Lucci's, East River Rd.

Lucci's is a relatively new place - new to me, anyway, as I only learned of its existence a few weeks ago - near RIT.  That means that RIT students now have three pizzerias within a short distance of the campus, the other two being Sylvio's and Paradiso (which is actually on campus). And supposedly, RIT's Food Services department is in the process of revamping its own pizza to try to make it more competitive with outside vendors. So in terms of the sheer number of choices, at least, RIT students should consider themselves fortunate, where pizza's concerned.
I grabbed a couple of pepperoni slices recently. They were quite thin, with a screen baked underside that was fairly pale, just a bit sooty, and dry to the touch but not very crisp. The crust had a chewy texture that made it more suitable for tearing off a mouthful at a time, rather than biting cleanly through. It was a pliable crust, though, and the slices were easily foldable.
Topside, both slices were quite greasy, mostly, I assume, from the pepperoni. These were what I'll call “2 napkin” slices, meaning that it took two napkins apiece to sop up the layer of grease on each one.
The sauce was noticeably, though not liberally, applied, and had a slightly sweet flavor. A light dusting of dried herbs was visible, mixed in with the sauce.
The cheese was applied somewhat thinly, though in good balance with the thin crust. There were some bare, cheeseless areas along the outer edge, which was formed into a thin lip. The dough had bubbled in a couple of spots along the edge, creating some large pockets of air.
Lucci's available pizza toppings are pretty basic, but they do offer seven specialty pizzas, including a "monster" (essentially a garbage plate pizza) and what they call a Sicilian, which is described as topped with Italian olives, mushrooms, hot peppers and cheese. Sounds good (except for the mushrooms - I don't like mushrooms), but can we get a definition of "Sicilian" pizza? I've seen all sorts of pizzas around here going by the name Sicilian, that don't fit the profile of what I always thought of as Sicilian pizza.
The non-pizza part of the menu includes wings, hot and cold subs, burgers, hots, chicken dinners, seafood and fish, pasta, "plates," salads, soup, sides, and a few breakfast items (including breakfast pizza) as well. And since it's in a convenience store, you can also pick up basic groceries, beer, tobacco, and of course Lotto tickets.
As far as the pizza's concerned, this was not bad, not great. All three of the basic components - crust, sauce and cheese - were well integrated with each other, and generally it tasted pretty good. But the crust seemed a bit undercooked and lacking in crispness. It may have been the first pizza of the day when I went there, and sometimes that can be tricky because the ovens may not be quite up to full temp, I don't know.
Based on my limited experience, if I were on campus and wanted pizza, I might go to Lucci's, especially if I wanted to pick up some other stuff too. For a convenient, decent NY style slice, I'd probably walk over to Paradiso, and if I wanted a monster slice or to go somewhere with a bar, I'd head to Sylvio's. Now let's wait and see what RIT Food Services can come up with. In the meantime, Lucci's gets a C+ from me.
Lucci’s Pizza & Grill, 3289 East River Rd. 292-6780
Mon. - Fri. 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m., Sat. 9:00 a.m.- 10:00 p.m., Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Amy Rose Revisited

My review of Amy Rose in Scottsville, in which I gave it a C- grade for a couple of slices that didn’t much impress me, prompted some criticism from a reader, who strongly suggested that I go back and try a full pie. So I did.
This was just for me, not to feed my family, so I only ordered a small cheese pie. It had a medium to thick crust that measured, on average, about a quarter inch thick. The browned underside was firm but not crisp. There was quite a bit of oil soaked into the cardboard box, though the underside of the pizza itself did not seem greasy.
The crust had a chewy, bready interior, with a very slight sweetness. The edge was thick and bready, with a bit of toasty flavor and exterior crispness, which I attributed partly to the shreds of browned cheese attached to it.
The sauce was applied a little thickly, but in good balance with, and proportionate to, the crust. It had a tangy, salty flavor, with just a hint of herbs in the background. The sauce was thick-textured, like a well-cooked red pasta sauce.
The cheese, which had been applied or gathered to the center of the pie, formed a single layer and was slightly browned, something like the layer of cheese you typically get on French onion soup. In some spots, it was nearly as thick as the crust. Particularly as it cooled, it easily separated from the crust.
I won’t bother running through the rest of Amy Rose’s menu - which I mentioned on my prior post, and which you can see on their website - other than to note that they serve Hershey’s ice cream, which you don’t see around here all that much (and which is not affiliated with the chocolate maker of the same name, by the way).
I did like this better than the slices I got last time, though I still can’t count it among my favorites. It was well balanced and well made, but the crust didn’t thrill me. It was OK - nothing wrong with it - but it didn’t quite have that heady aroma of freshly baked bread and the crisp bite that I look for in my pizza. And the toppings were all right, but not outstanding in any way.
But I had no major complaints about this pizza, and it tasted fine. So I’ll give it a just-above average C+. That probably won’t satisfy my reader-critic (who, I might note, based some of his rave review of Amy Rose on their getting a large order right, and on the sheer quantity of food that he and his family got for their money delivered, none of which I doubt, but all of which is irrelevant to this review).
As I’ve said all along, though, while I try to be as objective as I can in describing the pizza, the grades are inevitably subjective, although I try to stay reasonably consistent. And for me, this was, well, a little better than average, but not a lot. So again, a C+ seems about right.

