pizza

Even occasional readers of this blog probably know the high regard that I have for The Pizza Stop on State Street in downtown Rochester. One of my first blog posts was about The Pizza Stop, and over the past three years I've sampled and reported on their New York style, Sicilian, and stuffed-crust pizzas, as well as various toppings, and I've yet to be disappointed.
Now there's no substitute for going to The Pizza Stop to get a hot slice or pie right at the source, but I know that for reasons of geography and time constraints, that's not always feasible for everybody.
But if you find it difficult to get to The Pizza Stop, I've got good news. At least one of The Pizza Stop's wares may be coming to a store near you.
Owner Jim Staffieri has been at work for some time now on perfecting a frozen version of his stuffed pizza, and what I'll call the beta version is currently being tested. Jim was kind enough to let me try three of these pies recently, each with a different stuffing:  sausage and banana peppers, pepperoni and Italian sausage, and chicken and Ricotta.
Each pie measured about 7" across. While that may sound small, these pies were hefty, and each could easily make an entire meal for one person, or serve as a shared entree for two people, with a salad or other side.
Jim prebakes these pies, then adds sauce and cheese before freezing. He recommended a quick thaw in the microwave before popping into a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes or so. I gave mine 20 minutes on a pizza stone, and they came out very nicely - hot throughout, with well-melted cheese on top.
The underside of these pies was dry and slightly crisp, although obviously these are not going to be as crisp (nor would you want them to be) as a thin-crust, New York style pizza. What was especially nice about these was that they had a fresh, bready aroma and texture - not at all what you would expect from a frozen pizza. The sauce also liquefied nicely in the oven, without making the top crust soggy.
The stuffings were all well heated after 20 minutes in the oven, and if I had to pick a favorite, it would be the sausage and banana peppers. But I'm a hothead, pepperwise, so no surprise there. My 8-year-old daughter polished off nearly the entire sausage and pepperoni pie herself, but she's got a thing for pepperoni. Must be in the genes. Basically, whatever you like on your pizzas, could be put into a stuffed pizza, so it comes down to a matter of personal preference.
I wish I could tell you that these are now available at local supermarkets, but they're not. Not yet. Business and legal details remain to be dealt with before that happens. In the meantime, ask Jim about them next time you're in The Pizza Stop, and he may have some on hand. If so, grab 'em. You'll want a stack of these in your freezer.
The Pizza Stop, 123 State St., Rochester 14614
Tel. 546-7252
Hours: Mon. - Thu. 10:30 a.m. – 7 p.m., Fri. 10:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. Closed weekends.

