Tale of the Pie: Colosseo Pizza

The truth is there was no burning desire within me to try Colosseo Pizza. My Mom and myself had just taken Saucy Jr. to the Philadelphia Zoo when she mentioned stopping someplace for pizza. She didn’t have a place in mind. She simply knew there was a place around the Community College of Philadelphia. Even after we had found the place and tried their pizza, I didn’t know the name of the place. I had to look it up later.

Colosseo Pizza.

Tale of the Pie: Vinnie's Pizza

A lot of people think that running a pizza blog is all glory because it means that you get to eat pizza all the time. And true, it is nice. This being said, there is a great deal of curse that comes along with that blessing.

For instance, trying new pies is a bit overrated. Don't you think I would rather just go to the incredibly reliable Charlie's Pizzeria every time I want pizza. I'd get delicious and abundant sauce! Melty, fresh cheese! A thick, foldable, ideally textured crust. Spicy, tangy pepperoni! It would be great! But no, the object of this blog is to search for the "perfect pie." That means, we can't just go to Charlie's every time. If there is something better out there, we want to find it. The quest has brought us many culinary rewards. And it has brought us many disappointments.

That brings me to Vinnie's Pizza in Oaks. We saw it one day when we were driving down into Phoenixville. Seemed like a place we should try. Situated in a slightly isolated spot on Egypt Road, it had a very nice little outdoor eating area. While we were not able to take advantage of that on this cold early spring evening, we were able to find a seat in their somewhat small dining area with tables bedecked with homey plastic picnic-style table clothes.

Tale of the Pie: Vic & Dean's

Located as it is at the end of a seeming dead end at the edge of a park in Wayne, Pa., Vic & Dean’s is not the easiest pizza shop to find. However, once you get a taste of their pizza, you will discover that any effort you put into arriving at the establishment’s doors will be justly rewarded.

Vic & Dean’s is a rather small, quaint place. Décor is at a minimum, with decorations being limited to either Phillies memorabilia (a lot of pizza places like the Phillies, I guess) or kudos from various regional publications. There are maybe four or five tables inside, most of which were in constant use during our stay. The eight or so people behind the counter (it seemed like a little much, but it resulted in wonderful service) were busy answering phones for take-out and there was also a delivery man coming in and out on a regular basis. The place was obviously popular.

We started our meal with a salad, or, as Vic & Dean’s would call it, a Pizalad. To be honest, the name is a bit of a tease. When we ordered it, we thought we would be getting a salad on a pizza crust. Would that be way too much food? Probably. But it would also be unique and we just had to see what it would look like. When it emerged, it was nothing like we imagined. It was a sizeable salad in a plastic container, and it came with about four slices of warm pizza crust. While we were bummed that the presentation did not match our expectations, there is no doubting that the salad itself was tremendous. We ordered a Caesar, which came with romaine, croutons, sharp provolone, and Caesar dressing (truth be told, it also came with egg, but I asked for it off since I’m not a fan). The cheese was flavorful, the Romaine fresh and crunchy, and the dressing rich and spicy. While it was ample, we easily knocked back the entire thing.

For the pie, we ordered a large with red and green roasted peppers. The pie’s crust was perfect; its texture was crisp, but not too rigid. It also had a buttery garlic taste that popped tremendously. It should be said there were parts toward the middle that became a little soggy due to the weight of the cheese and the toppings. It made folding a little difficult at times and it did get a little sloppy in parts as well.

As for the cheese, it was very flavorful and gooey. You could taste the freshness. Spicy Hawaiian, who is a bit more of a cheese aficionado than I am, stated that she believed it was not just mozzarella; that it was a blend of cheeses. She also liked that it was a decent amount of cheese, but that it didn’t take over the pie. It still worked well with the other elements.

We had heard great things about the establishment’s toppings from a publication that we really have to stop naming until they decide to buy advertising or something. Well, although we were bound by religious contract to not eat meat on this day, the peppers were outstanding. They were roasted exquisitely . They were not overdone. There was the ideal amount of charring and they tasted of olive oil. Also, there was plenty of them. Not one bite was taken that did not include a delicious bit of vegetation.

