Anatolia Mediterranean Grill

 At a reader's suggestion, I decided to check out Anatolia Mediterranean Grill, a Turkish restaurant across the street from Seabreeze Amusement Park. Not because they serve pizza, exactly, but something akin to pizza. 

The idea of flatbread with toppings is an ancient one that's found in many countries, especially around the Mediterranean, where wheat is the staple grain. In my highly subjective opinion, that concept reached its apotheosis with the development of what we know today as pizza. But in addition to the myriad forms that pizza itself has taken over the years, it also has many close relatives that are well worth exploring. 

Some of those can be found in Turkey. Lying at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Turkey boasts a national cuisine as delicious as it is diverse, as I've written about in this blog, first in 2011, and again in 2016. 

On those occasions, I had tried lahmacun, which is sometimes referred to as "Turkish pizza," although in my opinion that's neither particularly accurate nor fair. It's a thin flatbread, usually topped with well-seasoned ground or minced meat, most commonly lamb.

I'm no lahmacun connoisseur, but Anatolia's was quite enjoyable. The crust (strictly speaking, I'm not sure if "crust" is the correct term for it, but for lack of a better term I'll go with that) was thin, chewy, and on the line between pliable and crunchy:  not as foldable as a wrap, but not brittle or crackly either. It provided a good base for the tasty lamb mixture on top, which was packed with flavor. 

 We also ordered another dish, pide ("pee-deh"), which is a closer relative of pizza, both etymologically and culinarily. We chose the "mixed" pide, topped with cheese, pastrami, Turkish sausage, and ground beef. 

The crust was thicker and chewier, and far more pizza-like than the lahmacun. The biggest differences between this and traditional pizza were the shape (sometimes described as a boat shape) and the toppings. I particularly enjoyed the pastrami, which added a burst of salty meaty flavor that made me wonder why it's not a more common pizza topping. I think I will try it next time I make pizza at home.

Oh yeah, the other food was good too. We got a chicken plate, with fried chicken, rice, bell peppers and salad. It was flavorful yet simple and there was a lot of it. We ended up taking some home, which made for a very nice lunch the next day.

Oh, and the dessert bar. That's a blog post in itself, but I'll just say that no trip to Anatolia should be considered complete without a visit to the dessert bar. 

 So ... to whoever recommended Anatolia, thank you.

To my readers, if you want pizza, this is not a pizzeria. They don't serve pizza, as such.

But if you like pizza and are interested in exploring the many variations and cousins of pizza, you should check out Anatolia. I don't think you will be disappointed.

For me, I intend to return and try some of their other dishes. If they are this good, there's a lot more worth exploring. 

 Anatolia Mediterranean Grill

4671 Culver Rd., Irondequoit, NY 14622 

585-226-7578 

Sun., Mon. Wed., Thu. 11 am - 9 pm

Fri., Sat. 11 am - 10 pm

Closed Tue. 

Aş Evi, East Ridge Road

Thanks to a recent piece by Chris Lindstrom in City, I recently became aware of Aş Evi, a Turkish restaurant and takeout place on East Ridge Road in Irondequoit.
I was interested, not only because the food sounded good, but because I'd had some experience with Turkish food, having done a post in November 2011 about Istanbul Market on Norton Street.
In particular, at Istanbul Market I tried a Turkish dish, lahmacun, that is, as I described it then, a cousin of pizza. It consists of an oven-baked flatbread topped with a mixture of ground meat and spices.
Aş Evi offers traditional pizza, and that's what I had in mind when I went there the other day. But on arriving, I reconsidered. I'd like to try their pizza, but I figured, start with what they know best, and lahmacun is close enough to pizza to warrant a blog post. So that's what I got.
At Aş Evi, you can get one piece of lahmacun for $3.49, or three for $9.99. I opted for the latter.
Each lahmacun starts off with a small round of dough, which is quickly stretched into about a nine-inch disk. It's then topped with a mixture of ground beef and chopped garden vegetables, before going into a pizza oven for a few minutes.
After emerging from the oven, my three lahmacuns were folded and placed in my to-go box, with chopped tomatoes and white onions, iceberg lettuce, and a couple of lemon wedges. Apparently those are commonly put on the lahumacun, but I treated them as a side, the better to experience the lahmacun itself. And the experience was a good one.
The lahmacun base is a flatbread that's somewhere between a crepe and a tortilla; not as sweet as the former, more breadlike than the latter. The bread emerges from the oven spottily browned, with an aroma reminiscent of a freshly made pancake. It's chewier, more glutenous than a crepe, but a little puffier than a tortilla; somewhat reminiscent of Indian naan, but more pliable and not quite as charred.
I suppose you could eat it with a knife and fork, but it seems meant for rolling up. Not folding, like New York pizza, but rolling. The toppings don't spill out, and you get a full hit of flavor with every bite. It's an almost perfect hand food.
And that topping. It's meaty, spicy and complex, stretching beyond the limit of my admittedly modest ability to identify individual flavors. Cumin, garlic, peppers, ... a hint of cinnamon, or coriander?  Trying to pick out individual flavors became like trying to listen for each individual instrument in a symphony. Stop, and just enjoy the whole, which is what I did.
Now as I said earlier, Aş Evi does sell traditional pizza. So while I was waiting for my lahmacun, I asked proprietor Selami Tulum if he uses the same dough for pizza that he uses for lahmacun. No, he does not. And he told me that he doesn't sell a lot of pizza, which doesn't surprise me. Not because I think the pizza is likely to be bad, but because, well, why would you go to a place that does great Turkish food, and order pizza? So I have no idea what the pizza is like.
But I still want to try it. I'm guessing it is good. And I want to try Aş Evi's pides, which are described as a thick dough crust stuffed with various optional ingredients, including cheese, meats, and vegetables.
In short, I want to go back. Soon. I'll do another post when I do so, but in the meantime, I urge you to get to Aş Evi. I can't yet vouch for anything but the lahmacun, but if you like pizza (and you're not a vegetarian), you need to try this.

