Riccardi’s Pizzeria, Syracuse (Downtown)

Riccardi’s Pizzeria, 230 West Genesee Street, offers delivery, takeout, and a large dining area from a storefront that’s just one block from Clinton Square. Parking can be a challenge, so I’d guess that a lot of the business comes from people who work or live within walking distance. Joe and Carrie Riccardi opened this location in May, offering a typical menu of pizzeria food, featuring New York style pizza. By the way, the Post-Standard and Syracuse.com recently took a look at Riccardi’s.

On my first visit, I picked up a cheese slice (1/8th of a 20″ pie, $2.00+tax). This was a very thin crust, thinner than I’ve ever seen from a pizza this big. It was less than 1/4″ thick, except for the rim. The reheating crisped the bottom quite a bit, leading to the cracking that you can see in the photo. I noted reasonably good interior structure, although the rim stayed squished where I held it, rather than springing back. At any rate, the crisp bottom made it possible to hold this rather large slice without much droop.

The sauce had a little more processed taste than the average pizza. It was applied a little on the thin side, some spice flakes were visible, and the spice load was mild overall. Cheese had a little oil separation, and was applied in good proportion to the crust and sauce. Overall, I felt the slice “worked” well, with the ingredients in good proportion, a pleasant taste, and I gave it a 4 slice rating. My notes from that visit said it was “good NY style.”

Before I had a chance to write a review based on the slice, one of the guys at the office said, “Let’s go out for pizza soon, you can review it – how about Riccardi’s?” I didn’t have the heart to tell him I had just been there (we’ve had that kind of discussion before), so a few weeks later we brought a group of 5 to Riccardi’s for lunch. We ordered two large pizzas, one with half pepperoni, the other with onions, peppers, mushroom and sausage (there were wings also, which everyone enjoyed). These were both 18″ large, listed on the menu board at $10.99 plus toppings.

As with previous reviews that took place with a group from the office, it was a challenge to inspect the pizza and make notes before the pizza was all gone. Just like the slice I mentioned above, this pizza was very thin, 1/4″ or less, and about 1/2″ thick on the rim. The earlier slice was much stiffer because of being reheated. Slices from the fresh pies were very floppy, and needed to be folded, rolled up, or eaten with a knife and fork.

This time, the sauce seemed a little more plentiful than it was on the earlier slice. It’s likely that some of the moisture soaks in to the crust and cheese as it cools. It was a fairly “loose” or moist sauce, with color trending more toward orange than red. There wasn’t much fresh tomato taste, it was a bit salty, and the spice load was mild and indistinct. Some of the spice I was tasting appeared to be from pepper that was added to the top just before baking.

The cheese was applied in an appropriate amount for a very thin crust. It was a little orangey, and there was some oiliness, but not enough oil to be a big problem. Green peppers and mushrooms were apparently from a can, rather than fresh as the Pizza Geek prefers. The sausage and pepperoni were fine. The moisture level on these pizzas was pretty high, especially on the one with the onions, peppers, mushrooms and sausage. You have to expect that when there are lots of toppings, and that’s probably one reason why some NY Style pizza afficianados say you should never use more than one or two toppings.

I asked the others at the table how they would rate this pizza. One of them spent about a year working (and eating pizza) in Manhattan, another used to travel and eat out a lot, and a third just loves to eat pizza. They generally liked it, and settled on a rating between 3.5 and 4. I thought it was generally OK, but not spectacular, so on this occasion I gave it a Pizza Geek rating of 3.5. I think the differences between this pizza and the slice from before is that the slice had a crisper crust from the reheating, and the sauce seemed to taste a little better on the slice.  Also, both the slice and the fresh pies were rather salty.

Hang on, we’re not done yet! Before I had a chance to write the review based on the slice and the pies the group had, someone ordered Riccardi’s pizza for a lunch-time party at the office. Carrie Riccardi and another employee brought 7 large pizzas, wings and drinks. I thought, “This is good…I can have another sample, and can get more comments from others.” Plus, it’s very cool when it’s the boss’s treat!

