Martino's, Long Pond Road, Revisited, Part II

On my previous post, I reported on a thin-crust pie that I got at Martino's on Long Pond Road. It wasn't bad, but I don't think the thin crust was such a great idea.
So not long afterwards, I went back for a regular-crust pie. I went on a Monday, when Martino's offers a large pie with five toppings for only $9.99 plus tax.
I went vegetarian, getting black olives, hot and sweet peppers, onions and tomatoes. This was a very tasty combination, and Martino's (and other pizzerias) may want to think about adding it to their menu. I won't even ask for a royalty payment.
The crust was still fairly thin, less than a quarter inch near the center of the pie, and it gradually thickened to about three-quarters of an inch near the edge. The underside was dry and crisp, and evenly browned. Although it wasn't charred, I did pick up some toasty overtones in the aroma and flavor. The edge was formed into a narrow lip that had a pleasant crunch. Overall, the crust had a certain breadiness to it, though I found it a tad dry, and there wasn't a lot of internal chewiness.
The sauce, cheese and toppings were added in good proportion to the crust, and the pizza as a whole was well balanced. The sauce had a mild flavor, which tended to blend in to that of the other toppings. This was not a particularly cheesy pizza, but that was OK with me, as I generally prefer a light hand on the cheese, unless it's a thick-crust pizza. The added toppings might've benefited from the use of fresh olives, but I did enjoy my chosen combination, so I can't complain, especially at this price.
I certainly liked this pizza, and the one before it, more than the slices I got back in September 2009. The crust still fell a little short of greatness, but all in all these were better than average pizzas. So between the two of them I'll give Martino's a better than average grade, a B.
Martino's, 1742 Long Pond Rd., 14606, 247-5030
Mon. - Thu. 8 a.m. - midnight, Fri. 8 a.m. - 1 a.m., Sat. 10 a.m., - 1 a.m., Sun. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Martino's, Long Pond Road, Revisited, Part I: thin-crust pie

Way back in September 2009, I did a review of Martino's on Long Pond Road. Based on the one slice that I got that day, I gave them a C-minus.
Well, I knew that Martino's was better than that, so I determined to go back. I'm sorry it took this long, but I have been back twice relatively recently, and got a different type of pie each time. Here's my first report.
On my first visit, I ordered a large pie, half plain, half pepperoni, with a thin crust. Any pizzeria ought to be able to make your crust to order, thickness-wise, but Martino's specifies that option on their menu, and I generally like thin crusts, so I got it thin.
Well ... this wasn't bad. Let me say that up front. But it points up something I've thought for a while now, which is that you should generally get a pizza the way that the pizzeria normally makes it. In other words, if a place specializes in New York style pizza, don't ask for it thick, and if they specialize in Sicilian, don't ask for it thin. There are exceptions (like Nino's, which does both well), but generally, let them do what they do best.
And at Martino's, as at most pizzerias, I think it's best to get it "regular." This crust was indeed thin (or "skinny," as the menu describes it), but very floppy. It just didn't have much of a backbone.
Partly that's because it was so thin. The crust on this pie was literally translucent in spots. It was also not particulary well done. New York style thin crust is so good, in part because it gets good and crisp, from baking for just a few minutes at very high temperatures.
This pie, on the other hand, seemed to have baked at a relatively low temperature. It certainly wasn't raw or anything like that, it's just that the crust never really firmed up too much, and more time in the oven probably would've just overcooked the toppings.
That makes some sense, if Martino's regular pizza is thicker than this. A thicker crust will generally call for a "lower, slower" approach, to allow it to cook completely through. A super-hot oven would just singe the outside and leave the interior like raw dough.
So while I wasn't a huge fan of this crust, I can't fault Martino's too much for that one. Next time I'll know better than to ask for a crust that's thinner or thicker than "regular."
But again, this wasn't bad pizza. At the very least, it was good enough to make me think that it would've been really good with a thicker crust.
As it was, the crust had a dry bottom, with a dusting of cornmeal. The thin lip was slightly charred in a few spots, suggesting some radiant or convective heat, but the relatively pale bottom indicated that the baking surface (conductive heat) wasn't particularly hot (perhaps it was baked in a pan?). I'm sure some more knowledgeable people could offer an explanation.
There was a fair amount of grease in the bottom of the pizza box, but the bottom of the pizza itself wasn't really greasy, so I presume this was oil that had seeped down from the top side of the pizza, after oozing out of the cheese and pepperoni as the pizza baked. The finely shredded mozzarella had congealed together, covering the entire pie except for an inch-or-so-wide margin along the edge. The pie was also lightly dusted with a grated cheese (Romano?), although I couldn't pick out its flavor.
This was a fairly saucy pizza, particularly considering how thin the crust was, but the sauce was in pretty good balance with the cheese. It had a straightforward, tomatoey flavor. The pizza as a whole seemed just a bit salty to me, but I wasn't sure if that was coming from the sauce or the cheese.
I'm not going to complain about generous toppings, but the sauce and cheese here, though in balance with each other, were almost too heavy for such a thin crust. The overall flavor was good, though, so again, with a thicker crust I think this might've been a real winner.
Not that it was a loser, by any means. I had no trouble downing several slices in one sitting. But I did make a mental note to order my next one "regular."
And there indeed was a next one. But that's a review for another day. It'll be posted soon.
Oh yes, the grade. Well, since I've got another Martino's review in the pipeline, I'll hold off on a grade for now, and assign a grade when I do the next post.
Martino's, 1742 Long Pond Rd., 14606, 247-5030
Mon. - Thu. 8 a.m. - midnight, Fri. 8 a.m. - 1 a.m., Sat. 10 a.m., - 1 a.m., Sun. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Return to Tony D's - Vongole Pizza