It had been a long time since I reviewed Colombini's, a pizzeria/deli on Chili Avenue. And somebody, I think, told me I should go back for one of their giant slices. So I went back.
On my first visit, there were two choices available, pepperoni and Buffalo chicken. Since they were quite large, I didn't really want one of each, and I opted for the Buffalo chicken. The Buffalo chicken pie looked fresher, plus I figured this would allow me to check out Colombini's take on this style, which I've been covering, off and on, for some time now.
The slice, which was briefly reheated before being given to me, was big and floppy, with an orangey-brown bottom that was pockmarked with a few bubbly craters. It wasn't really greasy, but there was clearly some oil present, which is not too unusual with Buffalo chicken pizza. As is often the case, it was hard to tell if the oil was in the dough to begin with, applied to the baking surface, or had just seeped down from the toppings.
The crust was reasonably firm, and a little crisp along the edge. I'm not quite sure why you see three different, distinct areas underneath in the photo - the craters, as I call them, the orange area on the right, and the dark brown area along the perimeter. The crater is where there was a bubble in the dough, but I'm not sure why there's such a clear differentiation between the orange and brown areas. Perhaps some oil did seep down from on top, and caused the crust to brown more in those areas.
There was a mix of cheeses on top, mozzarella and cheddar, I think, along with chunks of unbreaded, diced white meat. The base consisted of a thin, medium-hot sauce, with no tomato sauce.
On my second visit, I was told that no hot slices were available, though there were some wrapped Sicilian slices in the deli case. I got a couple of those, which I reheated for 10 minutes at 400 degrees in a toaster oven, directly on the rack.
These were pretty good. The bottom was rather pale, but reasonably crisp, with no oiliness. The reheating definitely helped in that regard.
The dough was nicely risen, and the crust had an airy texture with a bit of crunch underneath, but softer on top, where the water from the sauce had soaked in a bit. The edge was quite crisp, with a crunchy bite.
The slices were topped with an ample layer of thick tomato sauce and plenty of dried herbs. The only cheese was a generous sprinkling of grated Romano.
So in two visits, I did not try a basic cheese or pepperoni slice, but between the Buffalo chicken and the Sicilian pizzas, I preferred the latter. Partly that was because of the toppings - although I like wings, where pizza's concerned, I guess I'm more of a red-sauce-and-cheese guy than a hot-sauce-and-chicken guy, but I also liked the crust better. It was crisp and airy, but with enough substance to provide some bite and chewiness. And I liked the flavor - you can hardly go wrong with a good tomato sauce, Romano cheese, and herbs.
The Buffalo chicken slice was acceptable, but I found the crust too soft and oily for my taste. But the flavor wasn't bad.
The deli itself, just from what I saw, is also worth a stop. There is a nice selection of cold cuts to choose from, and they make their own bread. I haven't tried their wings, but they have gotten excellent reviews.
As has been my custom, I will not assign a rating to the Buffalo chicken pizza, since there is so much variation within that style, but the crust fell somewhere into the average category. The Sicilian slices could've been a little more done on the bottom, but all in all, I liked them, and I'll give them a B.
Colombini's Pizza & Deli, 3193 Chili Ave.
Tel.: 889-2213
Hours: Sun. - Thu. 9 a.m. - 9 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 9 a.m. - 10 p.m.

[Photo courtesy Double Mountain; all others by Adam Lindsley]

As a food blogger, every now and then I get offered free stuff to try, for the purpose of reviewing on my blog. Sometimes I accept, sometimes I don't. I figure as long as the focus stays on pizza, and I provide full disclosure, I may as well get some sort of remuneration for doing this blog, which on the whole is a drain on my wallet.
And if the product has some relationship to pizza, so much the better. So I gratefully accepted a couple of bottles of wine recently from Argentina's Graffigna winery.
Graffigna's 2011 Pinot Grigio is light in color and body, with a slight, palate-cleansing acidity that is balanced by a bit of fruitiness. For pizza, I'd pair this with a white, garlicky pizza or maybe a seafood pizza.
The 2010 Malbec was more full bodied, with a deep red color, and hints of berries and pepper. This wine has won awards at several international competitions, and I can see why. It's complex, yet well balanced. This would be the one to pair with a red pizza, particularly one with a lot of meat toppings. I'd also recommend it for a deep-dish or other thick-crust pie.
Graffigna wines retail for around $10-$13, making them a good value for wine of this quality. Check the South American section of your local wine shop.
Along with the offer, Graffigna provided me with two recipes that they recommend for dishes to pair with these wines. I haven't tried them yet, but I do have occasion to eat venison and rabbit once in a while, so I'm adding these to my recipe collection. I imagine you could substitute beef for the venison, and chicken (preferably leg or thigh meat) for the rabbit.

Venison Stew with Cinnamon & Wine(Serves 4)

By Edgar Navarrete, Affaire Bistro & Lounge, NYC

Ingredients

1 lb. venison meat diced for stew (leg)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
1 celery root, peeled and diced
3/4 cup flour
1 bottle of red wine (Graffigna Malbec)
2 quarts beef broth (canned)
5 cinnamon sticks
2 sprigs fresh parsley
2 sprigs fresh thyme
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. tomato paste
salt and pepper

Directions:

Heat up a large braising pan. Season the meat with half of the olive oil (1/4 cup), salt and pepper.
Heat the rest of the olive oil (1/4 cup) in the braising pan and cook the venison for about three minutes on each side. Remove from pan.
Put the vegetables in the pan and sauté for about three minutes, season with salt and pepper. Once the vegetables begin to soften, add the venison and mix. Sprinkle flour on top and continue mixing.
Once the flour is cooked (when you can no longer see it) add the wine, beef broth, cinnamon sticks, parsley and thyme, and bring it to a boil. Add sugar and tomato paste, and stir until incorporated. Cover with aluminum foil and reduce heat to a simmer (very slow boil).
Cook for one hour adding water if needed. Once the meat is tender, it is ready to serve.

