Gregorio’s Pizza, Syracuse (West)

On Syracuse’s west side, Gregorio’s Pizzeria occupies a small corner spot at 1643 W. Genesee St. It could be easy to miss if you aren’t paying attention. However, based on some online comments I found, this is a family-run place that keeps the attention of faithful regulars. The menu includes typical pizzeria choices, and there is a tasty-sounding list of daily specials. There is no seating, not even a counter with stools; delivery is available ($10 minimum). Gregorio’s is open 7 days a week, but there is no lunch on Mondays.

Unlike most pizza restaurants, Gregorio’s uses sheet pizza for slices (12″ and 16″ round pizza is listed on the menu). My cheese slice ($1.50 incl. tax) measured about 6″ x 6″, and averaged 1/4″ to 1/2″ thickness. If you study the photo, it appears that the dough was allowed to rise for a while on the pan, resulting in the mottled browning pattern due to the buildup of CO2. Spiking the dough (pricking it with little holes) can sometimes alleviate this, but it didn’t seem to help much in this case. The bottom surface of the crust had the shiny, fried dough texture you usually get from a pan-baked pizza. It was a little bit crispy, very chewy, and generally bland.

Now, regarding the sauce – the Pizza Geek realizes that everyone has different preferences for how pizza sauce should be prepared. Personally, I believe that the less it is cooked, the better, because I prize a very fresh, tomatoey taste. I understand that at least some amount of cooking is usually necessary to remove moisture from the tomato product, but there comes a point when you leave behind the bright, fresh taste and begin to form a caramelized, orangey pastey sauce. Gregorio’s sauce is more like the latter, with a distinctly overcooked taste. The cheese absorbed some of the sauce and was rather orange as well, becoming a congealed sheet with spotty brown marks.

Overall, this pizza didn’t have anything notable to distinguish itself (in a positive way) from the majority of the other average pizzas I’ve reviewed. I understand that there are other, very tasty sounding items on the menu, and that regular customers will think it unfair for me to judge a restaurant by a single sample of just one item. But this blog is all about finding exceptional pizza, and this Gregorio’s slice comes in right in the middle of the average range, at 3 out of 5 slices.

Summary – Pros: inexpensive. Cons: overcooked, orangey sauce.

What do YOU think? Have you tried pizza from Gregorio’s? Are you a regular? If so, why? Click the comment link below and tell us about it!

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

Checker’s Family Restaurant & Pizzeria, Syracuse (West)

I found this restaurant by “accident” when I was crusing Syracuse’s west side for pizza. A couple of the places I had planned on visiting were not open for lunch, so I quickly swerved into the parking lot when I spotted it. It isn’t much to look at, but appearances can be deceiving, and the Pizza Geek will not rest until he’s tried ‘em all!

Dig around online and you’ll find mention of this restaurant, as well other “Checker’s” from the past, but it’s very hard to tell if any of the past or present “Checker’s” are related. Interestingly, the menu sheet I picked up says both “Under New Management,” and “Serving you since 2001.” Hmmm. While you ponder how both can be true, I’ll mention one other curious sentence from the menu: “Please call ahead for special timed orders during non-operating hours.” Umm…OK.

My heart sank a little when I was served a pan-baked slice from a warming case. I was warned by the server that the pizza had just come out of the oven – still, this 1/8th slice from a 16″ pie was soft, moist, chewy and floppy – and really not very hot. It’s somewhere between thin and medium thickness, but I’ll peg it as a medium thickness crust. As you often find on pan-baked pizzas, the crust had a mottled browning pattern, “fried dough” texture, and residual oil.

I peeled back the thick blanket of congealed, unremarkable cheese and found sauce with a lot of visible spice flakes. The sauce had an unusual, “sweet” characteristic that was obvious in every bite. I can’t tell how much was simply from sugar, and how much might have been a “sweetness” from the spices.

Overall, this pizza was pretty average – the kind of pizza that tastes better the hungrier you are. The taste was dominated by the “sweet”-ish taste in the sauce. Everything else about this pizza was, as I said, average – and I’ll rate it 3 slices out of 5.

