And the winner of a $30 Joe's Brooklyn Pizza gift card is ...

Nick Veee! Nick, I don't think I have your contact info so please shoot me an email at rochesternypizzaguy@gmail.com with your mailing address and I'll get your gift card out in the mail. Congratulations to Nick and thanks to all who entered, as well as to Joe's for their generosity in contributing this donation.
I'll have more giveaways coming, so check the blog, my Facebook page, or my Twitter feed for announcements!

Krony's, Hamlin

I've done a couple of posts about Krony's in Spencerport, in January and November 2010, but until recently I never made it out to their western outpost in Hamlin (much less their waaay western outpost in Palm Springs, CA. After I reviewed the Spencerport Place, a reader told me that I should review the Hamlin location, and I always meant to, but it is a bit of a drive, so, yes, it took me a long time. Hey - it may take me three years, but eventually I'll get around to fulfilling reader requests.
I have been to Hamlin a few times, and I remember seeing Krony's there before, but when I finally made it there recently, the physical setting wasn't at all what I remembered. They must have relocated not that long ago, because the building was much bigger, and in a different location from what I remembered seeing.
That may be a sign that they've been doing well, and based on the two slices that I got there, I'm not surprised. I got a pepperoni slice, and a tomato-basil white pizza slice, and both were pretty good.
The tomato basil slice, despite the name, was dominated not by tomato or basil, but by tangy Parmesan cheese and chopped garlic. The flakes of dried basil and the small bits of pale tomato added color, but not much else. That was not a major cause for complaint, however, because the cheese and garlic combination was tasty enough on its own.
The only downside of this slice, for me, was the crust. It wasn't so much bad as just a little too oily, and not crisp enough, for my taste. (You can see the oily sheen in the third photo.) But the oil was mostly on the surface of the underside, and the thin to medium crust was otherwise pretty enjoyable. The outer edge, which was formed into a narrow cornice, had a pleasant balance of crispness and chew.
The crust on the pepperoni slice was noticeably different, and more to my liking. It was not oily, and had a breadlike texture, with some charring underneath. While pliable, it also had a surface crackliness that was absent from the tomato basil slice. It was topped with a slightly sweet, thick tomato sauce, a moderate layer of low-moisture mozzarella, and a reasonably generous application of thinly sliced pepperoni.
Krony's pizzas come in 9-, 12-, and 16-inch sizes, with 21 toppings available. They also serve several specialty pizzas, including a cheeseburger pizza (I love the idea of pickles on a pizza) and a seafood pie. But their menu extends well beyond pizza, to wings, subs, burgers, pasta, soup, salad, and more. There's a sizable dining area, and they also serve beer and wine, plus soft serve ice cream.
Particularly with gas prices being what they are, I don't anticipate making the drive out to Hamlin all that often, but I' glad I did on this occasion. These were two good slices of pizza. I preferred the pepperoni slice's crisp, charred crust, but the tomato basil slice was very tasty indeed. These were good enough to rate a B from me.
Krony's Pizza etc., Corner of Hamlin-Clarkson Townline Road & Rt. 19, Hamlin.
964-7111
Sun. - Thu. 10 a.m. - 11 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 10 a.m. - midnight (closing time is one hour earlier in winter - if in doubt, call ahead)

Friday Giveaway: Joe's Brooklyn Pizza $30 Gift Card

There's  usually a lag time between my visit to a pizzeria in my posting of a review. And I do have a backlog of reviews of pizzerias I have visited in the past few weeks.
But I wanted to get up a new post quickly after my visit yesterday to Joe's Brooklyn Pizzeria, because Joe was kind enough to donate a $30 gift card for me to get awayto a lucky follower of this blog. I haven't done a giveaway in quite some time, and I like to start them on Fridays, when readership is high. This is also a fantastic way to resume giveaways, because I consider Joe's to be one of the best pizzerias in this area, and because, I think, this is the highest dollar value of any gift card that I have ever given away.
I stopped at Joe's for lunch, and got two slices, although between the two of them they were probably equivalent to an entire pie. At least my stomach told me so, as I was full - happily full - for the rest of the day.

