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.

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.

Little Louie's Spencerport: Chicken Artichoke Pizza

Last August, I posted a review of Little Louie's in Spencerport. I gave a C+ to their large (half sheet) pizza, which I found "pretty enjoyable," but a bit undercooked for my taste.
Sheet pizzas tend to differ so much from pies, however, that I wanted to make it back to Little Louie's sometime to try one of their pies, which come in small and medium sizes only. So not long ago, I picked up a medium, pie-style cheese pizza from LL, as well as one of their specialty pies, topped with chicken and artichokes.

Starting with the latter, the underside of the chicken artichoke pie's medium-thick crust was more of a golden brown than charred, but it was nice and crisp nonetheless. The pizza had an overall garlicky aroma, which seemed more redolent of garlic powder than of fresh garlic.
Contrary to the description in the menu, I didn't see any "white sauce" on this pizza. I think it was likely brushed or drizzled with olive oil before the cheese was applied.
The toppings worked well together, with a layer of melted, stringy mozzarella as a base for the chunks of chicken, artichoke and tomatoes. The unbreaded chicken didn't add a tremendous amount of flavor to the pie, but these toppings were on the whole characterized by relatively subtle flavors, so a light touch with the seasonings was probably called for here. The overall flavor was marked by a certain tanginess from the artichokes. My only complaint as far as the toppings are concerned was that several of the artichoke bits contained the hard outer leaves, rather than just the softer hearts, and by the time I was done I had a small pile of chewed-up artichoke leaves on my plate.
The cheese in some spots reached nearly to the edge of this pizza, while in others it was a good couple of inches away. The edge was reasonably pleasant on its own, though, with an airy, chewy interior.
Like the chicken artichoke pizza, the cheese pie was topped with a thick, stringy layer of well-melted mozzarella, with just the faintest hints of browning. I've noticed that Little Louie's cheese tends to be soft-textured and stringy, as opposed to the more oily/chewy/congealed cheese you get on a lot of pizzas.
Underneath, this pie's crust was noticeably softer and paler than the chicken artichoke pie's. For whatever reason, there were also some visible creases in the dough underneath, as if had folded a bit or hadn't quite lay flat while baking.
What also distinguished this pie from the chicken artichoke pizza, of course, was the addition of red sauce. This sauce was marked by a very tomatoey flavor. It was not especially sweet, salty, or heavily seasoned, but instead had a bright, prominent flavor of tomatoes.
Both the sauce and cheese were plentiful on this pizza, though both were in balance with each other, and the crust was substantial enough to stand up to both, without being overwhelmed by them.
The crust on both these pizzas was pretty good, although I wouldn't call it especially bready. But it had a pleasing flavor, and a nice, chewy texture. All in all, these were good pizzas, and while they didn't exactly wow me, I thought they were better than average, so I'll give them both a B.
Little Louie's Pizzeria, 1835 N. Union St., Spencerport. 349-3393
Mon. - Sat. 10:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m., Sun. noon - 9:00 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.

Krony's Spencerport: pepperoni and sausage pie

Lately I've been catching up on some places I visited previously for a slice or two, and going back to try a full pie. One of those is Krony's in Spencerport. Last January, I gave them a B based on a pepperoni slice and a cheese slice. Recently I went back and got a large pie with pepperoni and sausage.
The crust on this pie was pretty thin, with a dark brown, dry underside. It was just faintly charred and had a bit of exterior crunch. The slices were rather floppy, but that was partly because this pie had been cut into 12 slices, resulting in relatively narrow slices; wider slices, I think, tend not to be as floppy because you can bend or fold them a little in the middle, which gives the slice a little more rigidity.
These slices were also weighted down a little by the toppings, which were generously applied. This pizza was rather saucy, with a medium-thick, tomatoey sauce. I wouldn't call it a sweet sauce, but it wasn't as sharply tangy as some, so there may have been a little sugar in there to take the edge off the acidity of the tomatoes.
The mozzarella was applied in good balance with the sauce, forming a nearly uniform blanket of stringy, well-melted cheese. The pepperoni and sausage were not particularly remarkable, though again, they were quite generously applied, covering every square inch of the pizza's surface.
Only the outer edge of this pizza was thick enough to really get much of a sense of the crust's flavor and texture. It was crunchy, with a pleasant, white-bread flavor. Although I'm mostly a thin-crust guy, I think I actually would've preferred a slightly thicker crust on this pizza, just to stand up to, and balance out the abundant toppings.
Not too much has changed since my prior visit to Krony's. I'll direct you to their website for a look at their menu. One thing I will mention is that they're one of the few pizzerias I've seen serving draft beer, and although there are only a handful of taps, they included Rohrbach Scotch Ale and Sam Adams Octoberfest.
At some pizzerias, ordering by the slice is the way to go. For example, although many of the more famous New York City pizzerias only sell whole pies, I've always thought that your average New York style pizza improves when it's put back in the oven for reheating. It comes out crisper that way.
And at some pizzerias, it's best to get a fresh pie. I think Krony's may be one such place. Although the slices I got last time were OK, this pie was better. That may have something to do with the relatively heavy toppings, which are best eaten fresh out of the oven, while the cheese is still gooey, and before the sauce has had a chance to dry out or seep into the crust. So I'm bumping this one up a notch over last time, and giving it a B+.
Krony’s Pizza Etc., 2139 N. Union St., Spencerport 14559 (in Barefoot Landing Plaza, next to Pineway Ponds Park) 352-1199 Mon. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 11 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. (closes at 10 p.m. Mon. - Thu. in winter) Hamlin location: 500 Hamlin-Clarkson Townline Rd. 964-7111

Cimino's, Spencerport - CLOSED

Pizza Guy Note: Cimino's is no longer in business.
As I’ve said before, I’m never sure if it’s a good idea to go to a place right after it’s opened, but sometimes curiosity gets the better of me. Such was the case last week when I visited Cimino’s Pizzeria & Birdland, which is in the Village Plaza in Spencerport, in a space that until recently was home to Cordello’s.
I picked up a plain cheese pie on a late Friday afternoon. Calling a brand new pizzeria on a Friday after work is asking for trouble, but to their credit there were no mistakes with my order. It took 10 or 15 minutes longer than predicted, but they were extremely busy and I considered that negligible.
The pizza had a medium thick crust, with a dry, nearly charred underside that was firm and slightly crisp. It was not especially airy inside, but not dense either, and had a pleasant flavor and chewiness. The edge was somewhat thick, a little crunchy, and enjoyable if not particularly bready.
This was a pretty saucy pizza. The sauce was generously applied, and had a slightly sweet flavor with some herbal notes. It was not very salty or acidic, compared with others that I’ve had, and it had a medium consistency, neither watery or oily, nor cooked-down.
The cheese was a bit browned, but not dried out, and had a nice, melted texture. It seemed to be all mozzarella. It was moderately applied, in good proportion to the other components as far as I was concerned, though cheese lovers might want to ask for extra cheese here.
Cimino’s offers five specialty pizzas, plus a “Chicago Style Deep Dish” pie, stuffed pizza, and calzones. There are fifteen available toppings, nothing too exotic. The dough and sauce are made fresh daily.
Chicken also figures prominently on the menu - hence the “birdland” moniker - in the form of wings, chicken fingers, and both fried and baked chicken dinners. They also offer hot and cold subs, burgers, bombers and hots, a couple of pasta dishes, fish fry, and salads. There are four booths, and a TV in the dining area, though on my visit there didn’t seem to be any air conditioning, and I would’ve found it a bit warm to eat there.
This was a pretty good pizza, more or less in the traditional Rochester style, but with a little less cheese and a little more sauce than usual. It was well made and the flavors were good. For a small village, Spencerport has an abundance of pizzerias, but based on this pie, Cimino’s is a welcome addition to the scene. I’ll give it a B.
Cimino’s Pizzeria & Birdland, 47 Slayton Ave. (Village Plaza), Spencerport 352-9800
Mon. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. - midnight, Sun. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Pizzeria Nove, Spencerport - CLOSED

