Letchworth Pines

After driving by it countless times, I finally stopped into Letchworth Pines recently. It's just south of Letchworth State Park, where I hike now and then. From the sign out in front, I've known for a long time that they serve pizza, but I've just never had a good opportunity to stop in. By the time I'm done with a hike, I generally want to get home and take a shower.
This past Valentine's Day, though, I was returning home with my wife and daughter from visiting my mom, who lives in the Southern Tier. And it was about lunchtime, so this gave me the opportunity I was looking for.
Letchworth Pines is a bar/restaurant/bowling alley, the kind of place you find in places like Portageville, which, at least to an outsider, seems like more of a dot on the map than an actual community.
But clearly there is a community around here, as evidenced by the number of vehicles in the parking lot when we pulled in at about 1 p.m. Obviously there was some truth, at least that day, to Letchworth Pines' slogan on their website, that it's "the place to go ... when you're going out!"
On entering, I found a large room with a long bar along the far wall, a pool table to the right, and a raised dining area to our left. Off in the distance came the sounds of the bowling alley, which is separate from but adjoins the bar.
There were a few patrons at the bar, and a group of people in matching t-shirts shooting pool. The place had a countryish feel, with wood paneling (pine, I presume) throughout. Several large flat-screen TVs behind the bar were showing college basketball. We seated ourselves at a booth near the front window.
As you can see here, Letchworth Pines' pizza menu is not terribly extensive, but they do offer pizza in several sizes, and there are several "gourmet" pies available. I kept it simple, going with a small pizza with pepperoni and banana peppers. My wife and daughter opted for non-pizza items.
My small pizza (which could easily have been denominated a "medium") was medium thick, with a lightly browned underside. The crust was firm on the surface, with a soft interior, pliable, with a light "chew," but not floppy.
The toppings were basic but OK, with an adequate layer of nicely melted mozzarella, and a scattering of thin, slightly crisp pepperoni. The tomato sauce was generic but serviceable. My only complaint in the toppings department was that the banana pepper slices were a little skimpy and dried out. Not really worth the extra buck-twenty-five.
In all, our meal was pretty good, basic bar food. My wife's wings were meaty and crisp (a little too crisp for her taste, but I like them that way), and my daughter's "double meat" burger, with two patties, was appropriately charred, with just a little surface grease. The skin-on french fries were not  exactly crisp, but they weren't limp, and they had a reasonably good potato flavor.
Bottom line, this was decent pizza, nothing special, but OK. I don't know where the dough came from but it seemed to have been stretched, if not made, in house. Call it average, overall. The place itself was nice enough, an obvious gathering spot for local individuals, groups and families. And though we didn't avail ourselves of it this time, you've gotta love the bowling alley. I'll save it for my next visit.

Letchworth Pines, 6985 Fillmore Rd. (Rt. 19A, just south of Rt. 436), Portageville, NY 14536
(585) 468-2166
Sun.-Wed. noon - 10 p.m., Thu.-Sat. noon - 2 a.m.
letchworthpines.com

Uno Pizzeria & Grill, Henrietta

I don't often go to chain pizzerias, and I don't make it a point to review them. It's not simple prejudice; I just figure, reviewing a chain pizzeria is like reviewing McDonald's. Unless you just arrived from Mars, you already know what it's like, and there are scores if not hundreds of sites where you can get other people's reviews.
At the same time, this blog is a record of my pizza-eating experiences in the Rochester area. And I recently had occasion to dine on pizza at Uno Pizzeria & Grill in Henrietta, so I figured, why not do a review?
I was with a group of friends, and we shared two pizzas, as well as some sides. We got a "Numero Uno," topped with sausage, pepperoni, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and chunky tomato sauce, and mozzarella and Romano cheese. We also got a "Farmers Market" pie, with caramelized onions, spinach, sun-dried and plum tomatoes, eggplant, pesto, feta, mozzarella and Romano.
I thought about pushing for one of Uno's flatbread pizzas, but decided against it. I may go back and try it sometime, but this time around I wanted to stick with what their signature style.