Aş Evi, 315 E. Ridge Rd., Rochester 14621
585-544-0101

Tue. - Sun., 10 a.m. - 11 p.m. (but call to confirm)

A Revisit to Two Ton Tony's

One of the challenges of writing this blog is keeping up with developments in the local pizza scene while still returning to old favorites. 
One old favorite of mine is 2 Ton Tony's in Irondequoit. The pizza's consistently good, and owner Tony Proietti is always a pleasure to converse with. He's passionate about his pizza, and he's always got a story or two to share, often involving his family's long history in the pizza business.
I stopped by 2TT's the other day at lunchtime. From among the several slices available, I got a pepperoni & banana pepper slice. These are big slices, and Tony sliced mine in half, down the middle, although that proved to be unnecessary, as I ate them both in one sitting.
Tony's slice-ready pies start out on a screen, but are baked in a stone deck oven. Unlike a lot of screen-baked and "mega" slices I've had, this one was crisp and dry on the bottom, not floppy, soft or oily. Upon folding, the surface cracked, but the crust remained intact. The interior of the medium-thick crust had a soft texture and a fresh-bread aroma.
Tony takes pride in using top-notch ingredients, which showed in the toppings. The cheese was nicely melted and silky smooth, and the sauce had a good balance of salt and tomatoey sweetness. I love the combination of pepperoni and banana peppers, and they made for one very tasty slice of pizza.
I'm also going to mention here a slice I got a couple of months ago or so that I never got around to reporting on until now. This was a slice of "Eileen's Dream," a white pizza topped with spinach, artichokes and ricotta. My go-to pizza will always be a red pizza, but I like a good white slice now and then, and this one caught my eye.
Without tomatoes, a white pizza needs a little something to give it some oomph, and this slice accomplished that, with tangy artichokes that nicely complemented the slightly bitter shredded spinach, and nuggets of ricotta adding some additional flavor and textural interest.
I don't know if I could ever go to 2 Ton Tony's and not have pizza, but there are other options (you can view and download the entire menu here). Tony has added a very popular Friday fish fry, which includes battered haddock, potato wedges, cole slaw, hush puppies and tartar sauce There are also several new choices in the sweets department, including a s'mores calzone filled with graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows. They're also now serving Perry's ice cream, which I've been a major fan of for years. After I finished my pizza, I had barely enough room for a sample of Perry's cannoli ice cream (which is not available in stores, by the way) - yum.

This section of Irondequoit remains a pizza hotbed - I think you could go to a different pizzeria every day of the week and never drive more than half a mile - but with 2 Ton Tony's continuing to turn out such consistently good pizza, I'm not sure you'd want to.

2 Ton Tony's, 545 Titus Ave. (at Hudson Ave.)
266-8669

Mon. - Thu. 11 - 9, Fri. & Sat. 11 - 10, Sun. noon - 9

Cordello's, Irondequoit

Cordello's is one of those places that's been around for a long time, but not always in the same place. It seems to have had an odd kind of existence, with Cordello's locations opening and closing, here and there, over the years. There always seem to be a few around, but it's never quite taken off as a chain.
At the moment, as far as I know, there are Cordello's locations in Irondequoit, Webster, and Chili. I did a post on the Chili location back in 2010, which apparently is still going strong.
Recently I stopped at the Irondequoit Cordello's. (I still need to get to the Webster location).
I often go for a simple cheese slice, but on this occasion the veggie slice looked good to me.
This slice had a very thick cornicione (a fancy Italian word for the edge), but was otherwise on the thin side. The underside was more browned than charred, but displayed some slight exterior crackling, and had a bit of exterior crunch. It was better than I expected, frankly, and better than the photo shows.
Up top, the toppings were, overall, decent. The melted mozzarella was pretty good, nothing out of the ordinary, but nicely melted, without that separation into solids and orange-colored oil you get at some places.
The vegetable toppingss were OK. The black olives were canned, which I used to use myself on homemade pizzas until I realized how much better the uncanned variety is. (I would say "fresh," but that wouldn't be accurate, since all olives that you buy for immediate consumption have been cured in some way, but you get my meaning, I think.)
The slice was also topped with a few small shreds of spinach, chunks of tomato, and artichoke. They were all, again, pretty good, and this was a good combination. If you're going to go the veggie route, you want to use vegetables with relatively assertive flavors, and these were good choices.
I finished off the slice - which was quite hefty, as I think you can see from the top photo - with the cornicione. There are slices where I leave the "bones" behind, but the edge of this slice was like a good breadstick. It didn't get left behind.
So, all in all, a good slice of pizza. Not so far ahead of the pack that I would put it in my top tier, but better than average. And so I'll give it a B.

Cordello's Pizzeria, 117 Pattonwood Dr, Rochester, NY 14617
(585) 266-6620
Open daily 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., till midnight on Fri. & Sat.
http://cordellospizza.com/

