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

Menezes', Revisited

Way back in 2010, I did a blog post about Menezes' Pizza on Chili Avenue.  I aptly described it as a true neighborhood pizzeria, that goes back to the 1980s.

I liked the pizza, I liked the owners, but I hadn't been back in a long time. Too long.

I recently learned that Menezes has changed ownership, and I had a chance to sit down for a half hour or so with the current owner, Greg Wolfe. Before our conversation began, I ordered a large pie, half pepperoni, bacon and sausage, half peppers and onions. Here's a summary of our conversation, and a bit about that pie.

Greg has had a lot of work experience, in an array of fields, which did not include the pizza business. But about four years ago, as Greg was looking to transition to more self-employment, on his way to eventual retirement, Menezes' came up for sale. That especially fit with Greg's desire to stay in Rochester, his native city.

At that time, the business had somewhat lost its way, due to a variety of issues. Despite his lack of experience with pizza, Greg knew that the product was good and that the business was fundamentally sound. As important, there remained a core of experienced, reliable employees, and Greg also knew from his business background that good employees are a key to success. So he took the leap.

Since then, Greg has taken strides toward righting the ship, without changing the course. The pizza is the same, and Menezes' other big seller, the steak sub, uses the same premium beef as before. That will not change. And the core team of employees remains as well. As Greg put it, he's found that in any business, "It's always about the people."

After taking over, and after consulting with his employees, Greg made some modest changes. Some items that weren't selling, like cold subs, were dropped, but others were added. Those include a "massive" salad topped with grilled chicken, and Menezes' "Messy Meal," otherwise known to Rochesterians as a "plate." You can see the full menu here.

As I was conversing with Greg, I was waiting for my pizza. I took it home in my insulated pizza bag and my family had it for dinner.

The crust was medium thick, well browned underneath with light screen marks. The cheese, sauce and toppings were in good balance. The crust was chewy but not tough, with a firm underside. Cheese was smoothly melted, and the toppings were done right. It can be tricky, I think, to balance vegetable and meat toppings, but they pulled it off here. In short, this was Menezes' pizza, which is good, Rochester-style pizza.

Since taking over the business, Greg has faced some challenges, but he is optimistic that Menezes' has a bright future ahead. I'm inclined to agree. I believe in the principle that if you sell a better product, you'll succeed, more often than not. Menezes' is making good pizza, and I expect it to remain a mainstay of its neighborhood for a long time to come.

If you'd like to learn more about Menezes' Pizzeria, go to:

https://www.rochesterpizza.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/menezespizza/

Or just go there. Menezes' is at 445 Chili Ave. and is open Mon. - Thu. 11 am - midnight, Fri. & Sat. 11 am - 1 am. and Sun. noon - midnight. It's at 445 Chili Ave. Pnone: 585-328-3010
info@rochesterpizza.com

P.S.  Next visit, I'm getting a steak sub.

Dustin's Pizzeria, Holley

I always appreciate pizza tips and recommendations, like the one I got recently from reader Dennis Litzenberger, for Dustin's Pizzeria in Holley.
Dustin's menu is available here. I largely went with Dennis's recommendations and got a large, regular-crust pie, with pepperoni on half and onions and banana peppers on the other half (sorry, Dennis, I don't do mushrooms).
It was about a half hour drive to Holley from my workplace, but worth it. Dustin's is a small place, just a basic, small-town corner pizza joint, but don't let the nondescript appearance fool you. They make good pizza.
This pie had a medium-thick crust, with a thick, bready cornicione. The edge was a deep brown, and crisp on the outside, while the medium-brown underside was dry to the touch and firm. The interior was pleasantly breadlike. I might've liked a smidgen more salt in the dough, but I like salt more than I should, so my blood pressure's probably better today than it would be otherwise. 
The toppings were tasty and well applied. There was enough sauce to balance out the crust, and to add a touch of tomatoey sweetness. The abundant pepperoni would satisfy any meat lover. And I was happy with the vinegary, mild heat of the peperoncini, which played off the slight crunch and flavor of the chopped onions.
I don't often eat wings, but again on Dennis's recommendation, I got a small order of breaded, plain wings with a side of "insanely" hot sauce, along with a side of mild Buffalo sauce for my less-heat-tolerant wife and daughter. I usually like my wings doused in sauce, but I have to admit that the plain wings were nice and crisp, with no grease. The insanely hot sauce was indeed fiery, but tolerable, at least to my palate. And the wings were reasonably sized, not scrawny.
So my thanks again to Dennis Litzenberger, who, I might add, is a co-owner of a local hot sauce company. You can find Tongue Puncher sauce at a number of Rochester-area establishments - click on the link to see where. (I should also add that he didn't ask me to mention that. That was my idea.) I haven't tried it, but I'll keep an eye out for it.
As I mentioned, Holley is a little out of the way for me, but I would like to go back to Dustin's to try another pie, perhaps a specialty pie or a different crust, thick or thin. But it would be hard to top this one, which was a very fine example of WNY style pizza, with a bread-like crust and abundant but well-balanced, flavorful toppings.