If I had to pick one single type of slice to eat for the rest of my life, I would probably pick a plain cheese slice, New York style. But I've had those, and reported about those, at Joe's. So I was looking for something different this day, and my eyes were drawn to two particular pies, from which I chose a slice each.
The first was a grandpa's slice (on the right in the photo), which is topped with tomato sauce, pepperoni, sausage, sweet peppers, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, basil, and Romano. This is a pan risen, Sicilian style slice. I have been accused of being prejudiced against thick crust pizza, but in fact,I love a good thick crust pizza, and Joe's is one of the best around.
One problem I often have with thick crust pizza is that it tends to be oily underneath, but Joe's Sicilian pizzas are dry and crisp on the bottom, and the texture of the well-risen crust has just enough "chew" to make it interesting without being "tough."
The grandpa's pizza is loaded, but not overloaded, with toppings - enough to pack a wallop in the flavor department but not so much as to overwhelm the crust. My side slice was huge, and I probably could've stopped there and had a decent lunch.
But I also really wanted to try a stuffed pizza that they had available, which was topped with bacon, spinach, garlic and mozzarella. I'm not even a huge fan of bacon (I like it, I just don't love it as much as some people), but it looked great.
It was delicious but filling. Imagine two of Joe's thin crust pizzas, with toppings, one on top of the other, and you'll get a good idea of what this was like. But again, it was well balanced, with plenty of flavor from the toppings, but with the excellent, crisp/charred crust taking center stage. And the combination of toppings was very good - the meat, spinach and garlic complemented each other very well.
That was more than enough for lunch, but Joe wanted me to try his latest creation, which is a white pizza topped with black garlic. I had never heard of black garlic, but Joe's food supplier introduced him to it. Apparently it's a Korean thing (Koreans seem to be big on fermented foods, kimchi being the prime example) in which garlic is left to ferment for several weeks, which not only turns a black, but which gives it a sweet flavor reminiscent of balsamic vinegar.
As of now, black garlic is only available on slices at Joe's. Depending on consumer reaction, it may be added as a topping option for entire pies. But it's expensive, so it remains to be seen if enough people will order it to justify adding it as a regular menu item. If you like garlic, though, or just like trying new things, look for it among the slices next time you're at Joe's.
Okay, so here's what you've all been waiting for. Joe not only let me try his new black garlic pizza, he also donated a $30 gift card, for me to give away to one lucky reader. Most of you probably know the routine by now, but here's how it works. If you would like a chance to win, leave a comment following this blog post, along with some identifying information. I will choose a winner at random next Friday, in the early afternoon. I will then mail the card to the winner.
If you are the winner, I will need some way of verifying your personal information, and making sure that I get the card to the correct person. So in your response, I either need some contact information, such as an e-mail address, or I need you to e-mail me at rochesternypizzaguy@gmail.com, with your name and postal mailing address. It would be great if, in your comment, you could include some comment about Joe's pizzeria, or about pizza in general, or about this blog, but that's not a requirement to win. Leave as many comments as you like, but multiple comments will not increase your chances of winning.
I love traditional, Rochester style pizza, and I certainly wouldn't want to see it displaced by the kind of pizza sold at Joe's, which is more indigenous to New York City than to here. That said, I still think Joe's is one of the best pizzerias in our area. And $30 worth of Joe's food (they do wings too) is, I think, enough to make any pizza lover very happy. So comment away, and look for the winner next Friday. I'll be announcing the winner on my Facebook page, and on Twitter as well.
Joe's Brooklyn Pizza, 1100 Jefferson Rd. Suite 23B, Henrietta, NY 14623
Mon. & Tue. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Wed. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sun. noon - 8 p.m.