Rusticana Pizza – Delray Beach – Forida

Stopped by a new Pizza Place in Delray Beach yesterday for lunch.  Pizza Rusticana took the place of Gennaro’s pizza off Linton Blvd.  Please do not confuse this place with Pizza Rustica of Delray beach, they are separate.  The place was pretty empty and the decor stayed the same, including that ugly round pizza warmer they leave up on the counter, which does nothing more then cheapen the experience.  I orderd the 2 slice special which was well worth its price.  This pizza was actually decent, and I can see myself stopping over there from time to time when I am in the area.  The cheese was good and the crust was crisp.  The sauce wasn’t perfect, but was good enough to enjoy.  The biggest negative to me is that I had to have a waitress bring me the 2 slices and my soda, which I could have easily done myself.  I just do not understand why pizza places make you sit down and get served.  As you can see it is a big pet peeve I have, also a major problem to me at Nino’s Pizza in Boca Raton.  I am not that out of shape that I need someone to carry my pizza to me!  I give this a 5 out of 8 slices!!  Well worth the try!

Campagnolo – Boca Raton – Florida

A new place just opened up in town called Campagnolo. This new Italian Restaurant replaced Vitos which was truly awful, so I am happy we have a new place to choose from. So my next door neighbor and I gave it about 1 week to open before we tried it and then we decided to embark on our adventure there. The place was pretty crowded as is expected, since all the snobby gossipy nearby residents needed to be the first to eat there so they can tell everyone how bad it is, since it took the waiter more then 3 seconds to bring them a free refill. I opted to sit at the bar and talk with the extremely friendly bar tender named Mike I think…..

I asked Mike if I should try the pizza or just have pasta the first time I was there. He told me that they have a 100,000 pizza oven in the back and that the pizza was incredible. Now, after hearing that…do you think I would not have tried it? He told me the pizza bakes in 2-3 minutes. Some people might like the fact that their pie comes out in 2-3 minutes, but like a fine wine, sometimes pizza needs a nice slow cooling as well, which was evident when the pie came out. I explained the kind bar tender that I would be reviewing this pizza and that he might want to steer me away from it if there was anything wrong, and he encouraged me to eat it so I did.

The pizza took longer then 2-3 minutes, but when it came out it was certainly hot. Problem with cooking it that fast, is you cannot get an even cooking out of it, which is evident in the photos. My first bite was nothing to brag about, other then it managed to burn the roof of my mouth. As the pie cooled down I was able to taste the crust and cheese which were decent, but I really did not like the sauce here. It was bland and lacked some form of sweetness. If Campagnolo in Boca Raton could manage to cook up a new pizza sauce recipe, then I think this pizza would be something I would frequent. Anyways I will have to give it 5 out of 8 slices for now since the crust and the cheese were at least good, until I try it again.

Red Rock Pizza – Boca Raton – Florida

I was working with the design guys on my other site when we got hungry and couldn’t decide where we wanted to eat.  We all had different suggestion but the one place we all agreed on was Red Rock Pizza in Boca Raton.

The place was surprisingly slow for lunch time, but maybe that is because the season is just about over down in South Florida.  Cannot say I was unhappy about this, since we were able to get a table immediately and didn’t have to wait for the pizza!  I ordered my standard plain pie with light sauce and no basil.  I was as pleased with my selection here like always.  The pizza came out sizzling hot and unlike other places they managed to cut the slices all the way through which made for easy transfer from the pan to my plate!  I try not to review places over and over again, but being how consistent this place is I wanted to re write about it and have a fresh update for you all!  I give Red Rock Pizza 6 out of 8 slices, and if you happen to try it out….ask for the server TESS, she truly is wonderful!

Gino’s Pizza & Brew – Orlando Florida

After having some of the worst pizza ever in downtown Orlando, I ventured on a walk to forget the miserable experience I had. While walking on S. Orange Avenue I noticed this sign that said Open 24 Hours, it was like I was walking in the desert and was seeing a mirage of some sorts. I went into Gino’s Pizza & Brew and loved the ambiance! It was like being in a pizza joint somewhere in New York. After speaking with the woman behind the counter, I ordered a sicilian and a regular, and was thrilled that they both come with a garlic knot on top of them. Maybe one day I should start a garlic knot blog as well? This pizza was delicious, I mean I was truly surprised at the taste, consistency and flavor. Couldn’t even say which slice was better then the other as they were both great. If you are ever around downtown Orlando, you should try this place. Since it is open 24 hours a day, there is always time to try it! WELL GOING GINO’S!! I give this 7 out of 8 slices!

Gino’s card says it was voted the best pizza in Florida, and although I have had some better pizza, I can say this is definitely one of the best.