Dustin's Pizzeria, 50 Public Square, Holley
(585) 638-5440

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

Woody's Deli, Le Roy

I needed to pick up a pizza recently for dinner, so I took the opportunity to stop at Woody's Deli in LeRoy.
For a small town (pop. 7641, as of 2010), LeRoy has a lot of pizza place, per capita.
I got a large pepperoni pie, with green peppers and onions on half. As is typical of some pies in this area, particularly to our west, it had been given a square cut.
The crust was on the thick side, with an almost grilled appearance underneath, but it was dry to the touch. The pan in which it was baked must've been ridged.
The crust was crisp underneath, and had a bready interior. There was a bit of surface oil, but that's all. The outer edge was well browned, with a good surface crunch.
The pie was covered with a well-balanced blend of toppings, including a mildly sweet tomato sauce, well melted mozzarella, and thin slices of pepperoni. The veggies were cooked enough to accentuate their flavor, but not overdone.
Woody's offers a basic list of pizza toppings, seven specialty pizzas, plus wings, hot and cold subs, tacos, burritos, and pretty much everything you would expect from a local deli. You can see their full menu online.

My overall impression was of a good example of a Rochester/WNY style pizza. A little thick, cheesy, bready, and well balanced. It made for a satisfying family meal.

Woody's Deli, 47 North St., LeRoy, NY 14482

(585) 768-8585

Mon. - Thu. 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Fri. 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Sat. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Sun. noon - 8 p.m.

Friday Feature: Pontillo's, Penfield

In the midst of a recent snowstorm, I stopped by Pontillo's in Penfield. It was open, despite the weather, and I got a cheese slice to go.
I was happy with my slice, which was on the thick side of medium, with a medium-brown underside that was dry to the touch, with a light dusting of cornmeal visible. There were no screen marks, and it had a fresh-bread aroma.
The interior of the dough was nicely breadlike as well: a little chewy, but not dry or tough to chew. It was well complemented by the melted mozzarella and thin layer of tomato sauce, as well as some distinct notes of oregano. All in all, a very satisfying slice of pizza for a cold winter's day.
Afterwards, I spoke on the phone with Jon, the manager at the Penfield Pontillo's. I asked him about the perception - which I've gotten from readers, in addition to my own experience - that some Pontillo's are better than, or at least different from others. He agreed that Pontillo's runs a pretty decentralized organization, but said that from his perspective, that means he can tailor his pizza to his customers. I can see his point, and I guess that's both a weakness and a strength. The more you tailor your pizza to suit local tastes, the less the brand name means. But it seems to be working for this link in the loosely-knit Pontillo's chain, as there's been a Pontillo's in Penfield for three decades, and fifteen years in this particular location. And I have to say again, this was good pizza. So if this is tailored to local tastes, then the locals must know their pizza.
Jon himself has been there for about as long as the pizzeria itself, so that continuity doesn't hurt either. Nor does the fact that the dough is made fresh daily, onsite. This is not stuff that's been shipped in from some central bakery in Indiana.
Pontillo's does more than just pizza, but they keep it pretty simple:  pizza, wings, subs. And a single order of wings here still means a dozen, not ten, as at so many other places these days. For pizza, I'd go with their regular crust, since they do it so well, but they also offer a thin crust option.
If you live in the area, or are out that way, there are plenty of pizzerias to pick from, but Pontillo's is a good one. But why not see for yourself? I have two $25 gift cards to give away to two lucky readers. I'll do a separate blog post for the giveaway - here's the link - but whether you enter or not, Pontillo's in Penfield is well worth a stop.