We had cheese, mushroom, pepperoni, and veggie pizzas, cross-cut to help accomodate the large number of people from the office who would be coming through. I grabbed a couple of pepperoni slices, a couple of veggie, and headed back to my desk. The long slender pieces were easiest to eat by lifting them high, tilting your head back and lowering them in. The taste was substantially similar to what I described above. This time, however, it seemed even more “orangey.” When a pizza (particularly a thin one) is baked, it can boil the sauce up through the cheese and turn it orange and oily, which alters the texture and taste of the cheese (much chewier, for instance). As before, the sauce had a processed or cooked texture and taste, and pepper was visible on top of some of the pies. Also, I again noted the tendency for the crust rim to stay squished where I held it between my fingers. The interior of the crust had a very fine bubble structure, and was a little gummy under the sauce.

A little later, when I bumped into some coworkers near the water cooler, I asked how they liked it. They shrugged their shoulders, scrunched their faces and said, “It was OK.” Nobody likes to criticize free pizza. For whatever reason, it didn’t seem quite the same as what we had in the restaurant – actually a notch below it. Taking all things in to consideration, concentrating on the whole rather than the individual parts, I decided to give the party pizza a Pizza Geek rating of 3 out of 5 slices.

So, with three somewhat different experiences, how do we settle on an overall rating? Does this mean the product is inconsistent, or rather that the conditions (delivery vs. eat in, slice vs. fresh pie) account for the variation? I don’t really know. In trying to decide between a 3 and 3.5 overall rating, I looked back at other pizzerias with those ratings, and still couldn’t decide. The office party pizza was a 3, the eat-in pizzas were 3.5, and the slice was a 4, so I’ll split the difference and settle on 3.5.  If you decide to find out for yourself, please come back here and post your comments.

Summary – Pros: good thin crust. Cons: canned peppers and mushrooms, orangey cheese, salty.

What do YOU think? Have you tried pizza from Riccardi’s? Do you agree with my review? Click the comment link below and tell us about it!

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

Niko’s Pasta, Pizza & Deli – Syracuse (Downtown)

At the busy downtown corner of S. Warren and E. Water Streets, you’ll find the familiar landmark of Niko’s Pasta, Pizza & Deli, a long-time family business. It’s not just the corner that is busy; when I visited during a weekday lunchtime, it was obvious that Niko’s is a popular lunch spot. The menu includes a broad selection of hot and cold sandwiches, pasta, salads, wings and of course, pizza.

With a name like Niko’s, you’d expect “Greek Style” pizza, and it was. What is Greek pizza? There are probably as many definitions as there are people. Here’s a start: Greek Pizza.  I was accompanied by one of the guys from the office, who was hoping we would order a fresh pie. I’d normally be agreeable to that, but for some reason I went the slice route, with one cheese ($2.08 +tax) and one with sausage, pepperoni and onion ($2.95 +tax). These slices were each a little larger than average, 1/6th of an 18″ pizza.

The first thing I noticed was the unusual browning pattern, with a much lighter zone all around the edge. It must have to do with the pan, and how it contacts the oven floor. At an average of 1/2″ thickness, I’d call it a medium-thick crust. There was essentially no rise in the rim, so it was basically the same thickness all the way to the edge. It was not particularly oily, and was somewhat dense and chewy.

Sauce was actually pretty good: slightly salty, slightly sweet, with a good tomato “punch” and acidity, and a mild spice load. The cheese had some oil separation, was browned in spots, took on some yellowish-orangeish coloration, and was congealed back into a sheet. Still, the cheese tasted better than it looked. Pepperoni was applied sparingly (only 4, possibly 5 pieces on a rather large slice), was very thin, and didn’t have much flavor. The sausage was in small, dark, overcooked chunks, and the small amount of onion was thinly sliced and somewhat burned.

