was pretty good, not great. I'll give it a B-.