Pontillo's, 1811 Penfield Rd., Penfield

(585) 385-4848
Store Hours:
Mon-Thu 10AM-11PM
Fri-Sat 10AM-12AM
Sunday 12PM-10PM

Gallo's slice

I first wrote about Gallo's, a pizzeria in Greece, back in 2009, giving a B-minus to my two pepperoni slices.
I later reviewed Gallo's Old World Style Pizza, giving it an A-minus for its take on an old-school version of local pizza, before the current norm of processed mozzarella and sliced pepperoni. And I enjoyed an interesting conversation with owner John Gallo, who's probably forgotten more about pizza than I'll ever know.
I've meant to go back to try one of Gallo's gourmet pizzas, but as too often happens, I simply haven't gotten around to it. But as I found myself in the neighborhood the other day, I was able to stop in for a lunchtime slice.
The slice measured 9 inches along one side and 10 on the other (the pie was obviously cut a little off center), so I'm guessing it came from an 18-inch pie. The crust was thin to medium thick, with a golden brown underside that was firm and crisscrossed by screen marks.
Along the outer edge, the crust was crisp and bready, and formed into a narrow, moderately thick lip. The dough had a faint touch of sweetness, like a tasty loaf of Italian bread. This was one of those slices where the cornicione is the best part, as that's where I could best appreciate the subtle qualities of this dough.
I was put off a bit, though, by the grease factor. I've been criticized before about using the term "grease" instead of "oil," I would call this grease, in the sense that most of it, I think, was melted fat from the pepperoni. I know you'll always have some grease when there's a fatty meat topping on a pizza, and a little grease can actually be a good thing, but there was enough here that I turned the slice upside down onto its paper plate, which collected a fair amount of orange-colored liquid.
As for the other components, this was a pretty well balanced slice, with a slightly herbal sauce and a uniform layer of melted mozzarella (which could've been an additional source of the oil/grease, but I'm guessing most of it came from the pepperoni). I had no complaints about the cheese, but it was rather nondescript and unremarkable, with a texture that was between chewy and stringy.
Despite the grease factor, I did like this slice. The number one factor for me remains the crust, and this was a pretty good, if not great crust, with fundamentally good dough. But it lacked crispness underneath, the cheese didn't wow me, and the grease was rather off-putting. As much as I liked the outer edge, I have to rate the whole slice, not just part of it. This slice exemplified some of the better characteristics of Rochester-style pizza, but also some of the potential pitfalls, and so I'll give it a C.
Gallo's, 1064 Stone Rd., Greece 663-5960
Mon. - Thu. 11 - 10, Fri. & Sat. 11 - 11, Sun. noon - 10

Good Guys, Chili Ave.

