CompTin

I have been working my way through pizzerias in and around Fairport, so that journey recently took me to CompTin Pizza & Provisions. According to one report, the name "is a portmanteau of the partners' current business ventures,'" i.e. Compané Trattoria  and  Tin Cup Social.

I got a large (16-inch) pizza, with cup-and-char pepperoni on half and sweet peppers and onions on the other half.

The crust was extremely thin. I wondered if they use the same amount of dough for a large that they do for a medium 12-inch pizza and just roll it thinner.

Frankly, the crust wasn't great. I ordered online and considered requesting "well done," but I'm glad I didn't, as this was heavily blackened. Charring is one thing, but this was blackened, and well, yeah, burnt.

The crust had also separated, top from bottom in some areas, so there was just a wafer-thin layer on top and underneath, with a gap in between. Not everywhere, but even where that hadn't happened there wasn't enough substance to the crust to make it interesting. I like a good thin crust as much as anyone but this was just thin.

Before I move on, I will note that the pizza was in the box (which I put in an insulated bag) for about 30 minutes before I got it home. That may have had some effect on the crust but obviously that had no effect on the thickness (or should I say thinness) or the heavily blackened bottom.

The toppings were good. Just what I ordered, and flavorful. The cheese was nicely melted, soft and stretchy. The cup and char pepperoni was well done, although some of the slices were upside down. I guess I never thought about it before but for some reason some slices were like upside-down cups. Were they applied the wrong way? Were they turned over after the pizza was done? This requires some thought and perhaps experimentation. 

Sometimes I write a post and it feels as if I've made the pizza sound worse than it was. This might be one of those times. It had some issues, for sure. Could've been better, no doubt. But somewhere in there was a good pizza, just waiting to burst out with better execution. CompTin, if you are reading this (and you may not be, because I don't claim to be an "influencer"), you can do better. 

 CompTin Pizza and Provisions 

1276 Fairport Rd, Fairport, NY 14450

(585) 203-1312

Fri. & Saturday    12–10 PM
Sunday    12–8 PM
Mon. - Thu. 12–9 PM

 

Fiorella

Just over ten years ago, I posted a review of Fiorella, an Italian restaurant and pizzeria in Rochester's Public Market. I had some issues with the crust, which was unevenly baked underneath, but I otherwise enjoyed it. Since Fiorella had only recently opened I considered it "a work in progress," and worth checking out.

I guess ten years is enough time to allow for a revisit. So my wife and I recently went there for dinner.

We ordered a Margherita (plum tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil) and one of that night's specials, a white pizza with mortadella, basil, oregano, roasted onion, fresh and smoked mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil, hot chili flakes, finished with grated Parmigiano cheese *whew* - there would've been still more had we not asked them to leave out the honey drizzle -- not a fan of honey on pizza.

Alas, while the flavor was good, the crust again disappointed. The problem this time wasn't so much an unevenly baked crust, but too ... what?

I want to say too soft, but that doesn't quite capture it. I've used "flabby" before, and that comes closer. But ultimately it just wasn't interesting. 

 As I've said before, I do not think that pizza necessarily needs an exceptionally crisp, crackly crust to be good. I've had terrific pizza that needed to be eaten with a knife and fork. But even a soft underside benefits from a contrast with a crusty cornicione. To me, it's that mix of flavors and textures that elevates pizza to greatness. This was just soft and chewy all the way around.

 Having said all that, I should add that I still enjoyed the pizza. The white pizza was flavorful, although I didn't detect the chili flakes.

The Margherita was pretty good, a bit heavy on the sauce perhaps, but the fresh mozzarella was softened just right. The fresh basil made a cameo appearance but I would've liked it to be a little more prominent. 

Fiorella's menu states that they make wood-fired pizza, with dough "made with 100% organic NY stone-ground wheat, water and sea salt only and naturally leavened for better health." All of which is great, but I was frankly hoping for more from this pizza. 

There were plenty of patrons at Fiorella eating pizza, seemingly happily, so maybe it's just me, but I was disappointed with our pies. That of course is a subjective judgment but my wife serves as a check on my idiosyncrasies and she pretty much agreed with me, so I don't think I'm too far off base. 