Back in February (as you might guess from the photo) I stopped at Pizzeria Nove in Spencerport, which holds the distinction of being one of the only pizzerias around here that’s in a bowling alley. (There is at least one other that I know of, ZiaMo's in Honeoye Falls). It's located in the same building as Spencerport Bowl, to which it is connected by an interior door and walk-up window.
I’ve known about Pizzeria Nove for some time, but it took me a while to get there, as I never seemed to be able to figure out when it was open. Either they had erratic hours or I was just calling at the wrong time.
I finally succeeded in finding them open on a Saturday afternoon, although it took some doing. I called at about 1 p.m., and got an recording stating that Pizzeria Nove would be closed for the day on the preceding Tuesday due to personal reasons. Figuring that they had simply neglected to update the outgoing message, I called the bowling alley to see if they knew when the pizzeria might be open.
That’s when things got a little strange. The youngish-sounding female employee told me that the guy who runs the pizzeria wouldn’t be in until "after noon." (Again, this was at about 1:00.) The rest of the conversation went something like this:

Me: I’m sorry?
She: He won’t be in until after noon.
Me: Well, it’s 1:00 now.
She: What?
Me: You said he’d be in after noon?
She: Yeah.
Me: But it’s 1:00 right now.
She: Right. He’ll be in after noon.
Me: Uh, OK. Thanks.

And then I hung up.
I never did figure that one out, but a couple hours later I called Pizzeria Nove and the guy was there. Seizing the opportunity, I ordered a large cheese pie.
This pizza had a medium thick, screen baked crust. It was just a little crisp underneath, but a bit gummy at the interface between the crust and the sauce. The crust was rather chewy, making it the kind of crust you tend to tear off with your teeth, more than bite through. The narrow edge, though, did have a nice balance between outer crunch and interior breadiness.
This was a pretty saucy pizza, with a bright-tasting sauce that was more tomatoey than herbal. The browned cheese was moderately applied, with some islands (lakes? ponds?) of sauce poking through.
Pizzeria Nove’s pizza menu offers a variety of choices: red, white or pink sauce; thick, thin or “normal” crust (“regular” might be a better choice of adjective there), as well as deep dish pizza; seventeen available toppings; and ten specialty pizzas. They also serve wings, calzones, burgers and hots, and various sides. The pizzeria itself is strictly takeout and delivery, although you can eat it in the bowling alley if you don’t mind the sound of crashing pins.
There were things I liked about this pizza, and things I didn’t. In spite of the relatively generous helping of sauce, I found this to be a little too crust-dominated. The sauce and cheese seemed nearly overwhelmed by the crust. Probably it would have been better balanced had I ordered a thin crust.
Also, the crust itself was only OK. The dough tasted fine, but the underside was none too crisp, and the interior was too chewy for my liking. The edge wasn’t bad, though, and if the rest of the crust had the same balance of crispness and breadiness as the edge, this could’ve been a rather good pizza. And on the plus side, the flavors as a whole were good, and it was a well made pie, no obvious defects or signs of carelessness, so I’ll give it a C+.
Pizzeria Nove, 45 Nichols St., Spencerport 349-NOVE (6683)
Mon., Tue., Thu. 4 p.m. - 9 p.m., Fri. 4 p.m. - 11 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m., Sun. noon - 6 p.m. Closed Wed.
NOTE: Pizzeria Nove closed at the end of March 2009.