JTB's, West Henrietta

OK, my notes on this one have been sitting around for a good month now, so it’s time I finished it. JTB’s has the distinction of being, as far as I know, the only pizzeria in Monroe County on the grounds of a golf course. It’s at the Riverton Golf Club, which is about a mile east of Scottsvillle on Rt. 253.
I got a large, half-pepperoni pizza from JTB’s back around Thanksgiving. The crust was on the thin side of medium, except for the thick outer lip. The underside was pretty pale, with a few darker areas here and there, and just a bit of oven soot. It was dotted with pin pricks, which I assume are meant to prevent the dough from bubbling up.
That probably wasn’t very likely to happen here in any event. The dough here didn’t seem to have risen very much, was rather dense, and had an overly chewy texture. It was not overly soft, but not especially crisp either, and the bottom had a slightly oil feel. The lip was well browned and crunchy.
There wasn’t much sauce on this pizza, but from what I could tell, it had a mild, slightly acidic flavor with some faint herbal overtones. The pizza was relatively heavy on the cheese - straight mozzarella, I think - and the wide and thin slices of pepperoni were nicely crisp along the edges.
JTB’s has the usual list of pizza toppings, and a handful of specialty pizzas. They also offer wings, hot and cold subs, calzones, wraps (“wrappers” on the menu), quesadillas, grilled items, fish fry, and “trasher” plates.
JTB’s is in the Riverton clubhouse, the interior of which is dominated by a large, wraparound bar. It’s an attractive space, with high ceilings and natural wood giving it a vaguely rustic feel. On my late November, late afternoon visit there were just a couple of people at the bar but I imagine you’ll find it more crowded during golf season. JTB’s also delivers for lunch and dinner, to a “limited delivery area.” (Are there any pizzerias that have unlimited delivery areas, by the way?)
This wasn’t bad pizza, but it was nothing special. The biggest problem was the crust. The dough simply hadn’t risen enough, and it lacked any bready qualities. And a pizza is only as good as its crust, so I’m going to have to put this one at a just-below average C-.
JTB’s Pizza ’n’ Grill, 514 Scottsville-Henrietta Rd. (Rt. 253), at Riverton Golf Club. 334-8433
Open year round for lunch and dinner.