I was surprised to discover that my most recent review of Good Guys on Chili Ave. was back in May 2009.
I would've sworn that I'd reviewed it since then. Maybe I was thinking of my review of Good Guys' short-lived second location on Ridgeway Avenue in Greece (now the site of Pizzeria 5).
So certainly it was high time to get back to Good Guys, and to try a full pie from there.
Like a lot of pizzerias, Good Guys offers crusts of varying thickness, thin, thick and "regular." I ordered a regular crust, with half pepperoni and half sweet peppers.
The crust was on the thin side of medium, with a dry underside that displayed some blistery charring underneath. A little flour adhered to the crust, but not enough to detract from what was a pretty good crust. A bit of raw flour was visible in some cracks on the bottom, but it wasn't a major defect.
It was firm enough that an individual slice could be held horizontally, without the tip flopping. The underside was also fairly crisp, on the outside, but with some chew inside. A crunchy edge rounded things out nicely.
The components were also well balanced, with a moderate amount of sauce, melted mozzarella, and a background of herbs. The sauce was neither particularly acidic, salty, nor sweet, but rather a straightforward, tomatoey flavor, and the sauce and cheese nicely complemented the crust. The additional toppings were also fine, although I regretted forgetting to ask for cup-and-char pepperoni, which is available here.
I can best describe this as Rochester style pizza, with some characteristics of New York style. It was a little thinner and crisper than a typical Rochester pizza, but thicker and heavier than classic New York pizza.
All in all, a very good pizza. A little tough to grade - very good, with no particular defects, yet it wasn't so clearly head and shoulders above other pizza in the area as to warrant an A. I've stopped trying to fine-tune my grades with pluses and minuses, so I'm going to go with a B on this one, which is still a good grade. But one or two more fine pies from Good Guys may persuade me to bump them up. I look forward to going back.
Good Guys Pizza, 3313 Chili Avenue #2 14624
(585) 889-2940
Sun. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

2 Ton Tony's Spencerport (CLOSED)

NOTE: this establishment is now closed (the original in Irondequoit remains very much open).
I mentioned the other day on my Facebook page that I had stopped by 2 Ton Tony's new place in Spencerport. It's in the former location of Lecesse's, which made pretty good pizza, but which went out of business within the past year.
I got one of the "2 Ton" slices, a bargain at just $3 for a slice (cut in two, down the middle) that I'd say represented about one eighth of a 26-inch pie.
The underside bore some screen marks, which I'm generally not thrilled to see, but the flaw that I often find with screen-baked pizzas - a soft crust - wasn't present here. This thin to medium-thick crust was well charred, but not burnt, with some crackling on the surface of the underside. It showed that good, crisp pizza can be achieved even with a screen.
Part of that may be due to the ovens here. Tony has made a lot of changes to the interior of the place, giving it a cleaner, brighter look than before, but the ovens are the same Bakers Pride y600 units that were there earlier. These are not necessarily better, but they are different, from the Blodgett 1048 ovens at 2TT's Irondequoit shop. Tony described the Spencerport ovens as very efficient, and they result in a pizza with a crisp underside, without overcooking the toppings. The cup 'n' char pepperoni was nicely done, with crisp edges and small pools of grease in each one, which is as they should be. (If you don't care for the grease, it's easier to mop it up from the cup 'n' char pepperoni than to have it spread all over the surface of the pizza, as it tends to do with "regular," thin-sliced pepperoni.)
While this oversized slice groaned under the weight of the toppings, it was not a case study in excess, and was surprisingly well balanced. I'm not talking about it's center of gravity, but to the proportion among the components. The toppings were generous but not overdone, and the crust, sauce, cheese and pepperoni were all in equilibrium. The sauce had a slow-cooked tomato flavor, with a hint of "Italian" herbs, and the mozzarella was nicely melted, with just the faintest touch of browning. The thin cornicione was nice and crunchy.
Tony told me that the response from the local community has been very good so far. I know that any new establishment can expect a relative boom early on, due to the novelty and curiosity factors, but I think 2 Ton Tony's will continue to do well here. They've got plenty of nearby competition, including Cam's and Pontillo's, but then again 2 Ton Tony's has already proven itself in the pizza hotspot in the vicinity of Hudson and Titus Avenues in Irondequoit.
In addition to its wide variety of pizzas, 2 Ton Tony's offers hot subs (no cold subs), wings, salads, and various sides. Then there's what is perhaps the most daunting gastronomic feat in Rochester, the 2 Ton Challenge, which dares two people to eat 10 pounds of pizza in under 45 minutes. If you succeed, you and your teammate will each get your picture on the wall, and receive a t-shirt and a certificate good for a free large pizza. That's one gauntlet I will not be picking up, though you have my admiration, or at least astonishment, if you meet the challenge.
I have long liked 2 Ton Tony's pizza, which fits well within the "Rochester style" genre, which to me means with a little more of everything, compared to a classic thin-crust pie, but well balanced at the same time. This slice met that standard, with some extra crispness underneath, and toppings that hit the mark too - crisp-edged pepperoni, good-quality, nicely melted mozzarella, and enough sauce to add flavor and moisture. While this 2-Ton slice was a virtual meal in itself, I'm looking forward to going back for a full pie. But on the strength of this visit, I'm giving it an A rating.
2 Ton Tony's, 42 Nichols St., Spencerport, 349-2222
Mon. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sun. noon - 9 p.m.