Overall, this pizza was not particularly noteworthy, not something you’d rave to your coworkers or family about, and not something you’d go out of your way to eat. It was OK to eat if you were already there. The reasonably decent sauce saves it from a lower rating – the Pizza Geek gives it a score of 3 out of 5 slices.

Summary – Pros: tasty sauce. Cons: bland pepperoni, uninspiring crust.

What do YOU think? Have you tried pizza from Niko’s? Click the comment link below and tell us about it!

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

Anthony’s Pasta Bar, Syracuse (Downtown)

Several guys at the office know that I review pizza, and right around payday they start suggesting that we make another group lunch trip. I give them credit for being willing to keep trying new places; many people don’t have any sense of culinary adventure, preferring to go with what they know. Anthony’s Pasta Bar was my suggestion, largely because I had a $10 gift certificate (I’m also a Cheap Geek), and because the sign outside advertises “Brick Oven Pizza.” I was a little cautious about trying pizza at a restaurant without “pizza” in the name, but it worked out just fine.

Anthony’s Pasta Bar is located on Hanover Square, just one block east of Clinton Square, and across the square from Niko’s and Bull & Bear Pub. It’s a relatively small storefront, simply decorated with a counter at one end (sort of a bar, but no bottles or glasses are visible), booths along the walls, and tables down the middle. The ceiling appears to be an original, old, stamped tin ceiling. I think it could best be described as a small Italian Bistro, with a rather large and varied menu of soup, salad, panini, pasta and pizza.  Beer and wine is also served.

Our group was, of course, all about the pizza. It comes in one size only: 10″ personal. We decided to order four different versions and share them. Our server delivered the order to the kitchen, then returned to inform us that they were “out of dough – only 1 left!” It seemed a bit odd, to say the least, since it was lunchtime. We quickly made alternate selections, but then our server returned yet again to inform us that “we found the dough!” So, it was back to the original plan. How do you lose your dough? Our server explained that the kitchen was being remodeled, the coolers were being moved, and the cooler with the dough was not where it usually is, so they temporarily lost track of it.

Approximately 15 minutes later, all four pizzas arrived. Now before I comment on the pizza, I have to confess that some of my usual geeky observations were not made due to lack of time. Think about it: you are with three other hungry guys who aren’t going to be writing a review. He who hesitates goes hungry! It was all I could do to hold them off long enough to get pictures! I didn’t pull out the tape measure, but I believe the plates were about 11″ to 12″ diameter. Each pizza ended up in a somewhat oval shape, so I guess you could say that they “averaged” 10″. They were cross-cut (not “triangles”), which the Pizza Geek and coworkers normally don’t like. However, on pizza this size, it really didn’t matter.

My first bite was from the Margherita pizza. Briefly, for those who are not familiar, Margherita pizza uses three main items: 1) tomato – either slices, chunks, or sauce; 2) cheese – often fresh mozzarella, but sometimes regular shredded mozzarella (and possibly blended with other cheeses); 3) basil. The point of those ingredients is that the colors match the Italian flag. This Margherita featured thick tomato slices, a good covering of cheese, basil, and garlic olive oil. You could say that it was much like a garlic pizza, with tomato slices added. The fresh basil appeared to have been applied before baking (many restaurants add it AFTER baking.) The taste didn’t seem to be affected though; it was a wonderful, hot, fresh blend of all the component flavors. Garlic flavor was VERY strong, which I rate as a plus.

Next, I tried the sausage, peppers and onions. If our server mentioned where the sausage comes from, I missed it, but I do remember her saying that “Anthony refuses to use Gianelli sausage.” It was somewhat spicy, but not overpowering, and I think it had a finer texture than Gianelli. Red onions were used, which I think is best for pizza because of flavor and color. Peppers were sweet red peppers that carried a little vinegar taste; fresh peppers would have been better, but it was still OK. Overall, this pizza was also a delight for the senses, with a fabulous blend of flavors.