Summary – Pros: inexpensive. Cons: strangely sweet sauce, oily crust.

What do YOU think? Do you have any experience with Checker’s Family Restaurant & Pizzeria? Click the comment link below and let us know.

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

Checker’s Family Restaurant & Pizzeria, 425-427 Milton Ave., Syracuse – 488-4141

Twin Trees Too, Syracuse (West)

What’s the fastest way to get several people from the office at the same place at the same time? Declare a group pizza review! There is never a problem finding volunteers for that. The hardest part is agreeing on where to go. When the four of us headed across town from the office at lunch time, we found our first choice was closed for summer vacation. A quick review of our choices brought us to Twin Trees Too, on Milton Ave in Syracuse’s west side.

There are five other Twin Trees locations, each run by a different branch of the Ross family. They share a name and perhaps some recipes, but you otherwise can’t tell that they are related. Each has a distinctly different personality: Avery Ave. (The original “TT”), Baldwinsville (“TT West” – same management as the original “TT”), Liverpool (“TT 57″), N. Syracuse (“TT III”), and E. Syracuse (“TT East)”. Not all of them have web sites, but here is a page with some additional information.  The physical restaurants themselves certainly differ – TT Too has large, comfortable dining areas and a bar with several TVs, whereas TT East is a delivery and takeout storefront only.

Does the pizza at one location represent what you’ll find at the others? From my limited experience with Twin Trees, and the comments of others, it sounds like they are pretty similar. I look forward to hearing from readers who DO know.

Our group of four sampled a pizza that measured about 15″, and was cross-cut into strips about 2.5″ wide. Half was cheese, half was peppers, pepperoni and sausage. Right off the bat, one member of our party wanted to emphasize his dissatisfaction with the way it was sliced. At his request, I’ll quote him verbatim: “Don’t f#*% with the triangle slices!” Everyone nodded in agreement. By the way, TT East offers slices, and they are regular triangle cut; I can’t say how whole pies are sliced at TT East.

The pan-baked, medium thickness crust had a crisp edge and good rise (large bubble structure), but was soft and spongy underneath, thanks to the moisture from the sauce and toppings. Add some toppings to a soft and floppy crust, cut it into thin strips, and you’re forced to eat the majority of it with a knife and fork.

This pizza had a pretty decent sauce, with a moderate spice load, and good slightly chunky texture. It was slightly salty, slightly acidic, and not sweet. Cheese was applied just a little on the heavy side, but generally in the right proportion to the crust and sauce. It was somewhat stringy and had a moderate amount of oil separation, but tasted good. My biggest complaint about the toppings was that the pickled peppers carried a very heavy vinegar smell and taste. That’s easy to fix – just use fresh toppings!

For the overall rating, I asked those at the table to chime in. One rated it 4 slices out of 5, the rest of us pegged it at 3.5. That places it right in the “average” range – good, but not great.

Summary – Pros: good sauce. Cons: cross-cut slices, pickled peppers.

What do you think? How does Twin Trees compare between locations? Click the comment link below and let us know.

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

Twin Trees Too – 1029 Milton Avenue, Syracuse, NY – 488-6066

Pie Shack, Syracuse (West)

I enjoy a GOOD pizza surprise – you’re driving through an area you don’t usually frequent, you see a pizza place you’ve never heard of with an “OPEN” sign in the window, and you make in impulsive decision to check it out. And it is really good! This is what happened recently at lunchtime, and the happy surprise was Pie Shack on the corner of Erie Blvd. W. and Willis Ave. Many people would probably think of this as Solvay, but the map indicates it is just barely on the Syracuse side of the border, literally a stone’s throw from Solvay.

Another happy surprise is that I arrived shortly after the pizza came out of the oven. My cheese slice was 1/8th of an 18″ pie ($1.65 incl. tax). I have to say this carefully because I have limited experience with true NY City pizza, but this was what I consider to be a “classic” NY style thin crust. The crust was very thin, crispy, foldable, not chewy, with a good rise, good interior structure, and very brown bottom.