Grandpa Sam's, Spencerport

Grandpa Sam’s is an Italian restaurant in the village of Spencerport. It’s a family-run affair, and while it’s been open for just a few years, there’s a certain family history behind it, as you can read on the back of their menu.
Unlike some Italian restaurants, Grandpa Sam’s serves pizza. I had a Margherita pizza at dinner recently.
This 10-inch pizza had a golden brown underside, which had a little exterior crispness, but not much. The medium thick crust was tasty enough, though like a lot of pizzas I’ve had in restaurants, it was not especially bready. I wondered if the dough had been enriched with shortening of some sort (most likely oil), though I really don’t know if it was. Curiously, the crust was thinnest along the edge - no lip on this one.
The basic Margherita toppings are tomatoes, cheese and basil, for the red, white and green of the Italian flag. The red portion of that triad here was composed of both sauce and chopped fresh Roma tomatoes. For out-of-season tomatoes, these weren’t bad. The sauce, however, got kind of lost between the crust and the cheese, which was laid on rather thickly. It seemed to be all processed mozzarella, and was well melted and stringy. The shredded basil was detectable, but mostly stayed in the background.
Grandpa Sam’s pizza offerings are pretty basic - just the Margherita, a white garlic pizza, and a create-your-own option with nine available toppings. The rest of the menu is quite extensive, however, with pretty much every local Italian favorite represented, from pasta (gluten-free pasta is available) to beef, chicken and seafood. Particularly noteworthy are the eight different ravioli selections, and there are some interesting appetizers too; my arancini (filled, fried rice balls served with marinara sauce) were very flavorful. The dessert case is also worth a look, and I’ll give a thumbs-up to my house-made tiramisu (with salad and bread as well, this was one of the more filling dinners I’ve had lately).
This pizza’s a little bit tough to rate. A lot of the other Margheritas I’ve had have been baked in wood-fired ovens, and I can’t fairly compare this one with them. A better basis for comparison might be other restaurant pizza. I’m still not sure why pizza at a restaurant should be much different from pizzeria pizza, but it usually is. This wasn’t bad, but it did fit that general restaurant-pizza profile, particularly with regard to the crust, which was OK but not superb. And to me, ideally a Margherita, with its simple, basic components, should have a certain understated subtlety to it, which is not how I would describe this pizza, with its heavy layer of cheese and two forms of tomatoes.
I can say from having eating at Grandpa Sam’s before that their food is quite good. It’s a nice place to stop for dinner, with a casual, relaxing atmosphere. So it’s no insult to their pizza to say that I prefer their pasta dishes to their pizza, which I’ll give a B-.
Grandpa Sam’s Italian Kitchen, 138 S. Union St., Spencerport 349-7267
Mon.- Thu. 5 p.m.- 9 p.m., Fri. 4 p.m.- 10 p.m., Sat. 5 p.m. - 10 p.m., Sun. 4 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Krony's, Spencerport

Krony’s Pizza, established in 1975, currently has two locations, in Spencerport and Hamlin (I think there was briefly a third in Chili or somewhere, but no longer). I stopped by the Spencerport Krony’s a while ago for a couple of lunchtime slices.
They were pretty thin, with a dry, browned underside that was dusted with a fair amount of cornmeal. The flavor and texture were not exceptional, though the narrow lip had some welcome breadiness to it.
The moderately applied, homemade sauce had a sweetish flavor, although I also picked up a hint of basil or some other “Italian” herbs. The cheese - 100% mozzarella, according to the menu - was also applied in moderation, in good balance with the other components, and was just nearly browned. The slices appeared to have been dusted with a grated cheese of some kind, parmesan perhaps, and there did seem to be some cheesy tanginess in there somewhere. The pepperoni seemed rather spicy, although that may have just been because of the generous helping of pepperoni on my slice.
Krony’s has a decent list of pizza toppings, and just three specialty pizzas - white, pink, and Buffalo chicken. They also serve wings, “stromboni” (I’m not exactly sure what that is, but I assume it’s along the lines of a stromboli or calzone), hot and cold subs, “bombers” and other sandwiches, munchies, wraps and salads. They also offer chicken, fish and seafood dinners, and on my visit the blackboard menu advertised a few daily specials, including blackened tilapia. Desserts, soft drinks, beer and wine are available as well. I haven’t made it to the Hamlin location yet, but in Spencerport, it’s a counter-service operation with a fairly good-sized adjacent dining area.
This was pretty good pizza. If you read this blog much, you know that the crust is the main thing with me, and this one was, well, OK. It avoided the most common crust problems, like being too soft or greasy, but by the same token it lacked the crispness and toasty, bready complexity of the best crusts. Still, it had no real defects, and the pizza was well made, with some good flavor and the components in appropriate balance with each other. All in all, a nice job, and I’ll give Krony’s a B.
Krony’s Pizza Etc., 2139 N. Union St., Spencerport (in Barefoot Landing Plaza, next to Pineway Ponds Park) 352-1199
Mon. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 11 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. (closes at 10 p.m. Mon. - Thu. in winter)
Hamlin location: 500 Hamlin-Clarkson Townline Rd. 964-7111