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.

Ferarra's: Pepperoni Pie

NOTE:  This establishment is now closed.
As I've explained before, I was happy earlier this year to learn of the opening of Ferrara's on Spencerport Road in Gates, because I well remember going to its predecessor of the same name on Titus Avenue back around 1990. It was there that I first tried a Margherita pizza, and it was love at first bite.
That establishment closed years ago, and since then I thought that all I had left of it was my fond memories. So to find out that Ferrara's had been reborn in Gates was truly exciting news for me.
Since its reopening earlier this year, I've published posts about Ferrara's Margherita and potato pizzas. Recently I went back yet again, for a simple half-pepperoni pie, but this also gave me the chance to speak for a few minutes with Jimmy, the owner.
I learned from him that Ferrara's was in business for 23 years in Irondequoit, and that it was founded, owned and run by Jimmy's brother Angelo. Their parents moved here from Sicily, where Angelo was born - Jimmy was the first, and only child born in the States. (Methinks I see a research topic here - how many local pizzerias are run or were started by Italian immigrants?) Angelo started off here as a barber - another venerable Italian-American profession (next good question - why does barbering seem to be such a peculiarly Italian trade?) but eventually got into the pizza business, fortunately. I appreciate a good barber, but with all due respect to barbers, a good pizzeria, for me, is to be treasured.
I always wondered why a pizzeria as good as Ferrara's closed, and the simple explanation is that Angelo decided to retire. Pudgies went into that spot for a while, but has since left, and now the space is used by some other, non-pizza-related business.
In the meantime, Jimmy, who spent a number of years in various food-related jobs, most recently as Sam's Club, decided to resurrect Ferarra's. He had been involved in the earlier incarnation, and with Angelo on board as an informal consultant, Ferarra's was reborn, to my great delight.
Now all that wouldn't mean much if the new Ferarra's weren't as good as, or simply were different from, the original. But as faulty as human memory can be, it is, from what I've read, remarkably accurate where our senses of taste and smell are concerned. And as far as I can tell, Ferarra's hasn't missed a beat.
Now as I mentioned, my prior experience with Ferarra's was pretty much limited to their Margheritas; I'm not sure if I ever tried anything else there. But I loved the potato pizza, and this was a winner too.
I don't like to order half-plain, half-topping pizzas, because often either the topping half don't get cooked enough, or the cheese half gets overcooked, but when you're feeding a family you sometimes have to make compromises. But this was pretty good, with thin sliced pepperoni that was just a little crisp along the edges, and cheese that was just slightly browned. High marks also for the non-greasy pepperoni.
The crust was on the thick side, with a dry, somewhat floury bottom. It was very bready, and a little crisp along the edge. A thick bed of mozzarella lay atop a sweetish layer of sauce, which had a cooked-tomato flavor. The toppings and crust were well balanced.
This was, for me, not quite the standout that Ferarra's Margherita or potato pizzas are, but that's no knock on this pizza - given its style and toppings, it simply falls more within the mainstream of American pizza, whereas the other two are more distinctive and unusual.
But for what it was, this was very good pizza, in what to me is the classic Rochester style - somewhat thick, with generous helpings of cheese and sauce, and square cut (not that the cut affects the flavor, but it just seems to me that most traditional pizza around here is cut into squares, rather than pie wedges). And most importantly, the crust was spot on, for this style - not greasy, just a little crisp, with a bready interior. This pie was a fine example of this local or regional style, and was well above average generally for local pizza, so I'm giving it a B+.
Ferarra's Pizza, 485 Spencerport Rd. 14606  247-6777
Tue. - Thu. 4 p.m. - 9 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 4 p.m. - 11 p.m., Sun. 4 p.m. - 9 p.m. Closed Mondays.