Tony Proietti: A Life in Pizza, Part I

At the end of my recent conversation with Tony Proietti, the proprietor of 2 Ton Tony's Pizza, I realized one thing:  an hour with Tony is not enough. After talking pizza for sixty-plus minutes, we'd barely scratched the surface of all his memories, knowledge and opinions about pizza.
That's how it is, I guess, when you've spent your life in the pizza business. Tony grew up hanging around the original Proietti's pizzeria and bar on Goodman
Street in Rochester. That, I think it's fair to say, was one of the seminal pizzerias in Rochester, started by Italian native Olando Ozzimo some years earlier.
Tony's childhood memories include singing along for patrons with the jukebox, which earned him some nice tips on occasion.
Tony's singing skills are no longer in evidence, that I've witnessed, but as a child he also learned, from his grandfather, the craft of making pizza. And those skills he still uses daily.
The original Proietti's pizzeria is no longer around, sad to say. Tony described it as an extended family, and it sounds as if it was a true neighborhood institution. I wish that I had experienced it.
The good news, though, is that the Proietti's pizza legacy lives on. Based on the skills and recipe he learned from his grandfather, Tony now runs two pizzerias, in Irondequoit (where I spoke with him) and Spencerport. His uncle "Whitey" also owns and operates Proietti's restaurant in Webster, which also serves pizza based on the family recipe.
While they may lack the atmosphere of the original, these places carry on the Proietti's pizza tradition. And one of the most fascinating things in talking with Tony was listening to him share his encyclopedic knowledge of Rochester pizza history. Tony gave me a quick lesson, starting with the progenitors of Rochester pizza, and running through a succession of heirs, which he rattled off in bewilderingly quick fashion.
Tony and I both agreed that it would be a worthwhile project to create a Rochester pizza family tree, because so many of today's local pizzerias can trace back their roots to just a few forebears, or what Tony colorfully but aptly described as local pizza "tribes." I would like to do that, at some point, if I can find the time. Right now, that's way beyond the scope of this interview. But I hope I can find the time and motivation to do it. It would take some effort, albeit enjoyable effort, mostly involving sitting down for some hours with guys like Tony, his uncle Whitey, and a handful of other pizzeria proprietors.
When I asked Tony about "Ozzie" Ozzimo (is that a great name, or what?) he told me that Ozzie was from Sicily. I mentioned that many of the founders of Rochester's current, and best, pizzerias seemed to come from Sicily, and he agreed. Tony also made the point that what I've called the "Rochester style" of pizza traces its roots to Sicily. Old-school pizza in Rochester tends to have two significant characteristics:  on the thick side, with that distinctive square cut. Both of those come from the Sicilian tradition, married to American tastes for a round pie covered in mozzarella.
As for Tony, he sticks with tradition, but he's open to change. Everything is still made in-house, the way that his grandfather taught him, right down to straining out the tomatoes to create a smooth sauce. Tony's grandfather used an electric drill, believe it or not, but Tony's improved on that by utilizing an electric paint mixer, which, it turns out, is perfectly adapted to removing tomato skins and other bits from the sauce.
Interestingly to me, Tony also incorporates margarine into his dough. That too, goes back to his grandfather, and it strikes me as a distinctively American take on an Italian tradition. Some doughs are as basic as they get - flour, salt, yeast and water - but oil is also a longstanding ingredient in a lot of pizza doughs, especially pan pizzas and those using high-gluten flour. Oil, or fat of some kind, makes the dough easier to handle, adds flavor and richness, and gives a pan-baked dough a golden-brown sheen. That's exactly why my mother - who learned from my Polish grandmother - would add butter or margarine to her homemade bread dough.
In Italy, of course, olive oil would be the most common choice. But margarine (which is essentially vegetable oil in solid form) serves the same purpose, and it does not surprise me that Italian immigrants would have chosen it, as it was probably more readily available to them, decades ago.
As we discussed what goes into pizza, Tony did express a bit of, I would almost say disappointment rather than disdain, for some other local places that have dough shipped in from elsewhere, or that open a can of tomato sauce, throw in a little oregano, and call it homemade. Once again, this goes to his dedication to his craft, his pride in his product, and his commitment to tradition.
But again, Tony's not one to stand still. Both his Irondequoit and Spencerport shops are located in hotbeds of pizza competition, and he wouldn't have succeeded as well as he has by being stuck in neutral. As one example, he's changed cheese suppliers more than once, not to switch to a less expensive cheese, but to a better cheese. His current choice is Grande cheese, which is one of the best around. And a recent addition to the menu is gluten-free pizza, which is more than just a trend, as those with gluten sensitivity can attest to..
Tony's one regret about his career is that for a while, he got out of the pizza business. He spent some years in a series of jobs, although he was never far from the pizza business in one way or another, even if it was just as an unpaid consultant for friends. After a brief stint in Fairport, he opened his current shop in Irondequoit in 2010, followed by his Spencerport store.
The future may see more 2 Ton Tony's locations, though there's nothing specific on the drawing board. If that happens, Tony will have to spend a little less time at each location - there are only so many hours in a week. But I'm pretty sure he won't just hand it off to any old body. Tony assured me that if and when he expands, he'll have people in place whom he can count on to do a good job in doing honor to the Proietti family tradition. And with his upcoming wedding (followed by a honeymoon in NYC that includes a visit to Lombardi's), that's a good thing. Tony's fiancee Kathy, whom I had the pleasure to meet, has apparently been very supportive and understanding in regard to the pizza business, but family should always come first.
In the near future, I'm looking forward to Tony's Christmas Eve luncheon for his customers. This event, which I've written about before, is another Proietti's tradition that he's carried on. It's indicative of the great family legacy that he's building on.
I'm calling this post "Part I," not because there's an immediate Part II, but because there surely will be. As I said at the outset, an hour talking pizza with Tony Proietti is simply not enough, and we've already got more subjects to discuss, from wood-fired pizza to sheet pizza and more. In the meantime, Tony, enjoy your wedding and honeymoon.

NOTE:  in conjunction with this story, Tony has graciously agreed to give away a gift certificate good for a one-topping sheet pizza and 30 chicken wings. Please see the accompanying post to enter.

2 Ton Tony's Pizza

Mon - Thu: 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
Fri - Sat: 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sun: 12:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Irondequoit location:
266-8669
545 Titus Ave.
(same building as the DMV)

Spencerport location:
349-2222
42 Nichols Street
(route 31 behind McDonalds)

2tontonys@gmail.com

Catching Up with 2 Ton Tony

This is a good news/bad news post. First, some bad news. I missed 2 Ton Tony's Third Annual Christmas Eve Lunch, which was held on Saturday, December 22 (Christmas "Eve" is loosely defined here) at Tony's Irondequoit pizzeria. Tony had told me about it, and I intended to go, but in the crush of things to do just before the holiday, it simply slipped my mind.
As owner Tony Proietti explains it, his "grandparents had a family tradition at the original Proietti's Pizza on Goodman Street every Christmas Eve. They would invite [their] customers and friends to join [them] for lunch on the Proietti Family." That generous streak must run in the family, because Tony has revived that tradition, in fine style. I attended the inaugural lunch two years ago, and if this year's event was anything like that, nobody walked away hungry, or unhappy. So I was sorry to miss it this year.
But now, some good news:  this year's lunch raised over $2000 to help a local family in need. The dad in this family of six - who are customers of 2 Ton Tony's - is suffering from ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease), and the results have been as devastating as you might imagine. So for this year's lunch, Tony asked his guests to donate gift cards, cash or other items to help this family celebrate possibly their last Christmas together. It was a huge success, with substantial donations of cash and other gifts. Tony tells me that each child received nine presents, which is fantastic.
While I regretted missing this year's event, I thought it deserved to be mentioned, even after the fact. And since I had been looking forward to taking my wife and daughter to the lunch and introducing them to Tony, I decided I'd do the next best thing, and take them to 2 Ton Tony's for dinner. So on a recent wintry night, my family and I headed out to Tony's Spencerport shop, where we shared a dinner of pizza and wings, with a side of Tony's often hilarious anecdotes about the original Proietti's restaurant and bar on North Goodman Street.
Now more bad news - when our food arrived, I discovered that my camera's batteries were dead, so I was unable to take any photos. I'm currently awaiting the arrival of a new camera phone, but on this occasion I had only my ancient, camera-less phone, so I was stuck. You'll have to visualize, then, but take it from me, the food was good - a medium pizza, with pepperoni, sausage and bacon on half, and sweet peppers and onions on the other half (my wife and daughter don't always see eye to eye where pizza toppings are concerned, so our pizzas tend to have a split personality). The medium-thick crust was nicely browned, with a slight crunch and a bready interior. The flavorful toppings were applied in good proportion with each other and the crust, and after several slices I still wasn't sure if I preferred the meat or vegetable toppings. The wings were fine as well - meaty and crisp, and coated with Tony's distinctively spicy, house-made Buffalo sauce.
And then there were the stories. I won't try to repeat them all here, because it wouldn't do them justice. But if you ever get a chance to talk to Tony - and you should - ask him about the truck fire, or better still, the alarm button incident (the one where he was singing along to the jukebox - he'll understand). I was still laughing in the car on the way home, just thinking about those and his other tales of the old days.
Expansion has bedeviled many a pizzeria, but Tony is striving mightily to maintain consistency and quality at both his locations - you'll find him at one or the other virtually anytime they're open. If you haven't been, make a mental note to go.
And I'm making a mental note not to forget about next year's Christmas Eve lunch. It's a great time, and the fundraising aspect gives it an added dimension, reminding us of the ripple effects of good deeds, and the way that kindness begets kindness.