Rabbit Frisée Salad with Poached Egg & Sherry Vinaigrette(Serves 2)

By Edgar Navarrete, Affaire Bistro & Lounge, NYC

Ingredients

2 whole rabbit legs, boiled and shredded
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. minced shallot
1 tbsp. minced chives
1 head frisée lettuce
1 tbsp. sherry vinegar salt and pepper
2 eggs
1 quart water
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 slices of toasted French bread

Directions:

In a saucepan heat the water and white vinegar until it reaches a temperature of 160° and poach the two eggs.

In a separate sauté pan, heat up the olive oil. Before it starts boiling, add the shallots, chives, and shredded rabbit meat, then lower the heat and sauté for one minute.
Place the frisée lettuce in a mixing bowl. Add the sherry vinegar to the sauté pan. Immediately turn it off when it reaches a boil and mix it with the lettuce carefully. Season with salt and pepper.
Place the two slices of bread in the pan, keeping it off while you finish setting up the salad. Serve on a plate or in a bowl with the poached egg on top and the sliced bread on the side.

If you happen to be driving along Rt. 15A in Lima, and you see a detour sign, think twice before you go heading off in another direction.
Then again, you may want to turn off the road at that point, since you may have arrived at Detour Pizza (or maybe it's Pizza Detour - it's hard to tell from their logo), which opened recently about a quarter mile south of Rts. 5 and 20.
The sign out front advertises New York style pizza, so I was eager to try this. What I got was not quite what I would call New York style pizza, but it wasn't bad.
There were two kinds of slices when I stopped in around lunchtime, pepperoni and veggie. The latter appeared to have mushrooms on them, which are one of the few foods I cannot abide, so I got two of the pepperoni slices. They came with a 12 oz. drink for less than $5, which is a pretty good deal.
The crust on these was thin to medium, quite thin toward the tip of the slices (that is, the middle of the pie), but gradually thickening nearer the outer edge.
The underside was reminiscent of some slices I've gotten at some Pontillo's locations, with distinct blackened areas here and there, suggesting a particularly hot oven deck. (As an aside, sometimes you see pizzas with a lot of charring around the edge of the pie, but I think that's more common with pizza from a wood-fired oven, since the heat from the fire radiates from the back of the oven toward the pizza, inches away from the flame. The charring here seemed to be more the result of conductive heat passing directly from the oven deck to the bottom of the crust.)
The crust had a nice balance of chewiness and crispness, with a little crackling, and a texture that got crunchier toward the outer edge. I noticed a light dusting of corn meal.
These were quite cheese-laden slices, with a thick layer of melted, chewy mozzarella. The sauce was not too prominent, but from what I could taste of it, it seemed to have a sweet tomato flavor with a bit of herbs in the background.

I've posted Detour's menu on my Facebook page, but in general, they serve up a basic lineup of pizzas (13 toppings, in 13", 16", and 25" x 18" sizes), wings, grilled items, subs (on Martusciello rolls), salads and sides. There is a small amount of seating inside, and delivery is available.
I wouldn't call this New York style pizza, but that doesn't mean that I didn't like it. Yes, it was thin, but as I've said before, thin does not equal New York style. An authentic New York slice is foldable, of uniform thickness except at the very edge, or cornicione, with a crisp, somewhat charred bottom, and enough of a backbone not to flop at all at the tip, when held, folded, at the outer edge.
I didn't actually subject these to that test, but the tips were a little floppy, because they were so thin, and because of the weight of the cheese. But I don't like to get too hung up on labels, and I don't rate pizzas based on whether they conformed or not to a given style. I only mention this to say that if you see the "New York Style" sign out in front, know what to expect.
What you should expect, based on this visit, is good pizza, kind of a cross between New York and Rochester style, generally thin, with a hefty layer of cheese, not a lot of sauce, but good flavor, and a reasonably crisp crust. I found it a bit unbalanced (a little less cheese and a little more sauce would've been welcome), but a lot of people like cheesy pizza, and this was good enough to rate a B-minus from me.
Detour Pizza, 2019 Lake Ave. (Rt. 15A), Lima, NY
624-3060
Sun. - Wed. 10 a.m. - 9 p.m., Thu. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Delivery available 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. - 9 p.m.

