BJ’s Uno Express, East Syracuse

Wait – what? Pizza from BJ’s? Has the Pizza Geek lost his mind, or gotten lazy? Well, tonight I found myself stopping for supplies at BJ’s on the way home from work, and too hungry to wait until I got home. C’mon, haven’t you ever had a moment of weakness?

I know, you can’t expect much. It isn’t a pizzeria, just a snack station. They don’t make the sauce or dough on-site, they just assemble it and run it through a conveyor oven. But would you believe, I’ve had WORSE pizza from a “real” pizzeria?! I picked a slice of “6 cheese pizza” ($1.99 + tax), which was warmed by a partial trip through the conveyor oven. Some people say BJ’s stands for “Big Junk” (large sizes of everything), and that is the case here. A “slice” is actually two slices – 1/4 of a 16″ pie. Odd side note: BJ’s pizza is branded “Uno Express,” which puzzles me because Uno is generally noted for their deep dish Chicago-style pizza (I had one once, and it wasn’t very good, but that’s a story for another day).

The crust (a shell, actually) appears to have been baked right on the conveyor belt (see lines in the photo). Note the sign in the photo below, which calls it a cornmeal crust.  If hadn’t seen the sign, I never would have suspected it (and I still don’t). I noted some scattered crispiness, while at the same time the interior of the crust was a little soggy and spongy. The bottom was dry and dusty from flour, and not very brown. Crust thickness was a uniform 1/4″, with a small poofy expansion at the rim.

I don’t know how long the pizza was sitting on display before I received it, but it was long enough for most of the sauce’s moisture to soak into the crust and cheese, leaving behind a rather dry, pasty substance. It was bright red, with indistinct herbal notes, some visible spice flakes, and no real tomato flavor. Cheese was a little oily, salty (probably from the parmesan and romano), and appeared to be permeated with spice flakes. I have seen commercially prepared shredded cheese with spices mixed in before, and I’m guessing that’s what they used here.

Being very hungry helps a lot when you’re eating pizza like this. Getting it fresh from the oven wouldn’t hurt either. Interestingly, in spite of all the flaws I’ve mentioned, the whole is just a little better than the sum of its parts. Note below that I gave each component 2 stars, but the overall rating is a little higher. That happens sometimes, and it’s not just because I was very hungry. I looked at the list of other pizzerias rated 2.0 and 2.5, and I feel comfortable placing BJ’s pizza on par with the others that are rated 2.5 slices. You could do worse (and I have), but you should make every effort to do BETTER if you can. Don’t go shopping while hungry!

Summary – Pros: convenient location, inexpensive. Cons: pastey sauce; salty cheeses; tasteless crust.

What do YOU think? Have you ever taken convenience over taste? Click the comment link below and tell us about it!

Crust: **
Sauce: **
Cheese: **
Toppings: NA
Bang/Buck: **
Overall:

BJ’s, Two Chevy Drive, East Syracuse – 434-9100

Nino’s DeWitt Pizzeria, DeWitt (East Syracuse)

Sometimes I make myself crazy when I research a pizza shop online, because I find either inconsistent information, wrong information, or nothing at all. This happened with Nino’s DeWitt Pizzeria, and some of the wrong information is provided by Nino’s. First of all, the name – I’ve driven past this location for years, and recall several years ago when it’s sign said “Failla’s DeWitt Pizzeria” and “The Failla Family is BACK!” Now, the sign says “Nino’s DeWitt Pizzeria,” and in smaller print, “Failla, the Seal of Quality.”

Second, their printed menu lists the wrong web site URL (.net, when it really is .org). Third, at the time I first researched for this post, their web site mentioned three locations, even though there is currently just one, at 5980 Butternut Drive in DeWitt

The wonders of PhotoShop

(East Syracuse area); the site has since been updated. I believe the previous Cicero location is now Vito’s, and I couldn’t find any information about the Liverpool location.

Speaking of Vito’s in Cicero, note how their logo bears more than a little resemblance to Nino’s logo.

At any rate, on to the pizza. When I visited on a Saturday afternoon, I selected a cheese slice ($1.35 plus tax). By the way, during weekday lunch periods, you can score a cheese slice for $1.00. There are picnic tables just outside the door, but there is no provision for eating in.