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.

Pizza Shack #1, Spencerport

Nearly a year ago, I did a post on Pizza Shack #1 (sometimes spelled Pizza Shack I) in Spencerport. I thought it was OK, but not great, with a crust that was decent but quite pale underneath, and I gave it a C+.
That sparked a couple of responses insisting that I was way off base, and that Pizza Shack rates far better than a C+, so I vowed to go back.
It's taken nearly a year, but back I went last week. Instead of getting a couple of slices at lunchtime, as on my previous visit, this time I picked up a large pie for dinner. I got peppers and onions on half.
The crust was on the thick side of medium, and the square-cut pieces were firm along the outside, though the pie was thinner, and the slices floppier, toward the center. The outer pieces averaged about 5/8 inch thick.
The edge was thick and crunchy, and the underside was well browned and dry to the touch. The crust throughout was pleasantly bready, and the dough appeared to have risen nicely, giving it a good, chewy texture and no oversize bubbles anywhere.
The crust was topped with a healthy dose of sauce, which had a salty/acidic, tomatoey flavor that was lightly seasoned with herbs. The mozzarella was added in good proportion to the sauce, and as is typical of pizzas with additional toppings on half, the cheese-only side was somewhat browned. 
This was quite a change from the slices I got here last December, and quite an improvement, in my opinion. I suspect that the 12-month span in between was not as much of a factor as the 5- or 6-hour difference in the time of day when I ordered these. Last time, maybe the ovens weren't quite hot enough, or maybe the pizzaiolo was in a hurry to get the pie out of the oven to accommodate lunchtime customers, but the pie I got this time around was better baked, which made a lot of difference. The texture was better, the flavor was better, and the other components seemed to meld together better.
This was also a good example of what I think of as Rochester style pizza. A bit thick, plenty of sauce and cheese, but well balanced, with a bready crust that's typically given a square cut. It didn't stand head and shoulders above the crowd, perhaps, but it was a very solid representative of the local style, and I'll give it a B+.
Pizza Shack #1, 5008 Ridge Road West, Spencerport, 14559. 352-5005
Sun. - Thu. 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 10:30 a.m. - 1 a.m.
Delivery to Spencerport, Hilton, and West Greece.

Fullerino's, Byron

Following in the footsteps of our pioneer forefathers, I've been pushing the western boundary of my pizza travels lately, in search of new discoveries. My latest venture took me to Byron, which sits about halfway between Brockport and Batavia.
The town of Byron is mostly agricultural, but at the crossroads of Routes 262 and 237, you'll find the essentials:  the fire hall, church, garage, tavern, and, yes, pizzeria. Fullerino's occupies the northeast corner of the intersection, with a taxidermy sign out near the curb and locals looking on from the porch of the 160-year-old Byron Hotel across the street.
I ordered a large pie from Fullerino's, half pepperoni. I was asked if I wanted regular or sweet sauce, and after a moment of indecision, went with regular, though I'm told that the sweet sauce - which I guess is regular sauce with added white and brown sugar - is pretty popular. Sweet sauce seems to be something of a local phenomenon, as I've also seen it (and tried it) at Ralph & Rosie's in nearby Bergen.
This pizza was based on a thin-to-medium crust, which had a dry, screen-baked bottom that was not as crisp as I would've liked. The crust was reasonably bready on the inside, with a narrow, crisp and crunchy edge.
On top, the cheese was well baked and browned, to the point of being a tad overdone on the cheese-only side (in fairness, I've found that ordering extra toppings like pepperoni on only half the pie generally results in browned cheese on the other half, since the half with the extra toppings requires a little more baking time). The cheese separated easily from the crust, although the pizza did spend maybe 20 to 30 minutes in the box (in an insulated pizza bag) before I got it home, so the cheese might've congealed and hardened a bit in that time.
Between the crust and the cheese lay the sauce, which had a thick consistency and a slightly salty, concentrated tomatoey flavor. The pepperoni was tasty, with a baconlike flavor and crisp edges.