A Visit to 2 Ton Tony's

I found myself in Irondequoit the other day around lunchtime, which made a good excuse for a visit to 2 Ton Tony's. I've reviewed Tony's before, and have always liked both his pizza and his dedication to his craft. I won't recite the whole history again, but Tony's commitment to the pizzaiolo's art come as a surprise, since the roots of his pizza go back decades, to the long-gone Proietti's on North Goodman Street. In short, there's a lot of family heritage here. (And at Tony's uncle's place, Proietti's in Webster.)
I had a couple of pepperoni and banana pepper slices - actually, one giant slice, which is how they come, cut in half. They were thin and foldable, with a firm crust, somewhat herbal tomato sauce, nicely melted mozzarella, and meaty, spicy pepperoni. Fresh out of the oven, the aroma of the vinegary hot peppers and the meaty pepperoni was reminiscent of Buffalo wings, which is about as intoxicating as it gets, for my money.
Pizzas at Tony's spend some time on a screen, but are finished off on the oven's stone deck. I've never been a huge fan of pizza screens, but though a lot of screen pizzas that I've tried have a very soft, oily crust (which is the exact opposite of what the screen is supposed to accomplish), Tony's slices have a dry, firm, crisp bottom, with some surface crackling, especially nearer the edge. These weren't charred, or as crackly-crisp, as a New York style slice, but this is not New York style pizza. Tony's pizza falls more into the tradition of Rochester's indigenous style, which tends to have a somewhat thicker, softer crust than its downstate cousin. These were also well balanced slices, with a thin to medium thick crust, and a commensurate level of sauce, cheese, and added toppings, and I found the overall flavor quite good.
This corner of Irondequoit remains a hotbed of pizza competition, with Mark's, Cam's, Bay Goodman, and Little Caesar's - and Wegmans - within a block or two of each other. (I've reviewed several of those, and I will get around to the others eventually.) Apparently Tony likes it that way, because he'll soon be opening a second location in another pizza hotspot, near the intersection of Rts. 59 and 531 in Spencerport, where he'll be squaring off against Cam's (again) and Pontillo's, as well as several other places within a mile or two up the road. But from what I saw, 2 Ton Tony's is up to the challenge, and with competition, the consumer is the winner. If you live nearby, check 'em all out and decide for yourself.
On my prior post about 2 Ton Tony's (I'm not counting the post about his Ring of Fire pizza, which I didn't assign a grade to), I gave my slices on that occasion a B, for pizza that was well made, but lacking a bit of crispness underneath. This one was very similar, but a bit crisper, so they get a boost up a notch, to a B+.
2 Ton Tony's, 545 Titus Ave. (same building as the DMV), Irondequoit
Tel.: 266-TONY (8669)
Hours: Mon. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sun. noon - 9 p.m.

Pontillo's, Hudson Ave. & East Ridge

Some time ago, somebody asked for a review of the Pontillo's in Irondequoit. I'm sorry it's taken so long, but I finally made it there.
Often, I like to get a plain cheese slice, or maybe a pepperoni slice, as they serve as useful benchmarks for pizza. But on this occasion, confronted with a wide variety of slices to choose from at lunchtime, I went with a Buffalo chicken slice and a pepperoni Sicilian slice. Next time I'm up that way, I'll get a regular cheese slice.
The Buffalo chicken slice was very thin and easy to fold, with a lightly browned bottom. It was not at all charred, unlike most Pontillo's pizzas I've had. (As has been pointed out before, Pontillo's is a very loosely knit chain, with different locations often sharing no more than a name, so what you get at one may not be much of an indicator of what you'll get at another.) But there was no greasiness, either; the underside was dry and a bit floury, with some surface crackling, a good sign of a crisp crust. The edge was nice and bready, with the texture and flavor of Italian bread.
Buffalo chicken pizza may be one of the most variable styles, with options including tomato sauce, hot sauce, breaded or unbreaded chicken (which might be ground or cubed), mozzarella or blue cheese, celery, carrots, and various permutations of all of those. This one was topped with a thin layer of wing sauce. It was fairly mild, but packed some punch, as it more flavor than physical substance, as compared with a typical tomato-based pizza sauce.
Atop that, small chunks of diced, unbreaded white meat provided the protein. They were a little on the dry side (wouldn't dark meat be closer to real wings?), but you may prefer that to right-out-of-the-fryer, breaded chicken coated with grease that spreads oil all over the pizza.
The cheese here seemed to be all mozzarella. It was about as thick as the crust itself, but since the crust was thin, this wasn't overly cheesy pizza. If there was any blue cheese in there, it was well in the background, as I didn't taste any. The overall flavor of this slice was of chicken, overlaid with mild Buffalo-style spices, with the thin but bready crust as a base, and the mozzarella cheese as a condiment. In some ways, this was almost like a Buffalo chicken wrap - a cup of blue cheese dipping sauce would've been nice.
I don't recall having seen Sicilian slices at any Pontillo's before, not that I'm any expert on Pontillo's, but that's why I opted for one here. These were available with either cup-and-char or "regular" pepperoni, and I chose the former.
This slice was about an inch thick, and roughly six by six inches. The underside was well browned, and just slightly oily to the touch, which is not uncommon for a pan-baked pizza. It was firm underneath, with a bit of crunch on the surface, and dotted with bubble holes and craters of various sizes. As I have generally found to be true of Pontillo's crusts, this one was chewy and bready, with a well-risen interior marked by numerous air pockets.
The tomato sauce also seemed very similar to what I've had at other Pontillo's locations, with a medium-thick consistency and a touch of sweetness. The mozzarella cheese didn't blanket the entire slice, but seemed to have settled into some low spots on the surface as it melted. The pepperoni was more evenly distributed and was good and crisp along the edges, with a nice crunch followed by a meaty chewiness. All in all, the slice was on the heavy side, a bit dense, but more from the substantial, thick, chewy crust than in an overloaded or oil-soaked way, as is the case with some pan-baked pizzas.
The Irondequoit Pontillo's has a little seating, and a basic menu consisting of pizza, calzones and wings. Service was friendly, despite the lunchtime crush. Oh, and despite the official address, the entrance is on Hudson Ave., just north of East Ridge.
These were both pretty good slices, further confirming that despite its loose-knit organizational structure, Pontillo's generally turns out reliably good pizza. I'll give the Buffalo chicken slice a B, on the strength of its good crust and tasty toppings. The Sicilian gets a B as well, for a crust with nice crunch, appropriate density and chew, and overall good balance.
Pontillo's,702 E. Ridge Rd. (Hudson Plaza), Rochester 14621
Tel.: (585) 467-6900
Hours: Mon. - Wed. 3 p.m. - 10 p.m., Thu. - Sun. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Copper Grill: Margherita Pizza