Sauce was very good – moist & fresh, with a mild tomato flavor, light spice load, a small amount of visible spice flakes, and a touch of garlic. The cheese was not oily or salty, and smooth tasting with no “off” notes.  You can see in the picture that the cheese was not over-applied – you can actually see the sauce.

Overall, the balance of crust, sauce and cheese was excellent, and it made my taste buds very happy. The Pizza Geek highly recommends it. This was one of those occasions when I wished I had a second slice, or a third – thin crust pizza like this goes down so easily. Thinking back to the few other highly rated pizzas I’ve had so far, this one compares quite favorably. I’ll give it 4.5 slices out of 5.

UPDATE (Sep 9, 2011) – A little while ago we got a couple of pizzas for the office, and they weren’t as good.  VERY skimpy on the toppings, and the wonderful flavor I experienced with the slice wasn’t there.  The sauce was dried out somewhat.  I’m dropping the rating to 4.0.

Summary – Pros: excellent balance of flavors. Cons: too far from my office.

What do you think? Have you tried the pizza from the Pie Shack? Click the comment link below and let us know.

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

Pie Shack – 1210 Willis Ave, Syracuse – 468-0330

Patsy’s Pizza, Syracuse (West)

This would not be the first time I visited a pizza shop that claimed to be “voted Syracuse’s best pizza,” but it WOULD be the first time that: a) they could identify the pollster (Syracuse New Times); and: b) they got so much mileage from it.

Obviously Patsy’s Pizza (not to be confused with the legendary Patsy’s Pizzeria in New York) is very proud of this distinction. When you visit their web site, it is impossible to miss the “Best of Syracuse 2009″ graphic. When you walk in the shop, employees are all wearing “Best of Syracuse” t-shirts (the shirts are advertised on the web site also), a sample shirt is hanging by the front counter, two large posters below the counter also show the “Best of Syracuse” graphic, and a marker board by the register encourages patrons to submit votes for the 2010 “Best of Syracuse” award. OK, so they’re happy to be voted the “best,” but I think it all might be just a WEE bit over the top. Remember, when you brag and work so hard to build up expectations, you’d better deliver.

Interestingly, I first learned of Patsy’s Pizza when I was reviewing pizza at another shop, and saw an ad on the back of the Syracuse New Times for Patsy’s Pizza. You guessed it, the “Best of Syracuse 2009″ award graphic was prominently featured. The Pizza Geek saw this as a bit of a challenge, and I made a mental note to check it out.

It is possible you’ve never heard of Patsy’s Pizza (I’ve lived in the area for 21 years, and never heard of it until reading the ad I mentioned above), because it is slightly out of the way, along the railroad tracks on the west side of the city, just east of where Genesee and Erie cross near the bridge. There is ample seating, delivery is available, and the shop does have the “mature” feel of a restaurant that has been around a while (since 1982). A steady stream of counter customers, and numerous customers already seated give evidence of lots of repeat business.

I visited at lunchtime, and picked up a cheese slice ($1.85 plus tax), which was a 1/8th cut from a 16″ shallow pan-baked pie. It was reheated directly (or “naked”) in the oven. I would call it a thin crust, with a slight crispiness, slightly oily on the bottom, rather chewy, with moderate “fried dough” taste and mottled browning pattern.

As sauce goes, this was above average – bright red, fresh tasting, not salty or sweet, with moderate tomato taste, and a mild spice load with visible spice flakes. Cheese was also above average – mild, not salty, soft and not oily, and was not over-applied.

Overall, this was a good pizza, and I can recommend it. The balance of crust, sauce and cheese was very good. It went down easily, and didn’t leave an unpleasant aftertaste (yes, I’m talking about pizza, not a drink!) The best pizza in Syracuse? A decent try, but not quite. The Pizza Geek rates it 4 out of 5 slices.

Summary – Pros: sauce and cheese both have good quality and flavor. Cons: adequate crust, but not up to par with the sauce and cheese.

What do you think? Do you like Patsy’s Pizza? Did you, or will you vote for them in the “Best of Syracuse” contest? Click the comment link below and let us know.

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

Patsy’s Pizza – 1205 Erie Blvd W, Syracuse – 472-4626