Jet’s Pizza

The Facts:

Pizza: Jet’s Pizza

Business Category: Regional chain (locations in 16 states; based in Michigan)

Website: http://jetspizza.com/

Location: 3622 Highway 81 north near Anderson, SC (just south of Concord Rd.)

Date of Review Visit: January 28, 2013

What I Ordered: Large Deep Dish pizza with sausage; shredded parmesan flavored crust

Price: $13.02 (includes tax but not drink)

The Micro:

Crust: Jet’s in Anderson offers 3 styles of crust: deep dish, hand-tossed, and thin.  Being the thick-crust lover that I am, I chose the deep dish.  The deep dish lives up to its billing: it is a robust northern-style thick crust that is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, just as it should be.  The only downside is the silly “flavorize your crust” option, which I exercised to add some shredded parmesan cheese.  Memo to Jet’s management: good pizza does not need “flavorized.”  Score: 9/10.

Sauce: The thing that stands out about this sauce is that nothing stands out.  The pizza has adequate sauce, but the sauce does not have a strong taste, nor does it have a strong consistency.  It’s just kind of there.  Overall, it is not a bad sauce, but it doesn’t make you scream for joy either.  Score: 7/10.

Cheese: Oddly enough, the same thing I said about the sauce could be said about the cheese.  The cheese is 100% mozzarella, which means it has the standard somewhat bland mozzarella taste.  The cheese is of good quality and quantity, but it does not bring with it much flavor.  Score: 7/10.

Toppings: I’m trying not to be redundant, but the sausage falls into the same taste category as the sauce and cheese.  There is plenty of sausage on this pizza, and you can taste the Italian spices in the Italian sausage.  Nonetheless, the spices seem to add heat without adding much flavor.  As a cut of meat the quality is decent, but the taste does not stand out.  Score: 5/10

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The pizza has good appearance, and a deep dish will fill the entire box.  I have never had a problem with the service.  The small dine-in area has little to say for it except for some nice TV screens.  Also, I have to deduct at least 1 point of the comical man in the jet pack on the box.  Score: 8/10.

Value: This isn’t the best pizza around, but it isn’t the highest price either.  Overall, the quality-price balance grades out pretty well here. Score: 7/10

Taste: After reading this review, you can see why they allow you to flavorize the crust: very little else on this pizza adds any flavor.  If you like thick hearty pizza as I do, then the taste is at least passable.  If you prefer a rainbow of flavors on your palette, you will need to go elsewhere.  Truth be told, the bacon Jet’s bread (cheesy bread topped with bacon) might taste better than the pizza.  Score: 13/20

The Final Judgment:

Jet’s is standard, run-of-the-mill northern pizza that made its way south.  Being from Ohio myself, I give it 1 thumb up, but you may want something with a better blend of flavors.  Score: 56/80

Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers

The Facts:

Pizza: Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers

Business Category: Regional chain (locations in 17 states; based in Atlanta, GA)

Website: http://mellowmushroom.com/

Location: 305 S. Main St. in Anderson, SC

Date of Review Visit: January 21, 2013

What I Ordered: Small (12”) Mighty Meaty pizza with Mello Yellow to drink

Price: $14.73 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

The Micro:

Crust: The thick crust is crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside.  It also has a light brown color that I have not seen often on a pizza.  The flavor is quite good with or without the parmesan cheese they sprinkle on the crust.  Even better, the pizza is baked to perfection.  What’s not to like? Score: 10/10.

Sauce: The sauce is a thick, robust sauce, and the pizza is well-sauced in terms of quantity.  The sauce does contain some bits of tomato peel, a pet peeve of mine.  Overall, this is a good sauce.  Score: 8/10.

Cheese: The odd part about the cheese is that I hardly noticed it under all of the toppings, and that’s not because the pizza is under-cheesed.  The blend of cheese is a little bland without any parmesan cheese, but it really comes alive when you sprinkle on some extra parmesan.  Score: 9/10.