Last month or so, Copper Grill opened on Hudson Avenue in the former Irondequoit Ale House space. It joins the list of local bars and restaurants serving pizza. I had lunch there recently.
There are several pizzas on the menu at Copper Grill, plus thirteen additional toppings to choose from if you'd like to create your own. I was torn between a straightforward pepperoni pie and the Margherita. I generally go with the latter at places with a wood-fired oven or that otherwise advertise "artisanal" pizza, but stick with the former at basic, American-style joints. Copper Grill doesn't use a wood-fired pizza or make any particular claims about its pizza, but at the last second I decided to go with a Margherita anyway.
My personal-size pie had a medium thick crust, with a pale, screen-baked bottom. The crust was soft and chewy, right through to the edge.
While some Margheritas use either tomato sauce or fresh tomatoes, this had both. The sauce, which is said to be homemade, was mild tasting and pleasant, but the thick tomato slices were pale and bland. There will come a day, I'm sure, when flavorful fresh tomatoes are widely available and reasonably cheap. But we're not there yet.
The menu describes this pizza as topped with fresh mozzarella cheese, and while I'm not questioning that, this cheese seemed to me almost like a cross between fresh and processed (a/k/a aged or low-moisture) mozzarella. It had some of the soft, almost creamy texture of the fresh variety, but was a little chewier and had a more yellowish tone than I expect from 100% fresh mozzarella. A dusting of grated cheese added some additional flavor.
Basil's another one of those things that varies widely from one Margherita to the next. This one used fresh shredded basil, which looked as if it had been added at or near the end of the baking, as it was still pretty green. That's a good way to go, I think - add it to soon and it just gets dried out and burnt, and the shredding, while it may result in a less visually appealing pie than one with whole leaves, probably releases more aroma.
One unusual addition here was the thin slices of red onion. It's not a common topping on Margheritas, but it wasn't unwelcome, as I generally like onions on my pizza, and the flavor complemented those of the other toppings.
Besides the Margherita, Copper Grill offers pepperoni, Buffalo chicken, and Mediterranean (white) pizza, plus cheese pizza and a variety of toppings. The menu's pretty lengthy, and ranges from standard bar fare like burgers and sandwiches to pasta, steaks, fish and barbeque, as well as desserts. There's a rectangular bar on one side, with seating along the walls and in front, facing Hudson Ave., and TVs all around. The overall atmosphere is casual and a bit generic, but give it some time.
This pizza was not all that bad, as bar/restaurant pizza goes, but I wouldn't call it a classic Margherita, or especially great pizza. The soft crust was the biggest downer for me, and the flavorless tomato slices didn't help. I'd come back here, if I were looking for basic bar food, but I don't think I'd order the pizza again. I'll give this a C-minus.
Copper Grill, 2256 Hudson Ave., Irondequoit 14617. 270-4466
11 a.m. - 2 a.m. daily

2 Ton Tony's Ring of Fire

Although I appreciate the subtle flavors of a minimalist pizza, I also like a good food challenge, especially where heat's concerned. And while 2 Ton Tony's doesn't explicitly present their "Ring of Fire" as a challenge, when I read the description - crushed red pepper sauce, topped with banana, jalapeno and cherry peppers - I took that as a gauntlet that had been thrown before my feet.
So while my gastroenterologist might not approve, I recently got a medium Ring of Fire. And I've lived to tell about it.
In fact, if you're a chilihead, this is probably not the hottest thing you've ever eaten. Adam Richman could likely down this without breaking a sweat.
But that's not to say that it isn't hot. It is. I would even call it extreme pizza. And I did break a sweat eating it. But the crust and the cheese help moderate some of the heat, and 2 Ton Tony's wisely avoids going completely overboard; you won't find any Scotch bonnet peppers or ridiculously hot sauce on this pizza. There's no point in making the thing inedible, after all.
As I said, though, this is one hot pizza. About halfway through my first slice, I could feel the perspiration breaking out on my brow, and I'm pretty sure my cheeks had developed a rosy glow.
Generally, I say that pizza is all about the crust, but this was one pizza where the toppings dominated, which was no surprise. But the crust here was what I would call thin to medium, firm, with a crunchy edge. The underside bore screen marks, but it was reasonably crisp, with a chewy interior.
With all those peppers, there was a fair amount of liquid on this pizza. I recommend not leaving in the box for too long. to avoid the steam softening the crust too much. Plus you'll want to get the aromatic effect of the peppers.
Getting back to which - this wasn't a doubled-over-in pain kind of pizza, but it was an eye-watering, sinus-clearing, nose-running pizza. And that's about what I'd hoped for. I like heat, but I'm not completely into the man-vs.-food thing. If you're not into spicy food, this would be too hot for you, but if you like to crank up the heat, without committing culinary suicide, this pizza is right on the mark. It's hot enough to make you sweat, without feeling as if you're having a nuclear meltdown in your gut.
To get down to specifics, the peppers on this pizza were all pickled, not fresh. But as I've said before, hot peppers are one item that may be better canned than fresh.
Despite the menu's reference to a "crushed red pepper sauce," the sauce looked like ordinary tomato sauce to me. It may have contained red pepper, but honestly after the first bite it was hard to pick out any flavors other than that of the peppers. The creamy, melted mozzarella provided a welcome buffer that helped mitigate the heat just a bit.
So how much did I actually like this pizza? Well, in some ways, this was far from my ideal pizza. To me, great pizza is all about subtlety, with a delicate, perfectly balanced blend of flavors and textures. This was all about bringing on the heat.
But I knew that when I ordered it, and in fact I found it strangely addicting; while the first few bites shocked my palate, after a slice or two I found myself wanting to go on for more, maybe to keep the endorphin rush going. It also struck me that in a way, eating this pizza was more reminiscent of eating hot Buffalo wings than a lot of other Buffalo chicken pizzas I've had. But I'm talking hot wings here, the kind that are so hot that you can't really taste the chicken.
How to rate this, then? Given the nature of this pizza, I don't think I can fairly rate it as against other pizzas I've reviewed on here. I mean, it was perfectly good pizza and all, but the fact is, if you're getting a Ring of Fire pizza, you're not looking for balance - which to me is the hallmark of great pizza - you're looking for serious heat. The cheese, crust and sauce were fine, I guess, but to be honest I didn't notice them much. So on that basis, on a scale of 0 to 5 peppers, with 0 being no heat at all and 5 being instant-ulcer, gut-wrenching heat, this rates about a 4.
2 Ton Tony's, 545 Titus Ave. (at Hudson), Irondequoit. 266-8669 Mon. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.. Sun. noon - 9 p.m.