It's been a long time since I reviewed Tony D's in Corn Hill Landing. Over two years, in fact (have I really been doing this for that long?).
It's certainly not because I didn't like it - I gave it an A-minus, after all. But I've had a lot of pizzerias to investigate since then, and Tony D's isn't exactly the kind of place where you can just go in and grab a slice.
No, Tony D's is a full-service restaurant and bar, and it doesn't serve slices. Its signature item is its pizza, which remains Rochester's only commercially available pizza cooked in a coal-fired oven.
That oven, by the way, I've learned was manufactured by Doughpro, which sells commercial ovens to restaurants nationwide. According to the map on their website, Doughpro is also the maker of the ovens you'll find at RIT, Hooligans in Webster (check this blog for an upcoming review of that establishment), and Bocaccini's in Perinton. Tony D's is "gas assisted," which means that it does use coal, but they're not exactly building a fire from scratch. The gas flame helps to start it up and maintain a more or less constant temperature.
Purists may consider that cheating, I suppose, but I'm not so much interested in the technical side of things as in the finished product. If the pizza's good, I don't care if it came out of an Easy Bake Oven.
This time around, I thought I'd try something a little different, and Tony D's vongole (clam) pizza caught my eye. It's topped with clams, sausage, parsley, oregano, chilies, Asiago and Parmesan cheeses.
Before my pizza came out, I was served a small basket of very good bread with dipping oil, which is always a nice touch, even if it did seem a bit superfluous with pizza.
The danger with bread, of course, is that you'll fill up on it before your entree arrives, but I didn't have to wait long for my pizza. It arrived on a wooden peel, hot and fresh out of the oven.
The crust was very thin - so thin that I was able to fold the slices twice. It was charred but except in a spot or two, I wouldn't call it burned, and it displayed a good balance between charring and pliability. There was one spot along the edge where the crust had bubbled up and was more burned through than charred, but it didn't detract from the pizza overall. Mostly the charring consisted of some small, spotty black blisters underneath, and it was a little less charred than last time. The crust was not dried out, and it remained pliable and bready tasting. It wasn't particularly crisp, but it was firm.
As for the toppings, clams and sausage wouldn't have struck me as a natural combination, but they worked surprisingly well together, with the distinctive, savory clam flavor playing off that of the spicy, peppery sausage. The addition of chilies added a little more kick, but it was not overdone; this was a spicy pizza, but not so much as to leave you panting for relief.
The sausage, I thought, tended to predominate over the clams, but all in all the flavors here were pretty well balanced. The herbs and cheeses blended into the background, but everything together melded into a very flavorful, satisfying pie. And while this wasn't overly spicy, I was surprised at how the chilies and the pepper in the sausage enhanced the flavor of the clams.
There was a little oil on top of this pizza, but it was by no means greasy. A little oil can be a good thing, as fat helps transmit flavor to your tastebuds. Kudos on the crust as well. The cheese on this pizza went right up to the edge of the pie, and combined with the slightly salty, bready flavor of the dough, this was a crust worth finishing.
Tony D's recently expanded into some adjoining space, adding a new seating area and a second bar. They've also gotten a full liquor license. With outdoor seating in the summer, Tony D's is clearly out to offer people multiple reasons and occasions to stop in, whether for a business lunch, drinks before or after a downtown show or event, or a leisurely dinner.
As for this pizza, it was very, very good. In terms of a rating, here's where subjectivity comes in. This was a very enjoyable crust, but it was not very crisp on the outside. The texture was reminiscent of a freshly-baked pita - firm and chewy, but not crisp.
In general, I like my crusts crisp, meaning that there's just a bit of crunch on the outside when you take a bite. I know that's a personal preference, and some people may not share it. But particularly with a thin crust pizza, I think that the added dimension of that exterior crispness, contrasting with the interior chewiness, elevates a pizza to sublime levels. That was missing here.
So while I really liked this pizza, and I think Tony D's deserves a spot on any local pizza lover's to-do list, I'm going to stick with my previous grade, and give it a just-short-of-perfection A-minus.
Tony D's, 288 Exchange Blvd. 14608, 340-6200
Mon. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m., Sat. 4 p.m. - 11 p.m., Sun. 4 p.m. - 9 p.m.