Pizza Shack, Spencerport

Not long ago, I stopped at the Pizza Shack I on West Ridge Road in Spencerport, and picked up a couple of slices. Before I get to the pizza, I should mention that there used to be a Pizza Shack II on Buffalo Road in Gates, right next to DeLinda’s, but that appears to be closed. There’s also a Hamlin Pizza Shack, and although I had assumed it was connected somehow with the one in Spencerport, I see that Hamlin Pizza Shack’s website says “Established 1986,” and the Spencerport Pizza Shack’s menu states, “Since 1970.” Their logos also differ in appearance. So maybe they’re not connected. Looks as if I’ll be driving out to Hamlin sometime, then.
OK, so back to the Spencerport "Shack." I foolishly ordered two pepperoni slices before finding out how big their slices are. Turns out a “slice” is really two slices, in other words, a quarter of a pie, cut down the middle. So I ended up with quite a bit more pizza than I wanted. Always ask first.
Oh well, that just meant that I’d be having cold pizza for lunch the next day. The slices, which were very fresh out of the oven, were thin to medium in thickness. The underside was just lightly browned, a little crackly, and just slightly crisp. There was some grease on top from the pepperoni, which I let drip off, but the underside was not greasy. The crust had a certain breadiness to it, not outstandingly so, but not bad.
The slices were topped with a thick layer of chewy, melted mozzarella cheese (described on the menu as “100% real mozzarella cheese” - are there pizzerias around using artificial cheese?). Beneath the cheese lay a stratum of sauce, moderately applied, with a medium consistency and flavor, neither too salty, acidic, nor herbal, but very straightforward and tomatoey.
Pizza Shack has a pretty standard array of pizza toppings to choose from, and no specialty pizzas as such. They also offer hot and cold subs, wings, calzones, a long list of munchies (mostly fried), and a handful of other items, including a Friday fish fry. They deliver within a seven-mile radius, which takes in Spencerport, Hilton, and western Greece. There are no dine-in facilities, and in fact the interior has a certain ramshackle appearance befitting the name of the place.
This pizza fell into the OK-but-not-great category. It had no real flaws to speak of, but the components somehow didn’t seem that well integrated with each other. There was a crust, and sauce, and cheese, and pepperoni, but somehow they didn’t quite come together into a unified whole. I know that’s rather vague and subjective, but it was just my impression. My other quibble is with the crust, which was decent but rather pale underneath. Perhaps I would’ve liked this better had I arrived 10 or 15 minutes later, and gotten the slices reheated for a minute or two, to allow the bottom to bake a bit more and the components to come together a little.
Anyway, as I said, there was nothing “wrong” with this pizza, as such. All in all, it was decent enough, perhaps a notch above average, so I’ll give it a C+.
Pizza Shack I, 5008 Ridge Road West, Spencerport 352-5005
Sun. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. - 1 a.m.
Pizza Guy Update:  for a more recent review of a full pie from Pizza Shack, go here. 