Mr. Lee's - CLOSED

I happened to be in the East Ridge Road area the other day so I drove by Mr. Lee's, the new place going into the former site of Doughboys. The "OPEN" sign was on, so I stopped in.
I think I must've been one of the first customers, because the four people there were all busy with getting things in order, including a big "Grand Opening" sign that hadn't yet gone in the window. But there was pizza available, so I got a couple of cheese slices.
The slices were given quite a long reheating in the oven, from which they emerged hot but not particularly well-done in appearance, so either the oven wasn't all that hot or the pizza was cold when it went in.
From the appearance of my slices, I frankly wasn't expecting much. They didn't look particularly good, with a thick yellow-white blanket of mozzarella atop a thick crust.
But in fact they weren't bad. The crust was pleasantly crunchy on the outside, and while the interior was not particularly bready, the slice was neither greasy nor overly dry either. It appeared to be pan risen, with a golden brown bottom and a crunchy edge.
The slices were well dusted with what I believe was Romano cheese. Noticeable to the eyes, palate and nostrils, the Romano added some interest to the well-melted but bland mozzarella. Underneath the cheese was a moderately applied layer of thick, sweetish tomato sauce.
Mr. Lee's will be offering 12", 16" and sheet pizzas, with 14 toppings to choose from, as well as calzones, wings (Buffalo, garlic basil, Boss and sweet-and-sour sauces) and hot subs.
I've declined to rate a few places lately, and I don't want to give the impression that I'm discontinuing the practice, but sometimes it just doesn't seem that useful, and this is one such occasion. This pizza was OK, it wasn't great, but it was better than I expected, and it was better than it looked, frankly. And I will give kudos to the owners and staff for friendly, eager-to-please service.
But my ratings, as imperfect as they are, are meant to provide some guidance to what you might expect to get if you go to a given pizzeria, and considering how recently Mr. Lee's has opened for business, I'm just not sure that a rating would be all too helpful at this point, before they've really had a chance to get on their feet, as it were. This pizza would fall somewhere in the B to C range, but I plan to go back in a few weeks before I give it a grade. For now, I'd say that Mr. Lee's is worth checking out, and I'll leave it at that.
Mr. Lee's Pizza & Wings, 1963 E. Ridge Rd., in Great Win Plaza, 338-9009
Sun. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Amico Pizza: "The #1"

There are certain pizzerias I find myself going back to, partly because I like their pizza, and partly because there are particular items on their menus that I want to try. One of those is Amico on East Ridge Road.
I've tried Amico's regular pizza, and their white pizza, but their "#1" caught my eye - it's described on the menu as "[a]n Amico tradition since the beginning. Our homemade sauce covered with fresh ground Pecorino-Romano."
Now a pizza with nothing but red sauce and Romano cheese might not sound that interesting, but it is to me. I've come to think that in the early days of Rochester pizza, before the chains moved in and before pizza became homogenized into the standard American pizza of today, pizza, where it could be found, tended to be a very simple affair, with little more than, well, the aforementioned red sauce and Romano cheese. The more bland, but better-melting mozzarella seems to have come along later.

I've tried some other examples of this older style, such as Gallo's "Old World" pizza, Guida's "sauce pie," and Giuseppe's "Old Timer," which, with the addition of anchovies and cherry peppers is a little more complicated, but which is still based on the same foundation of red sauce and Romano. Despite their simplicity, these pizzas may be a little more challenging to the modern American palate, primarily because of the heavy dose of Romano, which nowadays is more often used as a sprinkled-on condiment - an afterthought, even - than a prominent, integral component.
Amico will be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year, putting it in the senior class of Rochester pizzerias, and no survey of this local style would be complete without a visit to Amico. So, when I picked up a medium #1 pie from Amico last week, I was eager to try their version of this old-school pizza.
The first thing that struck me about this pizza was its mouthwatering aroma in my car. The steam emanating from the pizza box carried with it the scent of freshly baked dough, tomato sauce and Romano cheese, making it difficult not to pull over and devour a slice or two before I got it home.
I was able to maintain my willpower, though, and waited until I got indoors before opening the box. I was a little surprised, though not disappointed, to see that the crust was considerably thinner than the pizzas I've gotten from Amico in the past. Amico's menu notes that you can get thick or thin crust on request, and while I didn't specify any particular thickness for this one, I think this would have to be considered a thin crust. I'm not sure if that's standard for the #1, but it might be. With such simple toppings, a thick crust might tend to overwhelm the sauce and cheese. This crust was thin enough to allow the full flavor and texture of the toppings to come through.
Similarly, the underside on this one wasn't as dark as on the pizzas I've gotten from Amico before. Now that could just be a random thing, or it might be by design too. Again, the Romano doesn't melt the way that mozzarella does, and this cheese was already turning a little brown in the center of the pie. Much longer in the oven and the cheese could easily have gotten overdone.
The thin crust still had the breadiness I've come to associate with Amico's pizza, but it was easily foldable. A napkin or two was called for here, as the sauce tended to ooze out the back end as I worked my way through each slice.
A little sloppiness was a small price to pay, though, for the flavor of this pizza. How good can a pizza be with nothing but sauce and Romano cheese? Very good, indeed. The thin but bready crust made a fine base for the contrasting yet complementary flavors of the sauce and cheese.
That cheese was laid on in some abundance, so much so that you might think its sharp flavor would simply be overpowering, but it wasn't. The comparatively sweet, vibrant flavor of the tomato sauce acted as a counterweight to the lactic tang of the cheese, and the time that the pie spent in the oven may also have taken a bit of the edge off the Romano as well. I didn't notice much herb flavor, but it was hardly needed here.
What was also striking about this pizza was its texture, particularly that of the cheese. While it was missing the chewy-gooey stringiness of processed mozzarella that most of us have come to expect, the Romano had something of its own to offer. Baking atop the sauce, the cheese here had developed a crumbly, almost cakelike texture that gave it an unusual but very interesting mouthfeel.
Having tried several of these "old timer" style pizzas now, I've formed some opinions about them. On the one hand, I can see why today's style of American pizza eventually supplanted these. In this land of supersized meals, it's not surprising that people came to prefer pizzas covered with thick blankets of mozzarella, loaded with toppings. And I have to admit that there's a certain richness that you get with melted mozzarella that you can't get from a grating cheese like Romano.
But I can also see why people fell in love with pizza in the first place, back when pies like this were closer to the norm. I'm guessing that even this style of pizza is more Italian-American that native Italian, yet it clearly owes a good deal to the pizzas of the Old World, which I think tend to be far simpler, more subtle affairs than their bold, brash American cousins.
And what a pizza like this shows is that simple doesn't have to mean boring, bland or insipid. For all its seeming austerity, this pizza had abundant flavor, and a beautiful harmonic balance of bright sauce, tangy cheese and bready crust.
This pizza may not be for everybody, and even for me, it probably wouldn't be an everyday kind of thing. As much as I enjoyed and appreciated it, my tastes in pizza were shaped by the dominant pizza culture of late-20th-century America, where processed mozzarella is king. But this is definitely a pizza I would go back to now and then.
If your idea of a good pizza is one piled high with pepperoni, sausage, and extra cheese, this may not be to your liking, frankly. On the other hand, if you enjoy diving into a plate of pasta drenched in tomato sauce, with a healthy dose of Parmesan or Romano on top, this one's for you. Me, I'm giving it an A-.
Amico Pizza, 859 E.Ridge Rd. 544-8380
Sun. 1 p.m. - 9 p.m., Tue. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 am - 11:30 p.m.