Baking pizza, like baking bread, involves a complex mixture of ingredients, time, handling and temperature. I've tried to describe objectively where this pizza fell short for me subjectively. To summarize, it was good. But I was hoping for better.

Fiorella

5 Public Market

Wed. - Sat. 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM

 Sun. - Tue. Closed

DoughBoyzRoc/Sager-Stoneyard Pub

Partly at a reader's suggestion (always appreciated), I recently had dinner with my wife at Sager-Stoneyard Pub, to try DoughBoyzRoc pizza. 

Before I get to the pizza, or the beer, I want to say, come up with a shorter name, guys. I understand this is a collaborative effort among two breweries and a pizzeria, but come on. How about "SagyardBoyz"? OK, maybe that's not that great, but better that what you've got now. Shorter, anyway.

We ordered a Margherita (San Marzano tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella, Parmesan and EVOO), and a Comella, with (long list here) garlic oil, garlic confit, basil, mozzarella, provolone, sausage, peppers, onions, Parmesan, Sicilian oregano and olive oil.

Let's start with the crust, which is where it all begins with pizza. The DoughBoyzRoc website states that they use "naturally leavened dough" that "starts with this sourdough and ends with a gentle touch of imported olive oil."

Both pies had a thin crust, as I expected. The Margherita crust was nicely risen and flavorful, evidencing its long fermentation. 

Unfortunately, despite some spotting, the underside was mostly pale and soft. I'm not saying it should've been crackly crisp, and I know that Neapolitan pizza is not supposed to be crunchy underneath. But it seemed ti me that it would've developed more flavor had the underside come closer to matching the charring of the cornicione. The interior was nicely chewy, but a better-baked bottom could've put it over the top, if you follow me.

The overall flavor was good. The tomato sauce was a bit on the mild side for my taste, but that's purely subjective. The fresh mozzarella was softened without melting or browning. The flavor of the basil came through, although a few more sprinkles would have been welcome.

The Comella was quite flavorful. The cornicione was puffier than that of the Margherita. It was more blackened along the perimeter underneath, but otherwise the crust was similar to the Margherita's. Had that charring been more evenly distributed, it would've enhanced the flavor of the crust.

The Comella's list of toppings sounded appealing and indeed they complemented each other well. Although it was a long list, the individual toppings were applied sparingly, so the pie wasn't laden down, and they combined for a complex array of flavors, from salty to tangy to meaty.

That's it for the pizza. While there, I also enjoyed a Stoneyard Keller Pils. One of my beefs with a lot of craft breweries is that they try too hard to outdo each other in coming up with new brews, and in giving them names that tell me nothing about the beer, like "Evil Lizard," which turns out to be a dry-hopped sour papaya ginger stout. (I just made that up, but now that I think about it, it doesn't sound half bad. If any home brewers out there want to give it a shot, I'd be happy to review it.)

But keller beer, or kellerbier, or cellar beer (depending on your level of beer snobbishness), is a German style with a long pedigree, and although I'm not in a position to say how "accurate" Stoneyard's version was, it had the hallmarks of classic German beer, with a nice balance of malt and hops.

We also happened to come on Trivia Night (Thursday). Although we didn't actively participate, I daresay I would've done pretty well. Ironically, one of the few questions I missed was during the round on baseball, a subject on which I consider myself well versed:  "how many outs in an inning of baseball?" I scoffed at how ridiculously easy the question was, and although I wouldn't call it a trick question, my first, instinctive answer was wrong. (Answer below)

So:  a few quibbles aside, good pizza, good beer, and a good time. What's not to like?

Oh, the baseball question? I instinctively said, "rhree."  Three outs and you're done, right?  But the question was, how many outs in an inning, i.e. a full inning. There are three outs in each half of an inning. So the correct answer is six. DOH!

DoughBoyz, inside Sager-Stoneyard Pub

46 Sager Dr Suite E
Rochester, NY 14607
(585) 417-5404
doughboyzjim@gmail.com

Pizza available Tue. - Thu. 4pm - 8pm, Fri. 4pm - 9pm, Sat. 12 - 9pm

Pub hours: 

Mon - Thurs: 4pm – 9pm
Friday: 4pm - 10pm
Saturday: 12pm - 10pm
Sunday: 1pm - 7pm