As always, the starting point for me is the crust. There wasn't much difference between the two, so I'll describe it in the singular. The crust was more crunchy than chewy. It clearly had been made with some shortening--in other words, fat--but it was not oily or greasy. It was reminiscent of a pot-pie crust, only thicker and a little airier.
Which is not to say that I didn't like it. I don't want to get into the debate about whether deep-dish pizza is really pizza, or a casserole, but this crust had a nice light crunch, and made a good base for the toppings.
I can't claim to judge how good these were as Chicago deep-dish pizza, given my limited experience with the style. I'm not even sure that Chicagoans prefer it over Chicago thin-crust pizza. I think a lot of Chicagoans defend it, as a matter of honor, but also look at it as a style that's largely what tourists get, while the natives are enjoying thin-crust pizza.
All that aside, I liked this. As thick as it was, the crust wasn't dense, and it had a good mouthfeel:  a little crunchy, but not brittle or crumbly.
The toppings were good as well. I have an aversion to both mushrooms and eggplant (it's a texture thing), but I was willing to overlook that in deference to my compadres. I just tried to pick the slices without so much of either.
Both pies had a thick layer of well-melted cheese, and the other toppings were evenly balanced. The spinach leaves on the Farmers Market pie were wilted but not burned, and the sliced tomatoes were softened but not overly dried. And both pies had an appealing mix of flavors.
So both pies were pretty good. Despite my disdain for chain restaurants, that doesn't surprise me. I presume that Uno hasn't been as successful as it has without having done its research. They know what people like and what they don't, and they know how to replicate what people like, in multiple locations, with consistency.
I was a little surprised to learn that Uno's dough is made in house, as opposed to being shipped in from a central location. Of course it's made according to a recipe dictated by the corporation, but it was interesting to know that they don't simply get a truckload of dough every morning. The dough is made on site, and refrigerated overnight.
For what it does, Uno does a good job. I don't see it as a threat to local pizzerias, because deep-dish pizza will never take hold here as a dominant style, plus Uno simply has a different business model: it's primarily a casual chain restaurant, not a pizzeria.They've got the formula down, and they follow it well.
A grade? I think a B is appropriate here. This wasn't exceptionally good pizza, but it was enjoyable, and Uno is worth going to, if you're in the mood for this style. So a B it is.

Uno Pizzeria & Grill, 1000 Hylan Drive (across from Marketplace Mall)
Henrietta, NY 14467

585-272-8667
fax: 585-272-8719

The Pizza Stop: an Old Favorite, and Something New

Through a combination of circumstances, I recently went for over a week with no pizza. But after literally dreaming about pizza several times over that time, I knew it was time for a pizza fix.
And I knew it was time to get back to The Pizza Stop, one of my go-to places for great pizza. I've mostly been going to new places lately, which has meant neglecting some old favorites. But I can only stay away from them for so long.
When I walked in the door, I wasn't sure what to get, aside from a plain cheese slice. When I'm craving pizza, a plain cheese slice is still what I want.
But I was hungry enough for a second slice. I was initially inclined to get a Sicilian slice, but on the spur of the moment I got a slice of a more recent creation, a sweet-chili chicken and bacon slice.
I went back and forth between them, but started first on the latter. Both slices displayed the crust that puts The Pizza Stop among my top tier of local pizzerias. Thin, crackly yet pliable, with some interior chewiness, and with some charring underneath, but no burnt areas. If the room had been quieter, or if my hearing were better, I probably could've heard the crust cracking as I folded it. It's a classic New York slice, which to me is as good as it gets.
The chicken slice was generously laden with toppings, but not enough to overwhelm the crust, which still passed the "fold test." The drizzled-on sauce had a complex flavor, with sweet, smoky and spicy-hot notes. It well complemented the chunks of chicken and the crisp bacon bits.
Obviously, this is not for minimalist, pizza purists. But one thing to like about The Pizza Stop is that in addition to their classic pies, they're always trying out new combinations. Owner Jim Staffieri told me that coming up with ideas for new toppings and combinations is pretty much an ad lib process; "ideas just come." From there, it's a matter of gauging customer response.
As I mentioned, I went back and forth between these slices, but I saved the bulk of my bites for the cheese slice. To me, a plain cheese slice is the ultimate NY style pizza.
I will confess to having squeezed a bit of hot sauce between the cheese and the cornicione. I did the same, with sriracha, on the chicken slice. Pizza purists may take issue with that, but it's the eater's prerogative to doctor the slice any way you'd like, and I enjoy the extra kick that a squirt of hot sauce adds to the otherwise naked crust. That's why you see that red ring on the cheese slice.
Which was as good as ever. There's not much I can say about it that I haven't said before. When I'm eating a Pizza Stop slice, I could well be sitting somewhere in NYC. Crackly crust, well melted cheese, and just the right amount of tomatoey sauce to balance it all out.
If you haven't been there in a while, don't forget that The Pizza Stop has moved just up the street into bigger quarters. There's plenty of seating, they've also added a well-chosen selection of draft beer, and they've extended their hours of operation. In short, there's no reason not to go there, soon.

The Pizza Stop
131 State Street
Rochester, New York 14614

(585) 546-7252

Hours:
Monday - Thursday, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Friday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Saturday, 2 p.m. - 8 p.m.