Cam's, Lyell Ave. and Spencerport

Cam’s Pizzeria is a small chain with about a dozen locations in Upstate New York, ranging from Rochester as far away as Watertown. They’ve been in business since 1980, and may be the first pizzeria around here to specialize in New York style pizza.
Right now there are three Cam’s locations in the Rochester area, on Lyell Ave. (the oldest of the three, and I’m guessing one of the oldest overall), on Titus Ave. in Irondequoit, and in Spencerport at the corner of Rt. 31 and S. Union St., just off the 531 expressway.
I recently tried the Lyell Ave. location, and took some notes for a blog post, but I also unexpectedly had occasion to visit the Spencerport location, so this is kind of a hybrid review.
The Lyell Ave. slices (photos 2 and 3) had a very thin crust, with a well-browned, crackled underside and a crunchy, crackly texture. They had been rewarmed in the oven prior to serving so that may account for some of the dry crackliness.
The sauce was applied in enough quantity to be noticeable, but moderately so. It had some tomatoey and herbal flavors; I thought I detected some basil, and maybe some oregano in there.
The cheese was likewise moderately applied, in pretty good balance with the other components. It was not especially thick or stringy, and in that respect resembled a typical NYC slice. The thicker, chewier lip was less well-done than the rest of the crust, which is a bit unusual, since oftentimes the outer edge is nearly blackened, even when the rest of the crust is relatively pale.
I found the Lyell Ave. slices to be a very respectable version of NY style pizza, but the crust seemed to fall just a bit short, as it lacked a certain depth of bready character, and was instead a bit bland or white-bready. Good, certainly, but not quite great.
All the more reason, then, for my pleasant surprise by what I got at Spencerport (photos 3 and 4). I figured, newer location, younger staff, won’t be as good, and in fact I remember going there shortly after it opened a In fact, it was better. The crust was very nicely charred underneath - more so than the lower photo indicates - and it had a nice exterior crunch without being excessively dry. It was a rather well made pizza overall.
I didn’t really look much at the ovens at Spencerport, but the Lyell Ave. Cam’s uses an oven with a rotating deck, which I don’t recall seeing elsewhere. From what I’ve been able to determine, this is intended to be kind of a cross between a conveyor-belt and a standard deck oven, getting the benefits of a deck oven’s convection heat without the labor intensity and skill that deck ovens require. It seems to work; not to put them down, but the Spencerport employees didn’t exactly look like experienced pizzaioli, yet they turned out a pretty darned good pizza. (I wonder, though, if the rotation has something to do with the lip being not that well baked.)
Cam’s offers NY style pizza in 12", 16", and 20" sizes, as well as sheet and Sicilian pizzas (not quite sure how the latter two differ). The toppings list is fairly standard, and the list of specialty pizzas includes a garlic lovers’ pizza (yum) and a breakfast pizza (the Lyell Ave. location opens early if you’re into that; not sure about the other locations). They also do calzones and strombolis, wings, pasta and chicken parm dinners, salads, subs and wraps, plus a few desserts. All of their area locations offer dine-in as well as delivery (the Lyell Ave. location seems to be a popular RPD lunch spot, and I imagine they know the best places - kind of like truck drivers).
Look, you can’t beat a skilled pizza maker tending to each pie, rotating it as needed and taking it out of the oven at just the right moment. But if you’re going to try to offer good NY style pizza at multiple locations, then you’d better find a way to get some consistency in the final product. Cam’s seems to have figured out how to do that. I don’t want to get too hung up on the letter grade, but at this point I’m giving Cam’s a B+, with an eye toward possibly bumping that up a bit, subject to future visits, including the Irondequoit location, and maybe trying a full pie as well. But regardless of the grade, this was good pizza, and all the more impressive for having come from a chain. A small chain, yes, but those are often the most bedeviled by inconsistency, and from my samples thus far Cam’s has been the best of the “chain gang.”
Cam's Pizzeria, 1219 Lyell Ave. 458-8900
According to the menu, Lyell Ave. hours are as follows: Mon. - Thu. 7 a.m. - 10 p.m., Fri. 7 a.m. - 11 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m. - 11 p.m., Sun. 3 p.m. - 10 p.m.
2273 S. Union St., Spencerport 349-1040. I tried to get the Spencerport location's daily hours over the phone but was given a rather brusque "We close at 10, *click*," so call ahead to make sure.
Beer and wine available (Spencerport only)

Little Louie's, Spencerport

Little Louie's in on North Union St. (Rt. 259), just off Rt. 104 in Spencerport. It's in a small strip plaza that it shares with a dance studio and a fireplace dealer.
The way the pizza is served here is a little unusual. You can get a "1/4 moon" or "1/2 moon" slice, a 9" "personal" size pizza, a 13" medium, a 13" x 18" large, or a "full sheet," which measures 18" x 26".
So a large here is what you might call a half sheet. (Some places might call this Sicilian but Louie's doesn't make that claim, so I won't get into whether this is "authentic" Sicilian pizza.)
Ordinarily I stay away from sheet pizza. Some pizzerias that make perfectly good round thin- or medium-crust pies turn out sheet pizzas with a crust that's thick and greasy, with a fried-crunchy texture. But on this occasion, this wasn't just research, it was also the family dinner, so I made an exception.
I'm not sure it mattered, because when I arrived to pick it up, I got a look at some round pies that, size and shape aside, looked pretty similar to what I got. What I got was a fairly thick pizza with a thick layer of mozzarella cheese, on the "medium rare" side.
The underside was rather pale, and not exactly crisp, but not soft either. "Firm" is the best way I can describe it. Only along the edges was there just a bit of crunch.
Taking a bite, I found that the crust had a texture somewhat reminiscent of focaccia - lighter and softer than I expected, not dense and chewy, and without the large air (actually CO2) holes that you find in some crusts. The dough had something of a white-bread flavor to it - not a lot of complexity here.
The sauce was more tomatoey than herbal, with a bright, tangy flavor. The thick layer of mozzarella was done just to the point of melting, with no browning at all. The wide and thin slices of pepperoni were OK, nothing remarkable.
Little Louie's offers the usual assortment of toppings, and a handful of specialty pizzas. The pizza is also available with red, "pink," or white (garlic) sauce. They also have wings - which were quite good, by the way, big, meaty and crisp, with a good "Buffalo" flavor even in the mild version - hot and cold subs, grilled sandwiches, sides, and "Big Louie plates." There's a little seating, but it's mostly a takeout and delivery place.
Getting back to the pizza, this one is kind of a tough call. This was better than a lot of sheet pizzas I've had, since it wasn't all greasy on the bottom, nor was it overly soft; the crust had a bit of backbone to it. And though the toppings were a little heavy - the cheese in particular - that was appropriate, given the thick crust, and overall the components were in pretty good balance with each other. Still, I would've liked it to have been a little darker and crisper underneath, with a bit of browning on top, though I'm not sure if a higher oven temperature or simply a longer baking time would be the better way to achieve that.
But that's not a fundamental flaw in the pizza, just my preference. Next time I'd ask them to make it more "well done."
And there probably will be a next time. This was a pretty enjoyable pizza overall, and I'd like to check out their slices or round pies sometime. I'll give it a C+.
Little Louie's Pizzeria, 1835 N. Union St., Spencerport. 349-3393
Mon. - Sat. 10:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m., Sun. noon - 9:00 p.m.

