Harvest & Artists Market

On a hiking trip a few weeks ago, I spotted a sign for Harvest & Artists Market near Hammondsport.  What caught my eye was the word "pizza," specifically wood-fired pizza.
I couldn't stop at that time, but after I got home I did a little research and learned more about the market. Owners Jeff and Jodi have striven to create the "greenest farm/craft market in NY state," and in doing so, they've assembled an eclectic assortment of local farmers and artisans.
Given their off-the-grid approach, a wood-fired oven is a natural fit. The handmade, clay "earth" oven is outdoors, on a covered porch just off coffee house in the main building. (There's also a separate indoor wood-fired bakery that turns out bread and cookies.)
I got a plain cheese pie, which was about a foot across. The edge was crisp and somewhat unevenly blackened. The underside was a bit floury, with some light charring. The crust overall was on the thin side, and about halfway between crisp and pliable, firm on the surface but foldable. The dough itself was nicely chewy, with a good, breadlike flavor.
It was topped with a fairly thick layer of cheese, which was lightly browned. The sauce was moderately applied, with a thickish consistency and a straightforward tomatoey flavor.
All in all, a very enjoyable pie, in very pleasant surroundings.
If you'd like to check out the pizza, or the rest that the market has to offer, now's the time, because the market is only open through the end of this month. (It will reopen next May.) You may want to head there on Saturday October 25 for "Halloween Harvest," which will feature hay rides, "pumpkin chunkin," spooky stories and more. It's a bit of a drive from Rochester, but it's a pleasant drive, and it will give you some time to work up an appetite for some very good pizza.

Harvest and Artists Market, 8383 Gallagher Road, Hammondsport
(607) 382-9598

Open May - Oct., Saturdays 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Also open on Fridays from 11 to 4 and Sundays from noon till 3 in July and August.

Finger Lakes Twofer: Wise Guy and Geno Style

On a recent hiking excursion in the Finger Lakes, I took the opportunity to stop at two pizza places, Wise Guy in Hammondsport and Geno Style in Bath. Their slices were remarkably similar, though I'd give a slight edge to Geno Style.
Both slices were about the same, thin to medium thickness, with screen marks on the bottom. The Wise Guy slice was dry and slightly floury underneath, and while the Geno Style slices were faintly oily, they were a little more crisp. Both were reasonably crispy/crunchy along the edge.
The Wise Guy slice seemed a tad overdone to me, with well browned, congealed cheese that was a little oily on top. The Geno Style slices were more medium in doneness, and the cheese may have been shielded a bit from the more abundant pepperoni.
Wise Guy offers round pizzas in 8, 12, 16 and 18 inch sizes, plus sheets. There are 16 toppings to choose from, and 8 specialty pizzas. They also do strombolis, calzones, wings, hot and cold subs, wraps,salads and sides, plus a few sweets.
Geno Style's menu is a bit confusing; I don't see a listing for just plain, or "build your own" pizza. But they do offer 16 specialty pizzas, including a carb-laden spaghetti & meatball pizza (first time I've seen that, I think). My only quibble is with the pricing - how can a "meaty feast" with sauce, "blended mozzarella" (not sure what that means), pepperoni, ham, bacon, sausage, and an "extra layer of mozzarella" be the same price as a "New Yorker" with sauce on a thin crust, cheese and one topping? Something seems amiss.
Geno Style also serves wings, pasta, hot subs, stromboli and calzones, and plenty of sides, from fried pickles to fried mac & cheese wedges.
For two pizzerias that have no direct connection, these were, as I said, remarkably similar slices. Not identical, certainly, but with a lot of shared characteristics. There's no particular reason to compare them except that I had them both on the same day.
And each had its strengths and weaknesses. I'll give the Wise Guy slice a point for not being greasy underneath, but its crust was pretty soft, and  the toppings weren't the greatest. The Geno Style slices were a tad oily underneath but otherwise the better of the two, in my opinion. But both rate about average for the WNY / Finger Lakes Region, so I'll give them a C.
Wise Guy Pizzeria, 90 Pulteney St., Hammondsport
607-569-2000
Hours unknown, but they were open for lunch on a Saturday.
They deliver ($10 minimum).
Geno Style Pizza Restaurant, 14 Liberty St., Bath
607-776-2030
Mon. - Thu. 10:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m., Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m., Sun. noon - 8 p.m.
Delivery charge $2, $10 minimum order, "largest delivery radius in the area"