I'm an avid hiker, and I tend to favor forests in the Southern Tier, which are bigger, more numerous, and more hilly than those around Rochester. Sometimes I use my excursions as an opportunity to check out far-flung pizza places in the small towns and villages along the Southern Tier Expressway, a/k/a Rt. 17, a/k/a I-86. 
After a recent hike in Coyle Hill State Forest in the Southern Tier, I ventured into the village of Belmont in Allegany County. I couldn't recall having been there before, but I assumed that Belmont, like any other small town, would have at least one pizzeria. (I think that's a constitutional requirement, in fact. Or if it's not, it should be.)
Sure enough, right on the corner, across from the stately, neoclassical Village Hall, there was Billy G's Pizzeria, in a two-story brick building that could've come out of an Edward Hopper painting. I wasn't sure if they'd have slices - small-town places are less apt to, as they tend not to get a lot of walk-in traffic - but I figured if they didn't, I'd get a sub instead.
On going in, though, I was pleased to see a sliced pie, half pepperoni, half cheese, behind the counter. I asked for a couple of  pepperoni slices to go.
After a brief reheating, my slices were slipped into a paper sleeve and handed to me. I took them out to the car, where I photographed them. They were thinner than I'd expected, but otherwise pretty unremarkable in their appearance.
I started the car, took a bite and drove away, left hand on the wheel, right hand holding a slice. I made it down to the end of the block before thinking, hmm, this is pretty good. I turned the corner and took another bite. Actually, this is very good. A little farther. Man, this is really good! I've got to write this up on the blog. ... No - I've got to turn around and go back and talk to this guy.
So what grabbed my attention, and my taste buds, this way? Partly, just the confounding of my expectations. Or should I say my lack of expectations? What I mean is, generally, when I've had pizza in small towns, it's, well, "eh." Nothing special. Actually, I don't know if it's truly a small-town thing, maybe that's just my perception, but I've come not to expect much from small-town pizzerias. Usually they run to the thick side, with kind of a soft crust, maybe a little oily underneath, a lot of gooey cheese on top - a good "value," if you equate value with the weight of your food, but rather generic. It might be good, but usually it's just mediocre.
The one thing I don't expect to find in a small town in a mostly rural area is good thin-crust pizza. I mean, I know you can find it, theoretically, but the fact is you rarely do. When I have had really good pizza in small towns, it's typically been pizza that's distinctive (it may have a unique sauce, for example), but more often that not it's on the thick side.
But this pizza was decidedly thin, with a crackly exterior and a bready interior. It was foldable, and when I folded one slice completely, the crust cracked open, but the gluteny interior stretched and held together. The crust had a faintly sweet, bready flavor, with subtle toasty notes. It wasn't far off, stylistically, from New York style pizza, although it wasn't advertised as such.
That crust is what got my attention. The toppings? Well, they were OK, if purely secondary to me. The sauce was slightly sweet and flavorful, with some herbs noticeable. The mozzarella was well melted, if a bit dry from being out of the oven for a while. But the components were well balanced, and the slice as a whole was very - surprisingly - good. A fresh pie might rate an A, but this was good enough for an A-minus.
So to get back to my story:  Right turn, right turn, right turn, and back. I don't know what the proprietor thought when he saw me walk in the door just minutes after leaving, but I told him about my blog, that I was impressed by his pizza. and that I was curious to know more about his background.
Billy G, a/k/a William Giovanniello, proceeded to tell me that his father owns Giovanni's Pizza in Hornell. Before that, he ran another Hornell pizzeria, Pizza King (which is still in business under different ownership), and before that, he was making pizza in Brooklyn and Long Island.
Now why did all that ring a bell with me? Because of an interview I did with with Jim Staffieri of the Pizza Stop over two years ago. Jim - whose place is a mainstay of New York style pizza in Rochester - told me that his brother Joe, who owns Joe's Brooklyn Pizza, another local favorite of mine, had learned his craft from a pizza maker in Long Island, who subsequently relocated to Hornell and opened a pizzeria there. Joe later moved upstate, again worked for the guy in Hornell, and eventually opened his own place in Rochester, as did Jim.
Yup, Billy's dad, Bill Giovanniello, is that guy. (You can read a bit of his story here.)
That certainly explained why I liked this pizza so much. It shares a close connection - a common ancestor, if you will - with both the Pizza Stop and Joe's Brooklyn Pizza.
Now I have to admit, this made me feel rather good about myself for recognizing something special, or at least reminiscent, about this pizza, enough to warrant going back to talk to the owner. More than that, though, this convinced me that I need to get down to Hornell and pay a visit to Giovanni's (and Pizza King). If this one guy has spawned three good pizzerias in Western New York, in addition to his own, he's already built quite a legacy. He deserves some serious recognition.
Billy, by the way, told me that he will be moving his shop to Dansville in the not-too-distant future. He'll have some competition up there, and I hope they all can survive, but I also hope, for the sake of Belmonters (Belmontians? Belmontese?), that somebody can move into the Belmont space and pick up where Billy left off. That would add yet another fine pizzeria to Bill Giovanniello's pizza progeny.