This slice came from a 16″ pie, and was briefly warmed before serving. One of the first things I noticed is that although it was browned well underneath with good crispiness, the edge of the crust appeared underbaked. Even so, the edge still had some crispiness, and the overall crust flavor was decent. It had an “easy” bite and wasn’t too chewy. This was a pretty thin crust, without much interior structure.  The sauce was a basic “utility” sauce with a mild spice load and slight tomato flavor. Cheese had a good flavor, and wasn’t oily.

Overall, this pizza was well-balanced, with the crust, sauce and cheese proportioned well with each other. With better browning of the crust’s rim, and sauce with more personality, this could be a top-notch pizza. As it is, it earns a Pizza Geek rating of 3.5.

Summary – Pros: good cheese and crust flavor, excellent value. Cons: crust edge underbaked, somewhat bland sauce.

What do you think? Have you tried Nino’s pizza? What did you like or not like about it? Click the comment link below.

Crust: ****
Sauce: ***
Cheese: ****
Toppings: NA
Value: *****
Overall:

Nino’s (Failla’s) DeWitt Pizzeria (web site) – 5980 Butternut Drive, DeWitt (E. Syracuse) – 438-4300

Marty’s Place, Minoa

When you’re out in the country, it can be tricky to describe exactly where you are. Marty’s Place has an East Syracuse mailing address, is in the town of Manlius, and is just past the north edge of the village of Minoa, on Kirkville Road - at an intersection known to the locals as “Schepps Corner.” Got it?  I think most people would say this is Minoa, although I’ll tag it in the blog categories according to its zip code (E. Syracuse).  Delivery is offered; a small number of seats are available inside, with picnic tables outside.

Marty’s is attached to the Sunoco gas station at the corner of Kirkville Road and Minoa-Schepps Corner Road, the result of a renovation a couple of years ago that added the restaurant space. Yes I know, this is (gasp!) “gas station pizza,” but I felt they deserved a chance.  The pizza (and other food) is sold from a separate counter than the gas and convenience store side.  A fairly broad menu is definitely a step up from the average gas station restaurant offerings.

Most places that sells slices allows the pies to cool naturally, then reheat them just prior to serving. In this case, pizza was stored in a heated, revolving case, and was served directly from there.

I chose a cheese slice ($1.50 plus tax), which was cut from a 16″ screen-baked pizza. Even though it was well-browned, this was a very floppy slice, with no sign of crispiness anywhere. Perhaps the moist warming case causes the softness; that’s one of the weaknesses of sampling slices rather than fresh pies – you don’t know what it was like fresh. The crust wasn’t chewy or salty, and its taste generally stayed in the background.

The sauce was better than average – it was slightly sweet, mildly spiced, and had a slight tomato “tang.” The cheese was slightly chewy and tasted OK, but the amount was a little heavy.

All things considered, it was OK as “emergency pizza,” with a generally pleasant mix of flavors (especially if you like lots of cheese) - and it was inexpensive. The Pizza Geek rates it at 3.5 out of 5 slices.

Summary – Pros: good sauce, excellent value. Cons: super-soft floppy crust, lots of cheese.

What do you think?  Have you tried Marty’s pizza? Should gas station pizza be avoided? Click the comment link below.

Crust: ***
Sauce: ****
Cheese: ****
Toppings: NA
Value: *****
Overall:

Marty’s Place – 7595 Kirkville Road, Minoa – 656-7751

Trappers Pizza Pub, East Syracuse

Trappers Pizza Pub (5950 Butternut Drive, East Syracuse) has a lot going on. It’s a pizza joint. It’s a family restaurant. It has a kid’s game room. It’s a pub, with a bar full of large TVs and loud music. It’s a volleyball club. At 6:30 on a recent Wednesday evening, the parking lot was full, with two volleyball games underway outside under gray, cool skies. Inside, I was surprised by the level of activity at 6:30pm, and can imagine that it’s VERY busy on a sunny Friday or Saturday evening. There are plenty of booths available with table service, both near the bar and in a separate room. (Trappers II recently opened in Minoa; I assume that it offers similar pizza, but I’ll put it on the list for a future review.)

I opted for takeout, bringing home a 14″ (15″ actual measurement – notice how they slid the halves sideways to make it fit) that was half cheese, half with toppings (red onions, peppers and olives), $16.09 including tax (half toppings are apparently full price).  This is the only restaurant I’ve seen that lists both regular onions and red onions in the toppings menu. In my opinion, onions on a pizza should ALWAYS be red onions. It was nice to have the choice.

This crust started off with a little bit of crispiness on the edge, and heavy browning on the bottom (baked on the oven floor with no screen or pan). I say “started off” because this pizza underwent an interesting change between the first piece and the last. By the time we got to the end, the edge was no longer crispy, biting off a piece took great effort, and it was VERY chewy. I don’t recall experiencing a crust “seizing up” so dramatically as it cooled down. As far as taste goes, it was a basic thin crust with basic thin crust taste.

Sauce was bright red-orange, slighly over salted, with a generally light and non-distinct spice load (visible spice flakes), and not much fresh tomato taste. Cheese tasted much like the “average” Syracuse area pizza cheese, with moderate oil separation, lots of chewiness, and it quickly congealed as the pizza cooled. Toppings were fresh and tasty.

I have to give this pizza a major “ding” because of the extremely tough and chewy crust, especially about 30 minutes after it left the oven. We had one piece left over, but I doubt it will be eaten. Overall, it was a generally OK tasting pizza, but nothing to write home about. Contrary to the restaurant itself, there just wasn’t much going on with this pizza – no excitement.  The Pizza Geek rates it 3 out of 5 slices.

Summary – Pros: Excellent fresh toppings, table service. Cons: slightly over-salted sauce, extremely chewy crust, oily cheese.

What do you think? Have you had Trapper’s pizza? What did you like or not like about it? Click the comment link below.

Crust: ***
Sauce: ***
Cheese: ***
Toppings: *****
Value: ***
Overall:

Trapper’s Pizza Pub (web site) – 5950 Butternut Drive, E. Syracuse – 438-4444

Pavone’s Eatery, East Syracuse

Pavone’s Pizza has approximately 4 locations in the Syracuse area.  I didn’t have the patience to fully research it online, and a few locations have opened or closed in recent years.  Surprisingly, there is no web site for Pavone’s, and the online menu I found is a few years old.  This review is based on a visit to the Chimney’s Plaza location, at 5781 Bridge Street in East Syracuse.  This location features a clean, comfortable, modern dining room with ample seating.  In spite of the above-average dining room, this was still a paper plate and plastic fork operation, which seems to be the norm these days.

We ordered a 14″ NY style with green peppers and pepperoni on half (about $14.50 including tax).  It measured just over 15″, so I’m glad we didn’t go for the large.  This pizza was brought to the table on a metal pan, very hot, with no spatula for serving.  We carefully served it using a plastic fork.

The first thing you notice about this pizza is the stiff thin crust that is evenly, deeply browned on the bottom.  The edge was also browned, although not as much.  It was difficult to cut the tip off with a plastic knife on a thin paper plate, so I folded it to pick it up.  The crust had a perfect crispy soft exterior with a soft interior, and wasn’t overly chewey.  Salt level in the crust was a touch too high.

The menu board above the counter says the sauce is imported from Italy.  I’m assuming this means that either crushed or whole San Marzano tomatoes are used to prepare a local recipe, rather than a fully prepared imported sauce from a can.  Either way, the results show a lot of potential.  The texture and amount of sauce was just right, with ample fresh, tangy tomato taste.  From what I could tell, the spice load was well-balanced.  However, an excessive salt level ruined what is otherwise an excellent sauce.  As I’ve said before, some people love salty pizza, and some amount of salt is necessary, but this was way out of balance.

Cheese was very oily, turned somewhat orange, and congealed quickly as the pizza cooled.  The pepperoni was mild, the green peppers fresh and still slightly crisp.  Overall, this is pizza with a lot of potential.  The sauce would be virtually perfect without the excessive salt.  The crust was a tad too salty, but otherwise excellent.  Toppings were perfect.  Taking everything into consideration, the Pizza Geek gives this 3.5 out of 5 slices.

Summary – Pros: excellent crust texture, fresh toppings.  Cons: oily, congealed cheese, excessively salty.

What do you think?  Have I taken leave of my senses, and don’t recognize good pizza?  Click the comment link below.

Crust: ****
Sauce: ****
Cheese: ***
Toppings: *****
Value: ***
Overall:

Pavone’s Eatery – 5781 Bridge St – East Syracuse – 251-2500

Kosta’s Pizza House, East Syracuse

Put this one in the “can’t judge a book by its cover” category: Kosta’s Pizza House in East Syracuse.  A sign by the door notes that only cash is accepted, so as I walked in I was checking my wallet to make sure I was prepared. Kosta called over the counter with a heavy accent, “You have enough! No problem, you have enough!” Another Greek gentleman was standing near the counter talking with Kosta in Greek. A couple of businessmen were eating and talking quietly at a table, and a TV in the corner was tuned to Animal Planet. Several posters indicate that this is home to a Dallas Cowboys fan. Various other memorabilia decorates the walls, including an award from Ted and Amy (93Q) for “Best Pizza in East Syracuse – Minoa area.” A door leads outside to a seating area with patio tables and plastic furniture.

I felt somewhat like I was not walking in to a pizza place, but into someone’s kitchen. I don’t know for sure, but it is quite possible that the owners live on the 2nd floor above the shop. Kosta clearly enjoys his customers, and warmly greeted pickup customers that were obviously regulars. I think it is always a great sign to find someone “mature” behind the counter, rather than a staff that is all under 25 years old. There is no table service; delivery is available. Prices are modest. OK, on to the pizza…

Today I was in a mood for lots of toppings, so I decided on the ‘special,’ ($14.70, including tax, for a 16″ large), which includes pepperoni, sausage, peppers, onions, and mushrooms. At my request he placed the pepperoni and sausage only on one half (“Buddy, do you want the pepperoni and sausage on the left half, or the right half? Ha ha!”), and added olives. This is a serious amount of toppings, and I’m well aware that many people feel this is just too much for a pizza. OK then, on a future visit I’ll try a cheese pizza, and will post an update.

When I placed my order, Kosta disappeared into the back and emerged with a crust already in a thin pan. He opened the oven to pop the crust bubbles on pies already being baked, and I could see that they all were still in their pans. Fifteen minutes after placing my order, I paid and was on my way, with Kosta calling “Thank you, Buddy!” after me.

You might expect that a pizza baked in a pan is likely to have a thin layer of oil under the crust, resulting in a somewhat “fried” texture with an even golden-brown color, and that’s exactly the case here. Let’s call it “medium” thickness. It wasn’t possible to pick up and eat a slice, partly because the crust wasn’t stiff enough, but mostly because of having so many toppings. This one definitely required that you start with a fork.

The crust has a wonderful bready texture and flavor, with a light crackle in the rim. The flavor seems more robust and complex than a typical baked-on-the-stone crust, probably because of the oil used in the pan. Bubbles in the crust indicate a good rise time in the pan.

The sauce had a smooth, fresh texture with moderate tomato taste, a proper level of salt, and a gentle spice load that was dominated by rosemary. It was apparent that much of the spice and salt I tasted was from the pepperoni and sausage (one of the reasons my wife prefers meatless pizza), but it wasn’t objectionable to me, although some people would find it just a bit too spicy. The mushrooms and peppers were fresh.  Cheese was very good quality – not oily or gooey – and in just the right amount. I snuck a bite from my wife’s meatless half, and the flavor of all the veggies was well balanced against the crust, sauce and cheese.

All things considered, this was an excellent medium crust pizza. A great value, delivered with personality! Kosta’s Pizza House is well worthy of your consideration. The Pizza Geek gives it 4.5 slices.

What do you think?  Have you been to Kosta’s?  Did you like it?  Why or why not?  Please click the comment like below.

Summary – Pros: Tasty, crispy pan-baked crust, well-spiced sauce, excellent value. Cons: Not baked on the stone, sauce spice may be too strong for some.

Crust: ****
Sauce: *****
Cheese: ****
Toppings: *****
Value: *****
Overall:

Kosta’s Pizza House (menu) – 225 E Manlius St – E. Syracuse 13057 – 432-9943