Toppings: This is where this pizza really stands out.  Not only is it loaded with toppings, but they are all of excellent quality.  The thick-sliced flavor-packed applewood smoked bacon is a real find.  Score: 10/10 (only because the scale goes no higher).

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The pizza looks like the robust yummy pizza it is.  The service here has always been excellent, and the atmosphere complete with old-looking brick wall and big-screen TV’s is first rate as well.  Score: 10/10.

Value: Yes, this is an all-meats pizza, and yes the quality is excellent, but it still hurts to pay $15 for a small pizza, and that is before the tip.  Mellow Mushroom is definitely good eats, but I can’t say it is good value. Score: 4/10

Taste: As you can probably guess from above, the taste is out of this world.  The toppings steal the show, but the crust, sauce, and cheese do their part to make for a flavorful experience. Score: 19/20

The Final Judgment:

I love eating at Mellow Mushroom, but I do not come here too often due to the price.  Value aside, this is a great place to come for that special pizza occasion.  Score: 70/80

DePalma’s Italian Cafe in Athens, GA

The Facts:

Pizza: DePalma’s Italian Cafe

Business Category: Locally-owned (3 locations, all near Athens, GA)

Website: http://depalmasitaliancafe.com/

Location: 1965 Barnett Shoals Rd. in Athens, GA

Date of Review Visit: January 13, 2013

What I Ordered: Large (18”) pizza with sausage

Price: $15.52 (includes tax but not drink)

The Micro:

Crust: The crust on this pizza is large and chewy.  It does not have much taste, but some corn meal baked into the bottom adds a little flavor.  This crust is not a disaster, but I have certainly eaten better.  Score: 6/10.

Sauce: This pizza is well-sauced in terms of quantity.  You can see and taste the Italian herbs and spices in the sauce, but they do not overpower the taste buds.  Overall, this is a good sauce.  Score: 9/10.

Cheese: The pizza is slightly undercheesed, as evidenced by the bare spots of sauce in a few areas.  However, in other areas the cheese actually gets baked into the outer crust, so undercheesing is not a serious problem here.  Even better, the cheese has low grease and good taste even before sprinkling any parmesan cheese on the top.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: The toppings are sufficient in quantity.  The sausage in particular comes in large hand-cut slices.  The sausage is a little spicy, but that is expected for good Italian sausage.  Score: 9/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The large bland outer crust and bare spots of sauce look unappetizing even though they are not.  The service at DePalma’s is excellent, as is the atmosphere in the dining room.  Score: 7/10.

Value: The price looks expensive, but this is a good quality 18” pizza, not the 16” or 14” that is normally called a “large” pizza.  Thus, this pizza does not score as poorly here as you might expect. Score: 7/10

Taste: This is a case where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.  Everything blends together very well; no part really stands out.  Given some of the not-so-great scores in “The Micro,” the taste produced by this pizza is quite a surprising accomplishment. Score: 17/20

The Final Judgment:

This is my favorite pizza restaurant in Athens.  The fact that a score in the low 60’s can claim that title speaks somewhat of the poor state of pizza in the Classic City.  Be that as it may, this pizza is the best around, and for that it deserves credit.  Score: 63/80

Cici's Pizza

The Facts:

Pizza: Cici’s Pizza

Business Category: National Chain

Website: http://www.cicispizza.com/

Location: 3190 Atlanta Highway in Athens, GA (beside the Honda dealership)

Date of Review Visit: December 16, 2012

What I Ordered: Endless buffet and drink

Price: $7.15

The Micro:

Crust: When I eat at Cici’s, I typically cut off the crusts and dispose of them as scraps.  Cici’s is the only pizza with which I do this; that’s all you need to know.  Score: 1/10.

Sauce: This may be the most undersauced pizza I have ever eaten.  Oddly enough, what little sauce there is does little to add to the flavor, so it is not really missed.  Score: 1/10.