The third pizza was listed on the menu as the “Tutto” (which basically means “everything”): pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, peppers and onions. It was pretty similar to the pizza in the previous paragraph, so everything I said about that one applies, with the addition of pepperoni and fresh mushrooms (duh). Once again, the flavors blended perfectly.  I think this was my favorite of all the pizzas we sampled.

Finally, the chicken wing pizza, described on the menu as “chicken tenders in a medium hot sauce with mozzarella.” The “chicken tenders” were actually rather small slivers of chicken. There was a nice quantity of chicken wing sauce, medium hot as advertised, and it was fully covered by mozzarella. I’ve never had chicken wing pizza before, and don’t have anything to compare it to, but I really enjoyed it. One of my coworkers HAS had it elsewhere, and he said this was the best one he’s ever had. I don’t know that I’d want a whole meal of it, though; this strikes me more as an appetizer for a group. The menu lists six other pizza variations, and you can also design your own.

The crust for each of these pizzas was from the same dough. It was a generally thin crust that was somewhat thicker and poofier at the edge. Interior structure was very good, with evidence of a good rise and careful handling (which preserves the CO2 bubbles that grow during the rise). It seemed to be a little less gluteny and softer than the average pizza dough, meaning that it was less chewy and more “delicate” in texture, with a nice bread-like quality. With regard to the bread-like quality, our server did say that the same dough is used for their dinner rolls. My only real criticism of the dough is that it could have been baked just a little longer; it was still rather white on top. Some parts of the rim did have some crispiness, and the bottom of the crust that was in contact with the stone was generally well-browned. We all did enjoy the crust, as evidenced by the fact that not one “pizza bone” (uneaten pizza crust) remained.

I have to confess that I really didn’t notice the sauce. My usual practice is to pull back the cheese and carefully inspect and taste the sauce. If I had done that this time, that one slice is probably all I would have gotten! I’m not saying my coworkers are pigs or eat fast, but this was exceptionally good pizza and nobody was going to wait for me to do the usual routine. Suffice to say that it must have been good, because you quickly notice if there isn’t enough, or if it’s bland or aggressively bad in some way.  The cheese was excellent: melted, soft, mild, and not oily or salty.

Each pizza we sampled was very delicious, with well-balanced flavor; the ingredients worked perfectly together. At an average of 10″ diameter, I think this is primarily an “eat-in” pizza, not something you’d normally think of picking up or having delivered for a meal, although you certainly could. Delivery from the entire menu is offered, and catering services are available. One good way to understand the personality of Anthony’s is to consider that this is the type of place you could take a date. At the same time, you can stop in for a casual lunch, either alone, or with friends or coworkers. This is a welcome change from the majority of pizza places that are just a “hole-in-the-wall” which manufactures pizza.

With a little better browning of the crust’s rim, and fresh peppers, this pizza could genuinely earn a perfect 5 slice rating. The “flaws” I’ve listed would normally knock it down to 4.5 or even 4.0, but in the end, it is the way your mouth and brain responds when you’re eating it that matters most.  So, comparing it to my other top pizzas in the Syracuse area, I feel comfortable giving it a rating of 4.75 out of 5 slices.  Congratulations Anthony – it was great pizza, and the Pizza Geek highly recommends it!

Summary – Pros: fresh, complex flavor. Cons: crust slightly underdone, vinegary peppers.

What do YOU think? Have you made the trip downtown to Anthony’s Pasta Bar? Click the comment link below and tell us how it was!

Note: Starting with this review, I’m changing from “Value” to “Bang/Buck” in the ratings below.  The intention is to consider the taste and quality against the price, and evaluate if you’re getting your money’s worth.

Crust: ****
Sauce: *****
Cheese: *****
Toppings: ****
Bang/buck: ****
Overall:

Anthony’s Pasta Bar, 126 E. Genesee St., Syracuse – 422-4669