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Monday, June 1, 2009

Colombini's, Chili Ave.

Colombini's Deli & Pizza on Urbanspoon
Colombini's is on Chili Avenue between Coldwater Rd. and Paul Rd. It's a deli as well as a pizzeria.
I had a pepperoni slice, which was fresh out of the oven (pepperoni was the only slice available). It was a normal size, not a "giant" slice, but it was also under 2 bucks.
The underside was browned in some areas, and pale in others. It bore signs of large air holes that had burst, which was a little odd since the interior of the crust wasn't very airy. It was a little greasy.
The medium-thick crust was soft, even on the exterior, and had a somewhat dense, spongy texture with some bready flavor. I had the impression that it was baked at relatively low temperatures, mostly due to the lack of crispness. Even the edge was soft.
It was a cheesy slice, with a layer of mozzarella that had been baked to the point of melting, but not browning. The sauce was laid on fairly thickly, and had a deep red color and a well-cooked, tomatoey, slightly herbal flavor with some acidic bite. The wide-and-thin pepperoni was tasty and nearly crisp along the edges.
Colombini's offers a fair number of toppings, and a handful of specialty pizzas. They also do wings (which they boldly claim are the "best in town"), subs, and other grilled/fried items, plus cannolis and other pastries. They also advertise ice cream, which I didn't see, although I wasn't looking for it. There's an ice cream place right next door called Sprinkles (which doesn't open until 2:00 or so), so one way or another you can get ice cream if you want it, at least when they're both open. Oh, and they only deliver for orders over $50. At least that's what the menu says.
This was decent pizza, in what I would call "Rochester style" - medium thick, a little heavy on the cheese and sauce, maybe a little greasy. It was OK for me, but not great. I'll give it a C.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Pizza Map added

I have added a map of local pizza places. It's at the bottom of the page. The green markers are for places I've reviewed, the red ones for places I haven't. Yellow means I've reviewed a different location of the same chain.
I'll try to keep the map accurate and up to date, but I don't guarantee that every local pizza place is on there (chain pizzerias mostly aren't marked), that the locations are completely accurate, or that the places marked are still in business. In other words, it's meant to be a useful tool, not a definitive guide. If you see any mistakes or glaring omissions let me know.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

J&L's Pizza, Fairport

J & L's Pizza Korner on Urbanspoon
J&L's Pizza, which has been serving pizza since 1978, is at the corner of Hogan Road and Route 31 in Fairport. It's a delivery and carry-out place with an extensive menu of pizza and other items.
My pepperoni slice, which was pretty fresh, was quite thin and floppy, with a soft crust that couldn't really hold up under the weight of the toppings. It was also one of the "wetter" slices I've had, with a pretty generous layer of sauce.
But let's get back to the crust. As I said, it had a soft texture, and was just a little browned on the bottom. The edge was relatively thick and crunchy.
The sauce, which was the dominant component, had a sharp, acidic flavor with some herbal notes, and, it seemed to me, a slight spiciness to it. The cheese - straight mozzarella as far as I could tell - was moderately applied and took a back seat to the sauce. The cup-and-char pepperoni had a good flavor, though it wasn't really cooked to the point of charred-around-the-edge crunchiness.
As I mentioned, J&L's has a big menu, with salads, wraps, calzones, a wide variety of subs, deli sandwiches, wings, quesadillas, fried fish and shrimp, and various sides. They also offer a lot of pizza toppings to choose from, including kalamata olives, fresh garlic, feta, ricotta and romano cheeses, and meatballs, to name a few. There are a few specialty pizzas, nothing too wild. The menu also says that they have a "new" "New York style thin" pizza available, but I can't imagine it being much thinner than my slice.
If this slice was supposed to be New York style, I'd say it fell short. I've said it before: New York style pizza does not just mean thin crust.
But leaving aside any preconceptions, this wasn't bad pizza. Not great, either, mind you; kind of a wimpy, floppy, nearly undercooked crust, and without a great crust you're never going to get great pizza. Still, it was decent, and the predominance of the sauce made it interesting and different from most other places. I'll give it a C+.