If there is one element of the pie that I would take slight issue with, it would be the sauce. It was a thick sauce that was going for authentic tomato flavor. There seemed to be not much in the way of sugar or extra seasonings. I can respect that. This is not the case of a pizza establishment botching the number one element of the pie (in my view). They clearly have a philosophy about their sauce and they have most likely executed it to a tee. To me, it is simply that when you are boasting incredible toppings, zesty cheese, and an ideal crust, it is inevitable that a sauce this basic is going to fall into the background a bit. If I were to go back (and I hope to), I would probably order extra sauce. That way, the understated sauce would have a little bit more of a fighting chance against the other parts.

There is no doubt: Vic & Dean’s is a bit of a chore to get to. But do what it takes to get there. This is definitely an occasion where good things come to those who program their GPSs.
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Pros: Tasty, perfectly prepared toppings, flavorful, fresh cheese; crust has great texture and olive oil taste
Cons: Sauce has tendency to fall into the background a little bit; really need to get some truth in advertising going for that salad
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Vic & Dean’s

409 N. Wayne Ave.
Wayne, PA 19087

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The Pizza Project
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Tale of the Pie: Pizza Palace

The people at Bryn Mawr's Pizza Palace were really nice. The girl at the counter could not stop fawning over our kid. She asked him how old he was. She couldn't stop saying how cute he looked. If we wouldn‘t have thought it was vaguely psychotic, she probably would have pinched his cheeks a little. Generally, she was just an all-around sweetheart. It's people like this that make it really enjoyable to go out to eat.

It's also people like this who make it hard to tell you about a really mediocre pie.

Tale of the Pie: Tony's Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant

This blog is not called The Calamari Project. When we typically decide to try a restaurant's pizza, we will usually complete the order with a side to keep things interesting. Usually it is something like wings, mozzarella sticks, or, yes, calamari. If the appetizer should be particularly good, we, of course, mention it. Same with if it should be bad. But the grade that we present at the bottom pertains to the pizza. The pizza in other words is the main attraction and what every restaurant we go to is ultimately judged upon.

Except for this review. In this one, we will adjust our rules and downgrade this restaurant based on the taste of the worst calamari (nay, DISH) I have ever had in my time on the planet we call Earth. But let's get to the pizza.

Tony's Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant is a fairly nondescript strip-mall pizza joint next to a Wawa on Egypt Road in Norristown. I saw it one day when I stopped into said Wawa to see if they had a bathroom in which my toddler could urinate. They didn't, but one positive of the attempt was that I determined that we would try Tony's Pizzeria some time in the near future. When we did decide to try it, I was a little concerned when I showed up to pick it up. The place was very empty. It was just the dudes making the pizzas, me, and a couple sitting at a table. I believe that one of the individuals dining there was certifiably insane, but that is neither here nor there. There was a little bit of a problem with the service as it took the two college-aged fellows behind the counter at least five minutes to ask if I, like, wanted my pizza or something. However, if this place could say that the biggest problem they had were a couple of workers being slow on customer service, they would be very lucky. It was not until I returned home with the pie that I realized the bigger issue.

Tale of the Pie: SliCE (Rittenhouse Square)

When we went to Rittenhouse Square's economically named SliCEthe other day, we forgot our notepad. So I took notes via texts to my wife's phone. I figured I would then just look at the sent messages and I could recount the experience that way. One problem: I then proceeded to lose my phone that night. Being that I did not want to monopolize my wife's phone for a significant stretch, I was kind of stuck. Five days after the experience, the memory is starting to fade slightly so I had to snatch Spicy's mobile. I will now write a review of the pie, only rather than using the notes as the backbone of the review, I will type the texts in their entirety and then try to translate them as best as possible as extinguished memories hopefully return.

Aruba Edition: Tale of the Pie - Casa Tua Pizzeria

On our last night in Aruba, Spicy and I decided to take Saucy Jr. and our friend Veggie Barcelona (she has not approved this name, but we want to protect her identity so I am taking a bit of a liberty here) over to Casa Tua Pizzeria for a bite to eat. Hilariously enough, this was the same day that we ate at Tomato Charlie's. So we had two meals consisting of pizza in one day.

But in case you have not noticed, we really like pizza. This was not a problem. Only thing is, we almost did not make it to our meal.