Gino’s Pizza & Brew – Orlando Florida

After having some of the worst pizza ever in downtown Orlando, I ventured on a walk to forget the miserable experience I had. While walking on S. Orange Avenue I noticed this sign that said Open 24 Hours, it was like I was walking in the desert and was seeing a mirage of some sorts. I went into Gino’s Pizza & Brew and loved the ambiance! It was like being in a pizza joint somewhere in New York. After speaking with the woman behind the counter, I ordered a sicilian and a regular, and was thrilled that they both come with a garlic knot on top of them. Maybe one day I should start a garlic knot blog as well? This pizza was delicious, I mean I was truly surprised at the taste, consistency and flavor. Couldn’t even say which slice was better then the other as they were both great. If you are ever around downtown Orlando, you should try this place. Since it is open 24 hours a day, there is always time to try it! WELL GOING GINO’S!! I give this 7 out of 8 slices!

Gino’s card says it was voted the best pizza in Florida, and although I have had some better pizza, I can say this is definitely one of the best.

Pizza Rustica – Delray Beach Florida

Last Wednesday I was playing poker with a bunch of friends and we had about 8 pies delivered.  After a huge debate, the gang left it in my hands to decide on the place, since after all I am the self proclaimed expert.  Delray Beach isn’t known for any pizza places in particular so I decided to take a gamble and order from Pizza Rustica.  This wasn’t my first time eating their pizza but it was my first time ordering in.  Shockingly we were all pleased with the taste and consistency of the pizza!  Their sauce was tasty, and they didn’t overpower the pie with it so it stayed relatively crispy until arrival.  The cheese was definitely a quality brand, and the crust was great!  Pizza Rustica in Delray Beach (since it is a franchise I said Delray Beach specifically) will be getting our poker business during pizza games.  Well done guys!  I give this 6 out of 8 slices.

The Globe – Downtown Orlando – Worst Pizza

Ok pizza lovers, I have just found a place that for the time being will wear the crown of WORST PIZZA I have eaten recently.  Until another place comes along to overthrow it, The Globe in downtown Orlando has to be some of the most rancid pizza I have eaten.  I was up in Orlando for www.barcamporlando.org and while my family went to Disney World or Universal I was left to eat alone.  In all fairness The Globe does not claim to be a pizzeria, but since it had pizza on the menu it has to be held accountable.   It was so terrible that I actually took one bite and asked the friendly bartender for a to go box since I didn’t have the heart to tell her what I really felt.  Honestly I do not even know where to start, to explain what made it so terrible.  The crust sucked, the sauce was TERRIBLE!  The cheese wasn’t cooked enough…and so on, so on, and so on!  I would have given it to a homeless person, but I did not want to make them suffer!  This place gets 0 out of 8 total slices, since I do not have a negative slice….yet

Old Town Tavern – Boca Raton, Florida

Today for a nice Friday lunch I ventured to the east part of town and ate at a place we used to frequent more often then we do lately. The Old Town Tavern has a pretty decent menu, but the pizza wasn’t something I had tried before so I decided today would be the day! As you can see from the photos they do not sell slices here, they only sell individual pies. I was quite surprised by the taste of this pizza, it was actually pretty good compared to some of the places I recently tried. The crust wasn’t very tasty or crisp and had a bit too much of an oily feel to it, but the cheese was fresh and good and the sauce was definitely acceptable! I will give this 4 out of 8 slices!

Bloomin’ Newman’s Pizza – Pizza Express Boca Raton, Florida

On my way back from doing an chore during the workday I decided to grab a quick slice at Bloomin’ Newman’s Pizza (or Pizza Express if that is what it is called now) in Boca Raton, by the Hampton Inn on Yamato. The staff was nice, but their English was not very good. Was hard to place where they were from….maybe Poland or someplace around that region. Anyways, I got the 2 slice special and from the looks of it I thought I would enjoy it. I am not sure what Bloomin’ Newmans’s Pizza uses in their sauce but it didn’t taste like pizza sauce. I read the review I have attached as a photo and think that this reviewer tasted something different than I did. I am from New York and I can assure anyone who reads the other review, that there is NOTHING, New York about this pizza place. This place claims to be home to the $100.00 pizza. Seeing that it is hard for me to pay $2.00 a slice here, I could only imagine how bad the $100.00 version is! I would improve this place by changing the sauce to something tastier and sweeter with less onions and tomato peels in it. Being that this place is new, I was hoping to really enjoy it, but unfortunately I will have to give this only 2 our of 8 slices as a rating.

“Cheese” Pizza

I need to step outside reviewing for one moment here:

When did it become acceptable to ask someone if they wanted a cheese slice of pizza? Maybe it is my fault for growing up in a civilized pizza region of the world, but when you walked into a pizza place and said “give me a slice”, the guy/girl behind the counter never said “what kind, a cheese slice”? Cause I guess they anticipated the NO I JUST WANT DOUGH AND SAUCE answer that would follow. Let’s get something straight people of Florida and anywhere else that is as clueless when it comes to pizza, when I walk into a pizzeria and ask for a slice, it is naturally a slice with cheese. If I said I want a slice with meatballs then it would be a slice with meatballs. If pizza places want to call baked dough and sauce PIZZA, then I will rightfully agree to say I would like a Cheese Slice. But until then when I ask for a slice of pizza… I no longer want to hear some moronic response like, a cheese slice?