In this part of Jamesville, it is a matter of convenience. I know someone who lives nearby Chip’s Deli, and he often gets his pizza here largely because it is convenient. Think “convenience store” without gas or a car wash, and you basically have Chip’s Deli, located roughly halfway between Jamesville and I-81 on E. Seneca Turnpike. It took me two tries to get a slice, even though I was stopping in the middle of the day.
My sample slice was 1/8th of a 16″ pan-baked pie, $1.50 plus tax. It was a thin crust, around 1/4″. Although it wasn’t oily, it did have some amount of fried dough taste and texture on the bottom, with a little crispiness at the edge. I noticed that it was spiked to prevent large bubbles during baking. For convenience of preparation, I’m guessing that dough is allowed to rise on the pan for some time before baking, so spiking the dough is probably a good move. The long rise does give a very nice interior structure.
The sauce had a very middle-of-the-road taste, I think. It was mostly absorbed into the crust and cheese, so it was basically impossible to find any. The cheese was a little oily, had some brown spots, and had congealed into a sheet that was easily peeled back (I was looking for sauce, remember?) I’d say the cheese had a generally average, non-offensive taste.
Considered as a whole, this slice was actually slightly better than the sum of its parts. That happens now and then; you pick away at the flaws in the components, but the overall taste is still OK. I would have preferred that reheating was offered. It wouldn’t necessarily have improved the flavor – I just prefer to eat warmer pizza. Overall, it was a slightly better than average, non-offensive taste, and the Pizza Geek gives it a rating of 3.5 out of 5 slices.
Summary – Pros: inexpensive. Cons: invisible sauce, chewy soft crust, congealed cheese.
What do YOU think? Have you tried pizza from Chip’s Deli? Do you agree with my review? Click the comment link below and tell us about it!
Crust: ***
Sauce: ***
Cheese: ***
Toppings: NA
Bang/Buck: ****
Overall:
