Two Guys From Italy Pizzeria and Buffet, West Monroe

It is my pleasure to introduce you to Two Guys from Italy Pizzeria & Buffet in West Monroe. In case the location is unfamiliar to you, West Monroe is just few miles east of I-81, on the north side of Oneida Lake. A lot of the commuting traffic from areas north of Oneida Lake funnels down route 49 through West Monroe, over to I-81 by Central Square, so I suspect quite a few people know about Two Guys, and perhaps pick up some food on the way home.

This restaurant has a lot going for it – Sunday breakfast buffet, weekend dinner buffet, sports bar, large rustic dining room, ice cream stand in season, wide delivery area from Constantia to Brewerton, weekly Classic Car Night during warmer weather, and is reachable by snowmobile in the winter.

I occasionally pass by Two Guys on business, so I’ve sampled full pies (with toppings) numerous times. Today’s review and pictures are for a single cheese slice (1/4th of a 14″ pie, $1.62 incl. tax), picked up during the middle of a weekday afternoon. This would be classified as medium crust pizza, baked on a screen. Screen baking can be a nice alternative to an oiled pan, because you avoid the oily, fried dough characteristics of pan baking. This is probably the thickest crust I’ve seen that was NOT baked on a pan. The crust has good structure and texture, is browned well, is not overly chewy or tough, and has a pleasing bread-like crustiness without being brittle or overly crispy.

The sauce had a pleasing tangy quality, was both slightly acidic and very slightly sweet, carried a light spice load with visible spice flakes, and had just the right amount of moisture. Cheese was slightly browned, slightly oily, and not salty. Although there were no toppings on this sample, I recall from previous visits that toppings were fresh, plentiful, and tasty.  One caution about toppings: this starts out as a moist pizza, so if you add several toppings with lots of moisture – mushrooms, peppers, onions, etc. – then you can have a somewhat wet pizza; not really a flaw, just a fact of pizza life.

Overall, this pizza was well-balanced, with just the right amount of sauce and cheese for the medium thickness crust. Pizza lovers who prefer a more substantial crust, but don’t like the oiliness of pan pizza will really enjoy this. If you have several toppings, just a couple of slices will be very filling. Now, before I give you my rating, I have to point out that when I tried the weekend buffet, the food was not particularly inspiring. The PIZZA is the star here.

I’ve been waffling between 4 and 4.5 for a rating. I really can’t think of any glaring pizza defects, and the large dining room with friendly table service are (unfortunately) rare these days, so that leads me to give Two Guys’ pizza a very high mark – 4.5 out of 5 slices.

Summary – Pros: balanced flavor, nice dining room, table service. Cons: none really.

What do YOU think? Do you like the thicker pizza from Two Guys? Click the comment link below and let us know.

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

Two Guys from Italy Pizza & Buffet, Route 49, West Monroe – 676-5777