Dorian’s Gourmet Pizza & Deli, Syracuse (SouthEast)

Just east of Syracuse University you will find the “Westcott Nation,” a colorful and diverse neighborhood centered on Westcott Street. In the heart of it is Dorian’s Gourmet Pizza & Deli, almost as well-known to SU students, staff and area residents as the “big three” pizza shops of Marshall Street.

For this review, I chose a pepperoni slice (1/6th of a 16″, $2.35 incl. tax). This was a generally thin pizza, baked on a pan. Based on the mottled browning pattern, it was allowed to rise for some time on the pan. It was moist but not very oily, floppy, with some crispness at the edge.  Crust taste was unremarkable.

The sauce had a rather subdued, slightly sweet flavor. It looked good, with good color and some spice flakes, but I had trouble picking up on much spice or tomato flavor. Cheese was better than average, although just a smidge oily. It pulled off in big pieces even though it was warm and soft. The amount was good in proportion to the crust and sauce.

Average pizza can sometimes be elevated by good toppings, and that was the case with this slice. The pepperoni had a just-right level of “zing.” By being careful where I took bites, it was possible to get some pepperoni in most of them. Without it, this would have been a very mild and plain slice. If you like mild, floppy, pan-baked pizza, you may like it more than I did. The Pizza Geek gives Dorian’s pizza a rating of 3.5 out of 4 slices.

Summary – Pros: good pepperoni. Cons: bland sauce.

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

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

Franco’s Pizzeria and Deli, Syracuse (SouthEast)

Franco’s Pizzeria and Deli is on the northern edge of what I would consider the “University” district, at 901 E. Genesee St., on the corner opposite from Syracuse Stage. With the exception of 3am to 7am (8am Sunday), they are pretty much always open. There is the usual collection of pizza, wings, pasta, burgers, salads and subs, along with breakfast, cake, cookies, cheesecake, cannoli and candy bars. A lot of the customer traffic probably comes in on foot, since parking is mostly on the street and not very plentiful.

Note in this picture that a very wide variety of pizza choices are available. On the top shelf, stuffed luna, which looked very thick and very filling. For my lunch, I chose two slices – one cheese, and one meat lover’s ($5.18 incl. tax). These were 1/8th cut from 16″ pies, and briefly warmed in the oven.

This is pan baked pizza, and when I flipped it up for a look underneath, I first noticed the apparent “spiking” of the dough (which helps prevent trapped air, and keeps the dough in better contact with the pan). Then, a bit of oven soot. Although this is pan baked pizza, which should keep the ovens (and the pizza) pretty clean, the slices were warmed directly on the stone, so I assume that’s how the black particles came into play.

The crust was pretty typical for a pan baked pizza: medium thickness, splotchy browning pattern, a little crispy underneath and more crispy at the edge, slightly oily, and slightly soft & chewy. It appeared to be well-risen, with a good bubble structure. Sauce was just a tad skimpy, but when I found a little pocket, I was rewarded with a good, tangy, acidic tomato “zing.” It was also just a little salty, mildly spiced with visible spice flakes, and generally a pretty good sauce.

Cheese was soft, not oily, not browned, and pretty much as good as cheese can be on a pizza. A little parmesan was also sprinkled on top before baking. The meat toppings were in nice small pieces, above average in quality and taste.

Overall, this was pretty good pizza. I would have liked a tiny bit more sauce, and I’ve also dinged it a little for the soot on the bottom. On the other hand, it had a well-balanced, “mature” and enjoyable taste. The Pizza Geek rates it 4 out of 5 slices.

Summary – Pros: well-balanced flavor; excellent toppings, cheese and sauce. Cons: soot on bottom; needs a tiny bit more sauce.

What do YOU think? How would you rate Franco’s Pizzeria? Click the comment link below and let us know.

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

Franco’s Pizzeria and Deli, 901 E. Genesee St., Syracuse – 475-1100

Varsity Pizza, Syracuse (SU Campus)

When a restaurant that has been around for over 80 years doesn’t have a web site, it is probably because it doesn’t need to. Varsity Pizza fits that description. It has been a popular spot for inexpensive food for many decades, and just about everyone has been there, or at least knows about it. Locals are just as common and welcome as SU students. Seating is “cafeteria style,” with long tables in the center, and some booths along the side. The menu includes basic inexpensive pizza and campus diner essentials.

This is the third of my visits to the “big three” of the Marshall Street area pizza shops – Acropolis, Cosmos and Varsity. Each restaurant features a pretty good variety of inexpensive food, has been around for decades, and each has a strong, unique personality. You won’t go seriously wrong eating at any of these restaurants, but their pizza is NOT created equal.

My cheese slice at Varsity was a 1/8th cut from a 16″ shallow pan baked pie. As with most pan baked pizza, this was a medium thickness crust with a mottled browning pattern, was slightly oily, and soft, floppy and chewy. Only the bottom was significantly browned – the crust rim was fairly white. The sauce had more of a cooked flavor than fresh, was rather sparse, had some visible spice flakes, and a mild spice load. Cheese was basically good, with a little oil separation and oranginess from the sauce.

Overall, my impression of this pizza was only average. There was nothing distinctively good, and nothing terribly bad. Comparing this to Acropolis, which is also baked on a shallow pan and appears very similar at first glance, Acropolis has the edge because the sauce tastes fresher and is more plentiful, and the crust has better breadlike flavor. Acropolis also has more cheese than Varsity, which is a plus or minus depending on your preference. Cosmos is a completely different animal than Acropolis or Varsity, with a thin crispy crust and spicier than average sauce.

It is tough to choose a “winner” from the big three, because I found Cosmos and Acropolis equally appealing, and equally affordable. Either one should do a good job of satisfying your pizza craving; they compare very favorably with other 4 slice rated pizza on this blog. On the other hand, Varsity’s pizza didn’t fare so well in my taste test, and it scores 3 out of 5 slices.

Summary – Pros: unique ambiance, inexpensive. Cons: oily, orangey cheese; bland sauce.

What do you think? Who makes the best pizza on/near the SU campus? Click the comment link below and let us know.

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

Varsity Pizza – 802 S Crouse Ave, Syracuse – 478-1235

Cosmos Pizza & Grill, Syracuse (SU Campus)

Moving down Marshall Street just a few steps, we come to Cosmos Pizza & Grill. Cosmos has been at this location for 47 years, meaning that some of their earliest customers could now be bringing their grandchildren here! This is a very mature diner with great personality, and an exceptionally deep menu of great food from breakfast through late night. I couldn’t possibly do justice to Cosmos if I tried to fully describe it, so I’ll refer you to their excellent web site.

I’ve never been to Cosmos before - I was surprised to find that table service was the norm, even for a single slice purchase. It’s a lot bigger than it looks from the street. There is a traditional diner counter, and a lot of booths stretching back away from the street. Pizza making operations are right up front, making carryout easier. Delivery is also available.

This cheese slice is a 1/8th cut from a 16″ pie ($1.48 + tax), with a quite good thin crust that had very little rim; it was stiff, crispy and well-browned. The sauce was very rich, with a well-developed tomato taste, medium-strong spice load, strong garlic notes, and some lingering aftertaste. Cheese was just right – not heavy, and only slightly oily.

Overall, this pizza had a good deal of “personality.” What do I mean by that? If you lined up all the pizzas I’ve sampled for this blog (about 35 so far), I could easily identify it in a blind taste test. The thing that stands out is the spicy sauce. Some people will love that, others will be a little overwhelmed – everyone has their preference. As spice goes, it isn’t exceptionally strong, just stronger than you’ll usually find. To keep it in perspecitve, the sausage or pepperoni you get at many pizza restaurants will be spicier than this sauce. Even so, the Pizza Geek does recommend this pizza, and I’ll give it a grade of 4 out of 5 slices.

Summary – Pros: complex flavor, table service, inexpensive. Cons: stronly spiced sauce (a pro for some).

What do you think? Who makes the best pizza on Marshall Street? Do you have any good Comsos stories? Click the comment link below and weigh in.

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

Cosmos Pizza & Grill - 143 Marshall Street, Syracuse – 472-6766

Acropolis Pizza House, Syracuse (SU Campus)

Finally, I have made my way to the SU campus, where you can find some of the best known pizza restaurants in the area. Ask any past or current SU student where they got their pizza fix while in Syracuse, and most will likely mention one or more of the “big three” in the Marshall Street area: Acropolis, Cosmos, and Varsity. I’m sure each has its devotees; I recently visited each of them, and I’ll let you know how they compare to each other, and to pizza elsewhere in the Syracuse area.

First up, at the east end of the Marshall Street shopping area: Acropolis Pizza House. Since 1962, Acropolis has been serving a wide variety of Greek, American, and Italian food (menu). But, when the Pizza Geek is on a mission, there is no time to get distracted by anything other than the pizza. As I usually do when evaluating the basic taste of pizza, I ordered a cheese slice, which was 1/8th of a 16″ shallow pan baked pie ($1.40 + tax). It was fresh enough that no re-heating was needed.

The familiar pan-baked characteristics were present – mottled browning pattern, generally soft, chewy and floppy crust, and slightly oily bottom. The rim was a little crisp, and the medium thickness crust had a well-developed bready taste and texture. Sauce was plentiful, fresh tasting, mildly spiced, with some visible spice flakes.

There was a hefty load of cheese, but I would stop short of saying it was too much because the sauce and crust balanced it out pretty well. The cheese did have a little saltiness, and as you might expect with this much cheese, there was a good deal of oil separation.

Overall, this was very good pizza, especially if you favor “Greek” style and don’t mind some oil. The flavors are fresh and well-balanced, and the price is a great value. The Pizza Geek recommends it, and grades it 4 out of 5 slices. Delivery is available, and the large dining room has ample seating.

Summary – Pros: well-balanced flavor, inexpensive. Cons: oily, slightly salty.

What do you think? How does Acropolis Pizza compare to the others? Click the comment link below and weigh in.

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

Acropolis Pizza House – 167 Marshall Street, Syracuse – 472-4876

Johnny’s Pizza, Syracuse

Johnny’s Pizza (120 Julian Place, Syracuse) may be one of the longer-lived pizza shops in the Syracuse area – established 1971, which means they have been around 39 years. A large framed collage near the entrance shows a number of pictures and history on the occasion of their 30th anniversary. It may also be one of the trickier ones to find, tucked away in Julian Plaza behind the Nottingham P&C.  By the way, many thanks to “jonah” on the Hearsay page for suggesting Johnny’s.

I don’t know if this is Johnny’s original location, and it is not clear how many ownership changes there have been. I found one post online from April 2005 that says, in part, “…’Junior’, the owner, sold the business to someone who lowered the quality standards and eventually went under. Junior is reopening the joint on April 11th (2005) featuring the classic recipe…” Is “Junior” still running the business? If you know anything about the history, please post a comment to fill us in.

When you walk in the front door, the pizza prep counter is immediately on your right behind a large glass partition. The menu says, “We twirl the pie in front of your eye,” but no prep activity was happening when I arrived. There is more than the average amount of seating, but no table service. Delivery is offered to DeWitt and SU South Campus.

I sampled a cheese slice ($2.00 including tax), which was cut from a 16″ pizza and briefly reheated. There was a small amount of corn meal on the bottom of the crust, used to keep it from sticking to the peel. It also tends to make crusts just a little crispier, and indeed, the crust was nicely browned and had a pleasant crispiness on both the rim and underneath, and was slightly chewy. Bubble structure inside the crust indicated a nice rise.

Sauce had a very slightly chunky texture (as opposed to lesser sauces that have the consistency of ketchup), a well-balanced and moderate spice load with visible spice flakes, and mild fresh tomato flavor. The salt level was just right. Cheese was excellent, not at all oily, and applied in perfect balance with the thin crust and sauce.

Overall, this was an excellent slice of pizza. The crust, sauce and cheese all worked together well, like they “belonged” together. No one ingredient dominated the others, or drew attention to itself by being sub-par. The Pizza Geek highly recommends it, and adds it to the “elite” ranks of pizza rated 4.5 out of 5.

Summary – Pros: crust, sauce and cheese work together for great taste. Cons: small slices.

What do you think? Have you tried Johnny’s pizza? Do you know more about the history of Johnny’s? Click the comment link below.

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

Johnny’s Pizza – 120 Julian Place, Syracuse – 446-8728