TJ’s Italian American Restaurant in Cordele, GA

The Facts:

Pizza: TJ’s Italian American Restaurant

Business Category: Locally-owned

Website: (none)

Location: 1712 E. 16^th Ave. in Cordele, GA (just west of I-75 exit 101)

Date of Review Visit: December 18, 2013

What I Ordered: Medium (12”) pizza with sausage and pepperoni; Dr. Pepper to drink

Price: $13.86 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

The Micro:

Crust: TJ’s standard thin crust comes well-baked and slightly blackened but not burnt.  TJ’s also offers a thick crust, which would normally be more to my liking, but it costs extra (which is somewhat of a problem here: see the “value” criterion below).  The crust has a crisp, fresh taste, and I like it even though it is thin and slightly overbaked.  Score: 9/10.

Sauce: The sauce has a good fresh taste; it is spiced without being overspiced.  The quantity is perfect.  Only my personal pet-peeve against chunks of tomato in the sauce prevents a perfect score.  Score: 9/10.

Cheese: The cheese comes in good quantity, and the taste is pretty good especially after some parmesan cheese is sprinkled on.  Unfortunately, the cheese also produces an above average amount of grease, leading to a slight deduction in this category.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: The sausage and pepperoni are both good quality, tasty meat, but there are two problems: both toppings appear in below average quantity, and the sausage is rather overspiced.  The spiciness of the sausage is a personal preference, but TJ’s really needs to be more generous with the toppings.  Score: 6/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The pizza’s appearance is hurt by the low quantity of toppings; otherwise it is fine.  The atmosphere of the dining room is casual and functional but nothing more, as you might expect for a small town restaurant. The service is fantastic.  Score: 6/10.

Value: The quality is quite good, but the price is high compared to similar pizzas I have eaten elsewhere.  Thus, the quality/price ratio grades out slightly worse than average here.  Score: 4/10.

Taste: Everything works together pretty well with this pizza.  The only real complaint I have involves the sausage: its spiciness overpowers everything else when you get a large bite of sausage.  Score: 17/20.

The Final Judgment:

TJ’s does not make elite-level pizza, but it grades out better than average.  The next time you are driving through south Georgia (on your way to Florida?), stop by and pay them a visit.  Score: 59/80.