Cinelli's, Long Pond Road

Thanks to a reader, I learned recently about a new place, Cinelli's, which opened in January on Long Pond Road. They advertise "NY Style Thin Crust Pizza," which always both catches my attention and makes me skeptical; all too many places seem to think that if a pizza's thin, it's "New York style." Not so, and I've had a lot of bad so-called New York style pizza.
But regardless of how they describe themselves, I try to get to every new pizzeria I hear of, as soon as I practicably can, so I recently stopped in to Cinelli's for a couple of lunchtime slices. I got one cheese slice and one pepperoni slice.
The slices were a bit unevenly cut - the cheese slice was wider than the pepperoni - but aside from that, I had no complaints. In fact, I was rather impressed.
The slices were thin, and the undersides were crackly, with a few small charred spots. The crust was quite good: crisp, with a toasty aroma of fresh bread and a nice balance of crackly and chewy.
The slices were well balanced overall. The cheese was nicely melted and creamy; the sauce was tomatoey and mildly seasoned, and the thin-cut pepperoni was just slightly crisp along the edges.
Cinelli's full name is "Cinelli's Pizza Ristorante," and that's an apt description. It's a full-service restaurant, but with an emphasis on pizza. Entrees include all the Italian basics (chicken or eggplant parm, lasagna, shrimp scampi, and pasta), plus a custom option, which allows you to choose your pasta, sauce, and "protein" (perhaps they could come up with a more appetizing term), which basically means any added toppings, including various veggies, anchovies, chicken, meatballs, etc.
Cinelli's has some daily specials worth checking out, particularly their Tuesday special (in effect at the time of this writing, but make sure before you order), an 18" cheese pizza for only $10.99.
Subsequent to my getting these slices, City Newspaper ran a brief piece about Cinellli's. I refer you to that for further information about Cinelli's background, which includes a genuine Italian grandmother.
Cinelli's is not among the closest places for me to get to, either from work or home, but I plan to go back, for sure. This was an impressive debut.
I've sometimes put off rating a place if it hasn't been open very long, but that's generally been when my pizza wasn't that good, and I wanted to give them a break, to see if they could get their act together. Based on these slices, I'd say Cinelli's has already crossed that hurdle. I plan to return, and I'll judge future slices or pies on their own merits, but I'm giving these slices an A.

Cinelli's Pizza Ristorante, 840 Long Pond Rd.
(585) 287-5458

Tue. - Thu. 11 - 9
Fri. & Sat. 11 - 10
Sun. noon - 8
Closed Mon.