Frodo's Pizza in Greenville, SC

The Facts:

Pizza: Frodo’s Pizza

Business Category: Locally-owned

Website: http://www.frodospizza.com/

Location: 511 S. Pleasantburg Dr. in Greenville, SC (across the street from Greenville Technical College)

Date of Review Visit: November 16, 2017

What I Ordered: Small (11”) pizza with sausage and pepperoni; fountain drink

Price: $11.75 (includes drink and tax)

The Micro:

Crust: Frodo’s standard crust is the nice thick crust I like, but they also have two thinner options.  The crust has a fresh bready taste, and it offers an appealing crispy on the outside chewy on the inside texture.  Excellent!  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: The sauce appears in decent quantity, but the pizza is somewhat undersauced considering the thick crust pizza style.  The bigger problem is that the sauce has too many herbs and spices for my taste.  Score: 4/10.

Cheese: Frodo’s uses 100% whole milk mozzarella applied in a nice thick layer.  Although it tastes yummy, the cheese produces quite a bit of grease, which leads to a mandatory deduction.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: The toppings are pretty disappointing.  The sausage comes in small tasteless balls, while the pepperoni comes in thin flavorless slices.  There is a lot to work on here.  Score: 3/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The pizza looks like a nice thick-crust pizza.  Frodo’s has a casual dining room with a small video game area featuring retro-games, where I learned that my Ms. Pac Man skills are very rusty.  The service is counter service, which saves on the tip.  Score: 8/10.

Value: This pizza is of average quality, but the price is lower than average considering this is an 11” pizza, not the usual 8” or 10” most places consider a small.  Score: 6/10.

Taste: The crust and cheese are the most flavorful things on this pizza, which means the taste is rather uninspiring.  Score: 14/20.

The Final Judgment:

Frodo’s is a decent option for thick crust pizza but not much more.  Score: 53/80.

Summa Joe's Searing Pans in Anderson, SC

The Facts:

Pizza: Summa Joe’s Searing Pans

Business Category: Locally-owned

Website: https://www.facebook.com/SummaJoes/

Location: 127 N. Main Street in Anderson, SC (beside TD Bank in downtown Anderson)

Date of Review Visit: October 18, 2017

What I Ordered: Build Your Own Pizza with pepperoni, spicy sausage, and ham; Dr. Pepper to drink

Price: $13.06 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

The Micro:

Crust: True to its local-themed advertising, the crust at Summa Joe’s is the thin crust commonly seen on southern-style pizzas.  The crust has a nice crispy texture.  Thin crust is not my favorite style of pizza, but this crust is good for what it is.  Score: 9/10.

Sauce: As usual given the thin crust, there is very little sauce on this pizza.  What little sauce that does exist blends well with the rest of pizza.  Score: 6/10.

Cheese: The pizza is well-cheesed, and the cheese produces very little grease.  Sprinkling on some provided parmesan adds to the flavor.  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: Summa Joe’s spicy sausage is not that spicy; it comes in big gobs and has a nice fresh taste.  The pepperoni comes in small freshly cut chunks.  The ham is unremarkable.  All toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 9/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The toppings take center stage on this pizza’s appearance: the pizza looks loaded with toppings.  The dining area was an overcrowded zoo when I came here on a Wednesday evening, partly because Wednesday is kids eat free cheese pizza night.  I sat outside, which also featured plenty of people and kids running around.  The service was excellent, friendly and efficient.  Score: 8/10.

Value: The quality is excellent, and the price is reasonable given the quality.  Summa Joe’s does not make cheap pizza, but the value is better than you would expect for this price.  Score: 6/10.

Taste: The toppings give a nice blend of flavors that few pizzas can match, and they are the main thing you taste on this pizza.  It would be nice to taste the cheese and sauce more.  Score: 18/20.

The Final Judgment:

Summa Joe’s is an Anderson institution, and if you come here you will learn why.  Their menu offers a wide selection of food choices, and their pizza is a thin crust version of nearby Mellow Mushroom, both of which I like very much.  Score: 66/80.