I found myself in Irondequoit the other day around lunchtime, which made a good excuse for a visit to 2 Ton Tony's. I've reviewed Tony's before, and have always liked both his pizza and his dedication to his craft. I won't recite the whole history again, but Tony's commitment to the pizzaiolo's art come as a surprise, since the roots of his pizza go back decades, to the long-gone Proietti's on North Goodman Street. In short, there's a lot of family heritage here. (And at Tony's uncle's place, Proietti's in Webster.)
I had a couple of pepperoni and banana pepper slices - actually, one giant slice, which is how they come, cut in half. They were thin and foldable, with a firm crust, somewhat herbal tomato sauce, nicely melted mozzarella, and meaty, spicy pepperoni. Fresh out of the oven, the aroma of the vinegary hot peppers and the meaty pepperoni was reminiscent of Buffalo wings, which is about as intoxicating as it gets, for my money.
Pizzas at Tony's spend some time on a screen, but are finished off on the oven's stone deck. I've never been a huge fan of pizza screens, but though a lot of screen pizzas that I've tried have a very soft, oily crust (which is the exact opposite of what the screen is supposed to accomplish), Tony's slices have a dry, firm, crisp bottom, with some surface crackling, especially nearer the edge. These weren't charred, or as crackly-crisp, as a New York style slice, but this is not New York style pizza. Tony's pizza falls more into the tradition of Rochester's indigenous style, which tends to have a somewhat thicker, softer crust than its downstate cousin. These were also well balanced slices, with a thin to medium thick crust, and a commensurate level of sauce, cheese, and added toppings, and I found the overall flavor quite good.
This corner of Irondequoit remains a hotbed of pizza competition, with Mark's, Cam's, Bay Goodman, and Little Caesar's - and Wegmans - within a block or two of each other. (I've reviewed several of those, and I will get around to the others eventually.) Apparently Tony likes it that way, because he'll soon be opening a second location in another pizza hotspot, near the intersection of Rts. 59 and 531 in Spencerport, where he'll be squaring off against Cam's (again) and Pontillo's, as well as several other places within a mile or two up the road. But from what I saw, 2 Ton Tony's is up to the challenge, and with competition, the consumer is the winner. If you live nearby, check 'em all out and decide for yourself.
On my prior post about 2 Ton Tony's (I'm not counting the post about his Ring of Fire pizza, which I didn't assign a grade to), I gave my slices on that occasion a B, for pizza that was well made, but lacking a bit of crispness underneath. This one was very similar, but a bit crisper, so they get a boost up a notch, to a B+.
2 Ton Tony's, 545 Titus Ave. (same building as the DMV), Irondequoit
Tel.: 266-TONY (8669)
Hours: Mon. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sun. noon - 9 p.m.