Leccese's, Spencerport

Note: as of January 2012, it appears that Leccese's is closed.
 Today we head out to the west side, to the Village of Spencerport. Leccese's Pizzeria (which used to be - under different ownership, I think - West Side Pizzeria), is in a plaza at the NW corner of Union St. and Rt. 31, just off the 531 expressway.
Leccese's menu says you can order your pizza "thin, thick, or in between" (which frankly, any pizzeria should be able to do, unless, God forbid, they're using premade crusts), but my usual approach is not to ask for a particular thickness and just let them make it the way they usually do. What I got was a medium thick pizza - no surprise there - with a better-than-average crust. It was slightly charred underneath, with a bit of crispness, a nice bready flavor and no greasiness.
In terms of overall flavor, the sauce was a major player here. It was applied fairly thickly and had a definite herbal flavor. Unlike a lot of pizzas where the sauce is very much in the background, it was quite prominent here.
The mozzarella cheese was a bit thick, but in good balance with the other components. It was browned here and there, but still had a "melted" consistency. The thin-sliced pepperoni had good flavor, and was surprisingly ungreasy.
Getting back to the crust, this was reminiscent of a crusty Italian bread, especially along the crunchy edge. Here and there it had bubbled up from the yeast, and the tiny air holes inside also showed that it had been given a good rise. I also thought I picked up a whiff of garlic powder in there somewhere, but I'm not sure where it was coming from - inside the crust, an outside dusting, or perhaps the sauce.
Leccese's has a pretty standard "expanded" pizzeria menu, meaning the usual wings and subs, plus quesadillas, grilled and fried items, wraps, "Lemessy Plates," but they also offer some Italian entrees like homemade lasagna, greens & beans and chicken parm. Only a handful of specialty pizzas, but they include a "spiedie" pizza made with white sauce, mozzarella and chicken spiedies, and a Greek pizza with feta, kalamata olives, red onions, spinach, tomatoes, white sauce and mozzarella. There's some seating, but it's mostly takeout and delivery.
Leccese's faces some nearby competition. Although Spencerport is blissfully free - so far - of national chain pizzerias, there's a big, shiny Cam's right across the street from (and in a much more prominent location than) Leccese's, and a Pontillo's on the other side of Union St. But if the locals have discriminating tastes where pizza is concerned, then I don't think Lecesse's should have to worry. This is good pizza. I'd put it in the "Rochester style" category, with its medium-thick crust, plenty of sauce, and fairly thick layer of cheese. This was another one of those pizzas in which the individual components complement each other, yet maintain their separate, noticeable presence with each bite. What made it a cut or two above average, for me, was the good, bready crust. Start with that, add good toppings, and you've got good pizza. Sounds easy, but a lot of places don't seem to get it. Leccese's does, and I'll give it a B+.
Leccese's Pizzeria, 42 Nichols St., Spencerport. 352-TOGO (8646).
Mon. - Thu. 10:30 am - 10 pm, Fri. & Sat. 11 am - midnight, Sun. noon - 9 pm