Cheese: The cheese is low quality with little taste, but it is not severely undercheesed like many of its competitors.  The cheese on the ham and cheddar pizza, my favorite at Cici’s, is actually quite good.  Score: 4/10.

Toppings: This area is hard to score because so many toppings are available.  Most of the pizzas have sufficient quantity of toppings (the aforementioned ham and cheddar might be an exception).  The meats are low quality and high fat meats, but they taste at least decent.  There is some good and some bad here, so I decided to score right in the middle.  Score: 5/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The pizza looks like the cheap pizza that it is.  The atmosphere is similar to Chuck E Cheese complete with game room and kids running around all over the restaurant.  The service is fairly good, but flagging down someone behind the counter to place a special order can be a hassle.  Score: 4/10.

Value: Like most “cheap” pizzas, this is where Cici’s really shines.  You can get as much of any kind of pizza as you want with a drink for around $7; ‘nuff said.  Score: 10/10

Taste: Again, this area is hard to score because it varies greatly from pizza to pizza.  The taste of the specialty pizzas (ham and cheddar, all pork, and barbeque in particular) is quite good save for the awful crust.  They are the reasons I come to Cici’s with any frequency.  As for the non-specialty pizzas, the phrase “if you can’t say anything good...” comes to mind.  Score: 8/20

The Final Judgment:

For a family with many kids or the mandatory occasional self-gourding via pizza, Cici’s is a passable option.  If all pizza tasted like this, I would never have started this blog.  Score: 33/80

Marco's Pizza

The Facts:

Pizza: Marco’s Pizza

Business Category: National Chain

Website: http://marcos.com/

Review Location: 209 N. Magnolia Dr. in Tallahassee, FL

Date of Review Visit: December 20, 2012

What I Ordered: Large (14”) pizza with Italian sausage and pepperoni

Price: $13.96

The Micro:

Crust: Some may claim the crust on this pizza is too thick, but the thick crust is needed to support the large volume of cheese and toppings (see below).  Besides, the crust has a pleasant taste, and I like thick crusts.  Score: 9/10.

Sauce: There is plenty of sauce on this pizza.  The sauce tastes a little overspiced to me, but that may be due to my preference for sweet sauces.  Overall, this is a good sauce.  Score: 8/10.

Cheese: The cheese is a little on the greasy side, but the cheese is above average in quality and there is plenty of it.  You can even see the cheese baked into the edge of the crust.  Memo to most national pizza chains: this is how you cheese a pizza.  Score: 9/10.

Toppings: The toppings are robust in terms of quantity, as evidenced by the huge chunks of sausage in the picture below.  The pepperoni and sausage both have some flavor, but neither is overly spicy.  I actually expected the Italian sausage to be spicier than it is.  The only difficulty was keeping the sausage on the pizza: I lost several chunks of sausage to the floor.  Score: 9/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The golden brown pizza looks great.  Even the box is one of the best looking pizza boxes I have ever seen.  Fantastico!  Score: 10/10.

Value: This is good quality pizza, but the price reflects such.  Thus, I can only give slightly above average marks here.  Score: 7/10

Taste: The robustness of the cheese and toppings are what really stand out with this pizza.  This is hearty fare for the serious pizza-eater, not a light snack for the delicate among us.  I think this pizza tastes very good, but you will have to decide if it is what you want.  Score: 18/20

The Final Judgment:

This is grown-up pizza, and it is not for the squeamish.  I like it, but make sure you know what you are getting before you dive in too deep.  Score: 70/80

Ferrando’s Pizzeria in Aiken, SC

The Facts:

Pizza: Ferrando’s Pizzeria

Business Category: Locally-owned

Website: https://www.facebook.com/Ferrandos-Italian-Pizzeria-116040908424200/

Location: 3555 Richland Ave. in Aiken, SC

Date of Review Visit: December 12, 2012

What I Ordered: Small (10’’) hand-tossed pizza with sausage and pepperoni; Dr. Pepper to drink

Price: $9.31 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

The Micro:

Crust: The crust is New York style: crispy and significant without being bulky.  Thus, this is a good crust.  The only downside was that the crust was very hard to cut with my knife.  Score: 9/10.