Tale of the Pie: Amedeo's Too

I should have taken it as a sign.

A mere three hours before the Philadelphia Phillies took the field at Citizens Bank Park and treated their loyal followers to a performance akin to a steakhouse diner in need of a Heimlich maneuver, we chose to order a pizza from Norristown's Amedeo's Too (yeah, I don't really get the "too"either). This was a mistake akin to sending Cliff Lee out in the seventh inning of a game in which he was clearly being shelled (yeah, I will shut up about the Phillies soon).

It's a shame too because the people working at this place are very nice. When I went to pick up the pie, they were wild about Saucy Jr., telling me how cute he was and certainly making me feel very comfortable with their prompt service. But, of course, their prompt service was part of the problem. You see, they quoted me 20 minutes to make the pie. Despite the fact that I live a mere 10 minutes away and I left immediately because I am always suspicious of pizza shop time-quotes, the pizza and wings I ordered were already available when I entered the store. Factor in the drive home and this meant cold food and a very bumpy start to the Amedeo's pizza experience.

When I arrived at home and opened the box, the disappointments kept coming. You see, the wife was in the mood for sausage and peppers so we added that to the pie. For whatever reason, I am not always a major fan of sausage on pizza, so I requested extra sauce. This is always a quandary, I suppose, for the pizza maker, but really what I want when I ask for this is just a little more sauce than the usual pie. I want it to ooze a little bit out of the slice when I fold the pie. What I am not looking for is sauce seemingly applied via fire hose. Unfortunately, Amedeo's response to the extra sauce request was closer to the latter, with an overload of sauce provided beneath the cheese and an extra dollop added to the pizza in the form of a red-topper. It was just too much.

As for the actual taste of the sauce, I must confess that there was a bit of a split decision between myself and the wife. The better half thought it was fairly good, but I'm writing the review and I felt that it was heavily sugared and not overly reminiscent of tomato despite the fact that it was extremely chunky.

The excess sauce also did no favors to the rest of the pie's elements. It softened what was already a very thick, chewy crust. I am also convinced that the pie was not properly cooked time-wise because under extensive examination I not only detected its mushiness orally, but the eye test revealed segments of the slice that seemed extremely doughy as if it was pulled out a little too early. The cheese of the pie certainly did not pop with flavor, and it was made worse due to the poor time-quote. It was clumpy and ooze-resistant. The toppings overall were a bust to me as well. Yes, the green peppers seemed fresh, but who can blow a green pepper? The sausage, on the other hand, was underspiced. It seemed like someone had sliced up some breakfast links and tossed them on the pie. The wife noted that they did distribute the toppings liberally, but if you are not really feeling the flavor of them, there comes a time when that is a bit of a liability, no?

So OK, the main attraction was a bit of a letdown, but the good thing is that we also ordered the wings. Perhaps, they would be so spectacular that they would make the $21 purchase worthwhile! Sorry. If you thought that was what I was going to write, you had probably already reserved your spot on Broad St. for the Phillies parade. Don't be so gullible; the appetizer was awful too. While they were plump enough, they had an unforgivable lack of sauce on them and that which was there added virtually nothing detectable by the average tastebud. We pretty much had to douse those joints with Cholula just to make them semi-enjoyable.

I think you know where this review is going: You are thinking that it is heading full steam ahead toward a sentence that begins with "Don't" and ends with "order a pizza from Amedeo's Too." And you would be correct. Only I would be remiss if I didn't mention their location as well. I hate it. Their parking lot is ridiculously small. You pretty much have to be an instructor for the DMV to get out of the vicinity without scratching up your (or somebody else's) beloved automobile. By the way, sorry, Dude in Benz who I left with a horrible surprise. I'm sure your insurance will cover it! Now, if only they would give you back the money you spent on that lousy pie from Amedeos Too.


Pros: Nice people at the register, uh...fresh green peppers?

Cons: Overly liberal application of extra sauce, thick, doughy crust, clumpy cheese, inaccurate time quote for pickup

Amedeo's Too
1961 West Main St.
Eagleville, PA 19403

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The Pizza Project
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Tale of the Pie: Mack's Pizza (Wildwood)

Now this is Boardwalk pizza.