Guida's Sauce Pie

I've been intrigued for some time now by the basic, tomato-sauce-based pies that appear on the menus of some pizzerias around here. Often these are found at well-established places with deep local roots, and it seems to me that these pizzas come from an older tradition, before today's emphasis on heavy toppings took hold. Whether they go by the name or not, these pizzas, I think, are related to the "grandma's pizza" often found downstate. Though the specifics vary, this style of pizza generally deemphasizes the cheese, with a tomato sauce providing the dominant base for a few simple toppings, which frequently include a sprinkling of Romano.
One such pizza is found at Guida's. While Guida's does make a "Gramma's" pizza, they also offer something similar that goes by the simple name of "sauce pie." While that might sound like nothing more than a pizza with sauce but no cheese, this is in fact a little more than that. Any doubts on that score were removed when I opened the box, as my nostrils were greeted by an intoxicating aroma of tomato sauce, Romano and garlic, which is about as winning a combination of ingredients as there is.
That heavenly aroma again got me thinking about the term "grandma's pizza." I can imagine a lot of Italian grandmothers' kitchens smelling exactly like this, with a pot of sauce simmering on the stove. The name makes perfect sense now. And it's the addition of garlic that, I think, chiefly differentiated this pie from the Gramma's I'd had before at Guida's.
But what an addition it is. You could put this stuff over ice cream and I think I'd like it. Over pasta, it would be divine.
And aside from pasta, what goes with a good tomato-based sauce better than bread? And what is a pizza crust but a disk-shaped bread? (For that matter, bread and pasta are pretty close culinary cousins, apart from the inclusion of yeast in the former.)
Of course, not just any bread will do; ideally you want a nice, chewy Italian-style bread, and on that score Guida's delivers, with a crust that's firm on the outside yet chewy on the inside, with good bready flavor. That also differed from the Gramma's, which had a softer crust that seemed to have risen and been baked in a pan. Personally I love a very crisp, crackly exterior, which this didn't quite have, but it's hard to fault it nonetheless, as it was still firm, and had a mouth-pleasing chewy texture and good bread flavor.
The bottom of the crust was lightly dusted with corn meal, and there was a bit of oil underneath as well. While eating this, my lips and tongue picked up a faint hint of oil too, suggesting that perhaps the dough got a light swirl or brushing with olive oil before going into the oven, or maybe the oil came from the sauce or the garlic, I don't know. Whatever its source, that might also account for the crust being a little less crisp than some, as oil will typically tenderize bread dough. But it certainly wasn't what I'd call a greasy crust, and with its breadlike flavor and texture, it was more than just a vehicle for the toppings.
Speaking of which, the sauce was of course the star here, and, consistent with the overall simplicity of this pie, it had a straightforward character, with enough herbs to add some flavor accents but not enough to get in the way of the bright flavor of the tomatoes.
The same held true with the Romano cheese. With its sharp flavor, a little Romano goes a long way, and Guida's wisely avoided overdosing this pie; again, a plate of pasta comes to mind, with a sprinkling, but not a dousing, of Romano on top.
Frankly, I would've been happy with just the sauce and Romano, but things get even better with the addition of garlic. The garlic stood well out from the background, completing the trinity of toppings, and was assertive without being harsh; there wasn't the unpleasant aftertaste that raw garlic or garlic powder can leave behind. Finish all that off with the thick, bready outer crust and you've got one very good pizza indeed.
Having said that, this pizza might not be for everyone. If your ideal pizza is one that's covered with thick, gooey cheese, or loaded with toppings, well, this isn't it. But if you're one of those people who likes to sop up your pasta sauce with a thick slice of chewy Italian bread, then you'll love this pizza. It proves once again that for all the pizza ads you see trumpeting topping-heavy pizzas, with pizza sometimes less really is more. I'll give this one an A-.
Guida's Pizzeria, 440 Empire Blvd., Rochester 14609. 288-0590
Mon-Thu. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m., Sun. noon - 10 p.m.
Other locations at 1837 Penfield Rd. in Penfield, 166 W. Main St. in Honeoye Falls, 964 Ridge Rd. in Webster, and 736 Elmgrove Rd. in Gates.

Amico's Pizza Bianco

I previously reported on Amico Pizza in April 2009, giving it a B for "good, basic, honest Rochester pizza." Not long ago, I went back and picked up a Pizza Bianco, which is described in the menu as topped with fresh chopped garlic, olive oil, Peccorino Romano, mozzarella, ricotta, tomatoes, onions and fresh basil.
This pie had a medium thick crust with a browned, flour-dusted bottom. The underside was dry and non-greasy, with some firmness, though the heavily-laden slices were a bit floppy at the tips.
This was a flavorful pizza, starting with the crust, which had the aroma, flavor and texture of freshly baked bread. The puffy edges of the crust were nice and chewy, without being tough.
Olive oil and garlic is pretty much a can’t-miss combination as far as I'm concerned, and here they made a terrific base for the other toppings, starting with the Romano, which added a sharp, salty tanginess to the pizza. I believe it was sprinkled on first, then layered with low-moisture mozzarella and finally the ricotta. Though the latter two cheeses didn't contribute as much flavor as the Romano, they added some varied textures. The mozzarella was smooth melted but not browned, except for a few stray strands near the edge. The mildly-flavored ricotta had a texture somewhere between the liquidity of fresh mozzarella and the thickness of cream cheese.
The remaining toppings - tomatoes, onions and basil - were judiciously applied, adding some further interest to the overall flavor profile without taking center stage. The chopped tomatoes were OK, not great, but not bad for still being out of season locally.
Different pizzerias make white pizza in different ways. Some keep it simple, with just some olive oil and a minimum of toppings, some use a lot of cheese, and others use an alfredo or other white sauce. Though the olive oil was an important component here - conveying flavor and keeping the crust from drying out on top - this was a cheese-dominated pizza.
At the same time, though, it was really an exercise in balance, with the various components added in inverse proportion to the assertiveness of their flavors. The strongly-flavored Romano was added in a small enough amount to keep it from dominating, while the milder mozzarella and ricotta were laid on in much more substantial quantities. The garlic, onions, tomatoes and basil were also noticeably present, but all in balance, complementing rather than competing with each other.
There are other places and other pizzas that I mean to try, but this will not be my last visit to Amico. I still want to try their minimalist-sounding "#1," which is topped with nothing but sauce and Pecorino Romano. But if you're a fan of white pizza - cheesy white pizza, in particular - Amico's take on it is well worth a try. I'll give it a B+.
Amico Pizza, 859 E.Ridge Rd. 544-8380
Sun. 1 p.m. - 9 p.m., Tue. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 am - 11:30 p.m.
Pizza Guy note, 9/15/10:  I'm not sure if these hours are accurate. I called the other day to order a pizza for lunch and was told that they didn't open until 4:00.