Aside from the sweet-sauce option, Fullerino's pizza menu is pretty basic, with the only specialty pizzas being a white pizza and a "Lesonja" pizza, with no less than eight toppings. They also serve chicken wings (breading optional), hot and cold subs, fried seafood, calzones, sides, burgers, and salads. There's limited seating, and they do deliver.
This pizza wasn't bad, and although I wasn't blown away by it, I had no major complaints. I mentioned Ralph & Rosie's, and this did remind me a lot of the pizza I had from there. Like R&R's, this was maybe a cut above average, and I'll give it a C+.
Fullerino's, Corner Rt. 237 and Rt. 262, Byron. 548-2727
Store hours:  Mon. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m., Sun. 1 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Delivery hours:  Wed. & Thu. 5 p.m. - 10 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 5 p.m. - 11 p.m., Sun. 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Rhino's Revisited

Here's another revisit to pick up a pie at a place where I'd previously gotten a slice. This one brings us to Rhino's on Humboldt Street.
Last March, I gave Rhino's a C for a pepperoni slice that was OK but no better than average. Not long ago, I went back, this time getting a small pie with sausage. (I'm starting to like sausage on my pizza - I think there's more variability with sausage compared to pepperoni, perhaps because some places make their own, or maybe I'm just not as used to it as I am to pepperoni).
On that note, I'll break with my usual format here and start with the sausage. This was mildly spicy, and meaty but not greasy or gristly. Good sausage.
Rhino's menu notes that you can order your crust thin, thick or regular. My "regular" crust measured about a half to three quarters of an inch, with the cheese, which adhered well to the crust, making it difficult to tell where the crust ended and the cheese began. The underside was dry to the touch, and not exactly charred, but nicely darkened, showing good, high, conductive heat from the oven. Topside, the crust had bubbled in a number of spots, though not to such an extent as to detract from the pizza as a whole.
The sauce was amply applied, and had a medium-thick consistency. There were some dried herbs visible throughout the sauce, and they made themselves known on the palate as well, with an occasional burst of oregano or basil that imparted an almost minty counterpart to the overall tomatoey flavor of the sauce.
The moderately applied cheese had melted nicely, settling in around the bubbles in the crust, giving them the appearance of tiny islands poking up out of a mozzarella sea.
Each slice ended in a fairly thick, bready lip. It was a tad softer than I'd expected, suggesting perhaps a light brushing with oil before going into the oven, or maybe it was just that it stayed moist from the sauce, which was applied nearly to the edge of the pie. But it was nicely risen and had a pleasant, breadlike flavor and texture.
As I mentioned the other day, sometimes there is a big difference between getting a slice and getting a fresh pie. It was certainly the case here. This pizza was considerably better than the slice I had in March, which was topped with clumps of not-quite-melted shredded cheese and some lifeless pepperoni slices, and which frankly seemed a tad stale. This time around, everything worked, with a good (if not quite great) crust, well melted cheese, full-flavored sauce and meaty chunks of sausage. The only minor downsides were that the crust was not quite as crisp underneath as I like, the bubbles were a slight, mostly cosmetic blemish, and the sauce was maybe a bit too strongly seasoned for my taste. But all in all, this was a solid pizza, and good enough to rate a B+ from me.
Rhino's Pizzeria, 391 Humboldt St., Rochester 14609, 288-7492
Mon. - Thu. 10:30 a.m. - 9 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 10:30 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sun.noon - 8:30 p.m.
(The Webster location at 85 Donovan St. has the same hours, phone is 872-3150.)

