Cimino's, Spencerport

As I’ve said before, I’m never sure if it’s a good idea to go to a place right after it’s opened, but sometimes curiosity gets the better of me. Such was the case last week when I visited Cimino’s Pizzeria & Birdland, which is in the Village Plaza in Spencerport, in a space that until recently was home to Cordello’s.
I picked up a plain cheese pie on a late Friday afternoon. Calling a brand new pizzeria on a Friday after work is asking for trouble, but to their credit there were no mistakes with my order. It took 10 or 15 minutes longer than predicted, but they were extremely busy and I considered that negligible.
The pizza had a medium thick crust, with a dry, nearly charred underside that was firm and slightly crisp. It was not especially airy inside, but not dense either, and had a pleasant flavor and chewiness. The edge was somewhat thick, a little crunchy, and enjoyable if not particularly bready.
This was a pretty saucy pizza. The sauce was generously applied, and had a slightly sweet flavor with some herbal notes. It was not very salty or acidic, compared with others that I’ve had, and it had a medium consistency, neither watery or oily, nor cooked-down.
The cheese was a bit browned, but not dried out, and had a nice, melted texture. It seemed to be all mozzarella. It was moderately applied, in good proportion to the other components as far as I was concerned, though cheese lovers might want to ask for extra cheese here.
Cimino’s offers five specialty pizzas, plus a “Chicago Style Deep Dish” pie, stuffed pizza, and calzones. There are fifteen available toppings, nothing too exotic. The dough and sauce are made fresh daily.
Chicken also figures prominently on the menu - hence the “birdland” moniker - in the form of wings, chicken fingers, and both fried and baked chicken dinners. They also offer hot and cold subs, burgers, bombers and hots, a couple of pasta dishes, fish fry, and salads. There are four booths, and a TV in the dining area, though on my visit there didn’t seem to be any air conditioning, and I would’ve found it a bit warm to eat there.
This was a pretty good pizza, more or less in the traditional Rochester style, but with a little less cheese and a little more sauce than usual. It was well made and the flavors were good. For a small village, Spencerport has an abundance of pizzerias, but based on this pie, Cimino’s is a welcome addition to the scene. I’ll give it a B.
Cimino’s Pizzeria & Birdland, 47 Slayton Ave. (Village Plaza), Spencerport 352-9800
Mon. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. - midnight, Sun. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.