Amy Rose, Scottsville

Today we head south to Main Street, Scottsville. Not too long ago, the chief dining attraction here would’ve been the Oatka Steak & Seafood restaurant. Named for the nearby creek, it started out as a tavern and inn in the early 19th century. Sadly, the Oatka went out of business a couple of years ago or so. It would be nice to see it reopen.
Until then, you can still grab a slice of pizza, as I recently did, at Amy Rose Pizza, just a few doors away.
These being normal size, not “mega” slices, I got two, one cheese, one pepperoni. They were fairly heavy slices, with a medium thick crust and a soft-textured, light brown underside. The crust was quite dense, and didn’t seem to have risen much, as there were no real air pockets visible.
The cheese on the cheese slice was very well browned, and had congealed into a single, unitary layer. The sauce seemed to be pretty much MIA here, although I thought I detected a slightly sweet flavor in there somewhere. Maybe it was my imagination, but either the sauce or just the slice as a whole seemed to have picked up some of the flavor of that day’s “gourmet” pizza, which was a pulled-pork pizza. They had been sitting on racks in the same enclosed pizza warmer, so it’s not inconceivable, I guess.
The pepperoni slice was quite generously topped with thin, mildly flavored slices of pepperoni. The outer lip of both slices was a bit tough and chewy.
Amy Rose has a long list of pizza toppings, as well as 14 varieties of the aforementioned gourmet pizza. That includes a stuffed pizza and a deep dish pizza, but you can also order a regular pizza with thin or thick crust, and one of four sauces - red, white garlic, pink or pesto. In short, there’s a pizza for everybody here.
Amy Rose also offers wings (described as “jumbo”), calzones, fish fry every day, hot and cold subs, burgers, dogs, soup, salad, sides and desserts as well. If that’s not enough, they serve Hershey’s ice cream (not sure if that’s a seasonal thing or not), cappuccino and chai tea. There’s some seating available, and Amy Rose also delivers all day.
It’s a good menu, certainly, and Amy Rose deserves commendation for a commitment to making its sauce, dough and rolls fresh and on-site. I wouldn’t mind coming back to try a specialty pizza or to take out a pie. But on this occasion, the slices I got didn’t impress me too much. The flavor wasn’t bad, but I have to deduct some points for the dense crust and the overly browned cheese. I also found them a bit out of balance, with the sauce barely noticeable between the chewy cheese and the crust. Next time I’m in the area, I’ll give Amy Rose another try, but for now I’ll give it a C-.
Amy Rose Pizza, 11 Main St., Scottsville 889-7590
Mon. - Thu. 9 a.m. - 10 p.m., Fri. 9 a.m. - 11 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 11 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Sylvio's, Scottsville Road

Sylvio's is on Scottsville Road, about a quarter mile south of Jefferson Road. It shares a building, and in fact is physically connected to, the Lex South Sports Bar. (The bar could probably drop the “South” modifier, as the original Lex bar on Lexington Avenue is now operating under a different name.)
I stopped around lunchtime for a “monster” slice, which lived up to its name. It was truly enormous, and required two hands to eat it. I’d guess it measured a good foot along the sides.
Interestingly, my pepperoni slice was taken from a pizza that had apparently been par-baked with just cheese, to which some pepperoni slices were added, and the whole thing was put back into the oven for several minutes to finish baking.
Sylvio’s menu proclaims that they offer “brick oven pizza,” and perhaps they do use a brick oven - I should start paying more attention to the ovens at these places - but if so, they don’t seem to be taking full advantage of it. Upon emerging, my slice was still quite pale underneath, and seemed a bit underdone to me. I suppose I should’ve given it a look and asked for it to be put back into the oven, so I’ll take some of the blame there. It had also been screen baked, though, which again kind of defeats the purpose of using a brick oven, and it had a doughy, rather than bready, aroma.
The crust was fairly thin, or at least it seemed thin relative to its overall size.The lip, though, did have some crispness and breadiness. Overall, it was like slightly undercooked, but good, bread dough.
The crust was topped with a thick, concentrated, slightly sweet/herbal sauce. It was on the cheesy side, but the cheese really took a back seat here to the sauce, as well as to the cup and char pepperoni, which had good flavor. The pepperoni was nicely crisped along the edges but not burnt, though it did add a lot of grease to the slice.
Sylvio’s has a handful of specialty pizzas on the menu, and any pizza can be ordered thick or thin as you prefer. They also have “jumbo” wings (and quite a few wing sauces, including the curiously named “Boom Boom” sauce), hot and cold subs, burgers, hots, “plates,” Italian and seafood dinners, “Italian style” tripe soup, chili, and various munchies. There’s a dessert case as well, although it was empty on my visit.
Sylvio’s is also clearly proud of its homemade Italian sausage. Had I spotted that sooner I would’ve asked for that on my pizza instead of the pepperoni, not that I’m complaining about the latter.
There are a couple of tall tables inside, and some outdoor seating as well. And as I mentioned, the pizzeria is connected by an interior door to the bar next door, and I presume that it’s OK to take your food into the bar. The service was friendly, if a bit automatic; every request I made was met with a reflexive “you got it.”
This was, on the whole, some pretty good pizza, particularly for a “monster” slice, which all too often are more about quantity than quality. But it had its shortcomings, too, particularly its lack of doneness. Again, I could certainly have asked that it be baked longer, but even if I had, I don’t think this would’ve had a truly great crust. All in all, then, this was not world-class pizza, but it certainly wasn’t bad, and I’ll give it a B-.
Sylvio’s Pizza and Catering, 1761 Scottsville Rd. 436-6390
Mon. - Sat. 10 a.m. - midnight, Sun. noon - 10 p.m.