Pontillo's, Batavia

My wife and I recently had occasion to travel to Batavia, so while I was there I made a point of stopping by Pontillo's for lunch. This is site of the original Pontillo's, and that makes it one of the oldest pizzerias, in the same location, in Western New York. These days, there is no direct connection between this Pontillo's and any of the Pontillo's that most of us are familiar with in the Rochester area, but that's a whole soap opera unto itself. But in short, the Pontillo's in and around Rochester are part of a loosely knit chain, while the Batavia Pontillo's is a stand-alone location. Some might question whether the Batavia Pontillo's can really claim a direct lineage to the original, but it's the same place at least, and there is one Pontillo brother involved in the Batavia business.
I was curious, then, to see how the pizza here would compare with  what I've had at various Pontillo's in Monroe County. Although I've seen a number of comments to the effect that the pizza varies widely from one Pontillo's location to another, I've found a definite consistency within the Pontillo's chain, in certain respects, particularly with regard to the crust, which tends to have a somewhat charred underside, sometimes nearly black in some areas but browned elsewhere.
We each ordered a small pizza. I ordered a small with "Sicilian sauce," which was supposed to be just crushed tomatoes, garlic, herbs and Romano, but I was given a regular cheese pie instead, with "regular" red sauce. In the waiter's defense, I may have confused him because I first ordered a plain cheese pizza, but then asked for Sicilian sauce. Maybe I should've just ordered a Sicilian to begin with. But on our check, there was no mention of Sicilian anything, so I think the order just went in as a plain cheese pizza.
My wife got a "Siena," which was topped with Gorgonzola, balsamic vinegar, mozzarella, grilled chicken and eggplant.
The crust on both was similar, on the thin side, nice and crisp though not charred underneath at all. The crust on the Siena was a little oily, probably from the toppings, particularly the eggplant, which had been deep fried.
Nonetheless, both undersides had a nice combination of chewiness and crunchiness, and the undersides were lightly dusted with cornmeal. The edge was thick, bready and chewy.
The cheese on my pizza was laid on a bit heavily, and was rather stringy when the still-hot pizza arrived at our table. The cheese contributed not just texture, but a pleasant, mild melted-mozzarella flavor.
The sauce was added in moderation, and had a simple tomatoey flavor, with a few bits here and there of what looked like fresh shredded basil, but they were so tiny that I was unsure if they were fresh or dried. It was a perfectly acceptable sauce, though it left me wondering what the Sicilian would've been like.
Although my wife was a little disappointed that her eggplant was breaded and deep fried (I can't stand eggplant in any form, although deep-fried is probably least offensive to me), she was otherwise was very happy with the pie. It was a little oily, as I mentioned, but the flavor was good. I never would have come up with that particular combination of toppings, but they worked quite well together, especially with the sharp Gorgonzola playing off the sweet acidity of the balsamic vinegar.

As a full-service restaurant, the Batavia Pontillo's has an extensive menu. The takeout menu I grabbed on the way out doesn't mention it, but I'm positive I saw clam pizza on the menu at my table, and there are a handful of other specialty pizzas available. They also offer a range of pasta dishes, salads, soups, subs, wing, and sides, as well as beef on weck, which I also love. The $8.99 lunch buffet includes unlimited salad, soup, pizza, baked ziti, dessert and a non-alcoholic beverage.
Speaking of beverages, there's a bar overlooking the kitchen area, though I don't recall if it's a full bar or just beer and wine. The ample seating is divided between the bar area and the adjoining dining room.
This pizza was certainly different from what I've gotten at Pontillo's in and around Rochester, at least as to the crust, which was not charred underneath. But it was nonetheless crisp and bready, and good enough to polish off the outer crust. The overall flavor on both pizzas was good too, and I'd like to go back sometime to try both the Sicilian and the clam pizzas.
I wonder if any oldtimers out there remember what Pontillo's pizza was like back in the late '40s or '50s. And I'd love to see a menu from the original place back then. I can't tell you who can better claim to represent the pizza of the original Pontillo's, but the Batavia location turns out a very nice pie, indeed, and I'll give it a B+.
Pontillo's Pizzeria Restaurant, 500 E. Main St., Batavia, 343-3333
Sun. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. - midnight