Sauce: The sauce has a nice, fresh taste to it.  The amazing thing to me is how well the sauce fits in with the rest of the pizza.  Often I hardly realized the sauce was there, and that is not because the pizza is undersauced; very good.  Score: 10/10.

Cheese: Ferrando’s uses premium cheese, and I could taste the difference.  Sprinkle on some parmesan cheese for even more flavor.  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: The classic sausage and pepperoni combination works its magic again.  Both high-quality meats have enough spicing to give them zest but not enough to be overpowering.  Score: 10/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The pizza’s appearance is perfecto.  The atmosphere is similar to a fine bar and grill complete with televisions and pictures on the walls.  The service was a little slow on my visit even though there were only two occupied tables in the restaurant: I had to refill my own Dr. Pepper because the waiter never returned to do it.  Score: 8/10.

Value: It is hard to find pizza this good for less than $10, but that is exactly what you get here.  If this were a 12” pizza the value would be excellent; as is it is very good.  Score: 9/10

Taste: Ferrando’s claims to make pizza via an old family recipe from Italy, and the overall taste bears record of that.  Have I eaten better tasting pizza?  Probably.  Have I eaten it recently? No.  Score: 19/20

The Final Judgment:

Ferrando’s offers excellent pizza at a very good price, and it is the first pizza to earn a 70+ score from me.  I wish I lived closer to Aiken so that I could come here more often.  Score: 75/80

DaVinci’s Ristorante in Anderson, SC

The Facts:

Pizza: DaVinci’s Ristorante

Business Category: Locally-owned

Website: http://www.davincisusa.com/

Location: 307 E. Greenville St. in Anderson, SC

Date of Review Visit: December 5, 2012

What I Ordered: Small (12’’) pan pizza with sausage and pepperoni; Dr. Pepper to drink

Price: $11.53 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

The Micro:

Crust: DaVinci’s offers 3 styles of crust: pan, traditional, and thin, all at the same price.  I like thick crust, so I always order pan unless I plan to microwave leftovers later (the thick crust does not microwave well).  The pan crust is gold and crunchy on the outside but chewy on the inside, as it should be.  Pick a crust to suit your preference: you won’t hardly go wrong.  Score: 9/10.

Sauce: The sauce layer is quite thin, and therefore the pizza is slightly undersauced.  The sauce has a sweet taste but not overly sweet like Papa John’s.  The sauce also contains some bits of tomato peel.  This can be the mark of a good (fresh) sauce, but I have a personal preference against them.  Score: 7/10.

Cheese: The pizza is undercheesed only in the sense that the cheese does not go to the edge of the sauce, much less the pizza.  The quality and taste of the cheese are good.  Sprinkling on some parmesan cheese provided on the table adds some real flavor.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: Sausage and pepperoni is a classic combination, but rarely have I seen it work as well as it does here.  Both meats have enough spicing to give them zest but not enough to be overpowering.  I know from experience the ham is very good too.  Score: 10/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The pizza’s appearance is quite good, the only detraction being the ring of sauce outside the cheese.  The Italian-language music they usually play in the dining room makes for a compelling atmosphere, and I have never had a problem with the service.  Score: 8/10.

Value: This is not cheap pizza a la Little Caesars or Cici’s, but this is very good quality pizza for medium price.  Therefore, it represents good value.  Score: 8/10

Taste: The quality of the toppings is what really sets the taste apart here: they turn what would otherwise be an above average pizza into one that is just shy of the best.  Score: 17/20

The Final Judgment:

Offering very good pizza at a reasonable price, DaVinci’s is one of my favorite pizza restaurants in Anderson.  Stop here once and you will probably see why.  Score: 67/80