Recently, the wife and I were heading home from Wildwood when we realized that during our two days in the shore town we had failed to have one slice of pizza. This was a wrong that needed immediate correction, so we decided to partake in a slice of Mack's Pizza before we departed. As we headed up to the boards and got hold of the extremely pleasing aroma escaping from the shop, we quickly decided that we would get a full pie instead of a mere segment.

If we went down in the midst of the busy season, I am sure we would not have gotten the terrific service that we received. This would be excusable because the place would have been crawling with teenagers and tourists. But as it was, we were some of the only people in the shop and the people operating the place treated us like V.I.P.'s. The guy behind the counter making the pies pointed us to our seats. The gent who served us was particularly awesome, taking our drink and food orders within minutes and getting crayons for Saucy Jr. without provocation. A master in rewarding kindness with scorn, Little Man quickly used them to paint the establishment's walls. Everything was topnotch service-wise and it made us feel right at home.

Tale of the Pie: Bravo Pizza

I'm starting to worry about the people who ran Philadelphia Magazine's pizza issue.

After a terrific recommendation in East Norriton's Charlie's Pizzeria, the magazine has now pointed us in the direction of two straight duds. If you haven't read our review of Franzone's in Bridgeport, catch it here. As for Bravo Pizza of Paoli, we tried it out on Friday. It was the essence of average. Maybe even a little less than.

I should have known we were in trouble from the start. I never had that moment when you are like, "Wow, this smells incredible." As I think about it, I never even registered a scent. The only thing I could concentrate on was how their big screen was showing some CNN story about the Tea Party at a loud volume when there was a Phillies game playing at the same time. F*c kis up with that? Was I about to order pizza from a Michele Bachman-voting looney tune? However, not wanting to judge them on their viewing habits, we ordered pizza anyway. We got a large plain pizza and a medium Chicken Parmesan pie for four people and a baby.

Tale of the Pie: Victory Brewing Company

What a day it was on Sunday!

Me and the missus, along with a number of our closest friends and the Little Man in jogging stroller, competed in Victory Brewing Company's Run for Ryan. I think this was some sort of charity, although I have no idea who Ryan is nor what his particular ailment is. All I knew is I was out there to run 3.2 miles, and when the race was finished I would be allowed to drink beer and eat barbecue. Yes, the lady allowed me to break away from my diet for this affair!

So with the lady relegated to the jogging stroller, I busted out of the blocks with Beastie Boys' Hot Sauce Committee Part II blaring! Thanks to my time-honored technique of pretending that masked revolutionaries had kidnapped my dog and threatened to kill him if I began to walk (it got me through the Broad St.), I ran the entire time through wobbly legs and rickety breathing apparatus. In fact, I sprinted the last quarter-mile like a man who would be handed a beer at the end of his toils...since I was. I finished the race in 23:59, pretty much a 7 and a 1/2 minute mile average on the button and good for 115th out of approximately 500 runners. Not bad.

Tale of the Pie: Main Street Pizzeria and Grille

To be fair to Main Street Pizzeria and Grille, when we ate their pie, we really didn't know we would be turning this into a blog. The wife and I just thought we would keep a spreadsheet to try and figure out what pizza shop we would order from going forward. Therefore, I didn't take a bunch of notes on the pizza we ordered. I will simply have to go on memory...which will be tough because the pie was instantly forgettable.

I guess I will just lean on the spreadsheet: Let's see. Six out of ten on crust. So probably less than average. Seven out of ten on sauce. Run of the mill, I guess. Toppings got a seven. They must have tasted OK. I don't seem to remember them being skimpy with the pepperoni and green peppers. One thing that did seperate them from the pack was the temperature of their pie on arrival. Only, not in a good way. Yes, the pie was ice cold. I think we might have had to heat it up again when they finally got here after a 45-minute wait. Not only did the delivery man seem to have to walk through a frigid Siberian wasteland to get us our pie, but the proprietors saw fit to charge us $2 for the pleasure of receiving our icy slices. Add in the fact that they went light on their pedestrian sauce and they ranked a pathetic 6 in the ever-crucial "overall tastiness" category, and you have an establishment that will be waiting a decent stretch before getting a call from my home phone.