Bay Goodman, Titus Ave.

Tomorrow, I'll report on a new place, but today I continue to whittle away at a backlog of notes on revisits and reviews of other locations of local chains.
The Winton Ave. location of Bay Goodman Pizza (which has since moved up the street) was one of the first places I reviewed on this blog, back in March '09. I gave the pepperoni slice I had on that occasion a C+.
Last month I stopped by the Bay Goodman on Titus Ave., which is in the heart of Irondquoit's pizza district, across from Pudgies, and within a couple blocks of 2 Ton Tony's and several other pizzerias.
This time, I got a pepperoni and hot pepper slice. It was fairly large, though not quite as massive as some "mega" slices you'll find around town. It had a thin, foldable crust, with a slightly soft exterior and a faint aroma of cooking oil.
Despite its thinness, it was a pretty heavy slice, probably due mostly to the cheese, which had been laid on rather thickly. I found the components generally to be in good balance with each other, though. The sauce was moderately applied and had a straightforward tomatoey flavor, and the cup 'n' char pepperoni and banana peppers were neither skimped on nor overloaded. The crust, however, was kind of chewy, and not in a good, breadlike way. It had a somewhat tough texture, which was most pronounced in the lip at the outer edge.
The menu here is the same as at Winton, with seventeen toppings and a pretty wide variety of specialty pizzas, most of which can also be ordered as calzones. I've got my eye on the Pizza Napoli, which is described as a thin crust topped with olive oil, pecorino Romano, mozzarella, ricotta, fresh tomato and basil leaves, making it roughly similar to a Margherita.
I also note here, again we see "Sicilian" pizza ("Pizza Sicillia," on the menu) defined by the toppings rather than by the crust. Bay Goodman's comes with red sauce, diced onions, hot banana peppers, pepperoni, Italian sausage and Pecorino Romano.
The rest of the menu, which is available on their website, includes wings, subs, burgers, plates, and pasta, plus a few desserts. (If anybody from Bay Goodman happens to read this, by the way, let your webmaster know that the "history" link doesn't work properly, and takes the user to a pizza menu page.) There are a few chairs there, but they're mostly for people waiting for their order to come out. This really isn't an eat-in kind of place.
As for my slice, it had the same basic profile as the one that I got at the Winton Road location, but differed from that one in some ways. Both were on the cheesy side, and the same ingredients seemed to be used, but the crust here was, I think, not quite as bready, and may have been a tad thinner. On the plus side, this slice wasn't as greasy as the one I got at Winton. All in all, it was an average big slice - nothing too subtle about it, but reasonably satisfying, and I think that once again, a C+ sounds about right.
Bay Goodman Pizza, 667 Titus Ave., 338-1150

Mon. - Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m., Fri. &amp Sat. 11:00 a.m. - midnight, Sun. 1:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

2 Ton Tony's, Irondequoit

Not long ago, I reported on Proietti’s in Webster, an Italian restaurant/pizzeria with a history going back some 40-plus years. Under owner/chef Whitey Proietti, the son of founder Pat Proietti, they’re still turning out some very well-made pizza, which I imagine tastes much the same as it did back in the ’60s.
Recently I learned that another branch of the Proietti family tree has borne fruit, pizzawise, in Irondequoit. Earlier this year, Whitey’s nephew Tony Proietti opened his own place, “2 Ton Tony’s,” in the Titus Mall, near the corner of Titus and Hudson avenues. Though a completely separate enterprise from his uncle’s restaurant, 2 Ton Tony’s bills itself as “continuing the Proietti’s Pizza family tradition.” This obviously demanded investigation, so I got myself up there for a pie last week.
"2 Ton Tony" sounds like a nickname for a boxer, which is appropriate, because Tony's got some heavyweight competition in the area. Within little more than a stone's throw away you'll find at least five other pizzerias: Mark’s, Little Caesar, Cam’s, Bay Goodman, and Pudgie’s, not to mention Wegmans. But as far as I’m concerned, there’s always room for another pizzeria, as long as the pizza’s good, and if there’s not room, well, then may the best pizza win.
And 2 Ton Tony’s pizza is good. I’m not going to try to compare it to its nearby competitors or, for that matter, with the pizza I got at Proietti’s in Webster, although it does share some obvious similarities with the latter. I’ll try instead to describe and judge it on its own terms.
My large pie had a crust that was on the thick side of medium. The screen-baked underside was dark brown, and firm, though not really crisp. The crust had good flavor, but was not particularly chewy or bready.
This was a fairly saucy pizza, which was fine considering the thickness of the crust. The sauce had a tangy, tomatoey flavor. Some dried herbs were visible, but this wasn’t really an “herbal” tasting sauce or pizza. The cheese was moderately applied and lightly browned. The fresh onions and sweet pepper slices were quite generously applied on their half of the pie.
While I was picking up the pizza, I noticed that 2 Ton Tony’s also had slices available, which looked thinner, and more or less resembled New York style slices. So on a different day I headed back to try those too.
Not surprisingly, the slices turned out not to be NY-style, but simply a thinner version of the pie I had earlier. They weren’t super thin, more in the thin-to-medium range, about a quarter of an inch thick. Like the pie, they were screen baked, with a dry, non-greasy underside that was medium brown in hue.
Also like the pie, the slices were saucy, with a pronounced tomatoey flavor. The cheese was again a bit browned, and this time I detected a certain salty sharpness to it. They were just a little oily/greasy on top. The slices were foldable, and more firm than crisp, though they did have a little crunch along the edge. The edge was formed into a very narrow lip, so there was sauce and cheese right up until virtually the last bite.
2 Ton Tony’s offers 15 pizza toppings, though they don’t appear to have any specialty pizzas. At this point at least, the rest of the menu is fairly limited, with wings, Friday fish fry, the “2 Ton Plate,” and various, mostly deep-fried sides, including “macaroni & cheese wedges.” I’m not sure if those sound good to me, exactly, but I may just have to try them sometime. There are a few tables, but seating is rather limited, making this mostly a pickup and delivery spot.
As for the pizza, I liked it. Reflecting its heritage, it fits broadly within what I think of as Rochester style, with its somewhat thicker crust, ample toppings, and square cut. My one quibble might’ve been with the underside, which was pleasingly firm and non-greasy, but which was missing that little bit of crunch or crispness that I look for in my pizza. That aside, though, the pizza was well made, making 2 Ton Tony’s a worthy contender in the crowded pizza field in this particular corner of Irondequoit. I’ll give it a solid B.
2 Ton Tony’s, 545 Titus Ave. 266-TONY (8669)
Mon. - Fri. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Sat. noon - 10 p.m., Sun. noon - 9 p.m.