Star Pizzeria in Houston, TX

The Facts:

Pizza: Star Pizzeria

Business Category: Single Store

Website: https://www.starpizzeriamenu.com/

Location: 10001 W. Bellfort Ave. in Houston, TX (just east of I-69)

Date of Review Visit: December 18, 2019

What I Ordered: medium (12”) pizza with pepperoni and sausage; 2 cans of Dr. Pepper to drink

Price: $14.58 (includes tax and drinks)

The Micro:

Crust: The crust at Star Pizzeria has medium thickness.  It has an appealing crispy texture on the outside, but it is soggy and droopy underneath the toppings.  My pizza was perfectly baked, and that might be the best thing I can say about this crust.  Score: 4/10.

Sauce: The sauce appears in sufficient quantity, but it does not have a lot of flavor.  Score: 5/10.

Cheese: The cheese appears in excellent quantity, and it also does not produce a lot of grease.  The cheese is the strength of this pizza.  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: Both toppings appear in high quantity but horrible quality.  The sausage is the putrid pellet variety.  The pepperoni comes in thin slices with little flavor.  These are some of the worst toppings I have tasted recently.  Score: 2/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The pellet sausage is distracting to the appearance, which is otherwise fine.  Star Pizzeria’s small dining room is functional but no more.  My pizza took 30 minutes to make even though they were not busy, and the man at the counter was not exactly the friendliest person in Texas.  Score: 6/10.

Value: When you factor in the two Dr. Peppers and the 12” size, the price is reasonable for this kind of pizza, but it is not great value due to the poor quality.  Score: 5/10.

Taste: The cheese is the tastiest part of this pizza, which says a lot about everything else.  Score: 12/20.

The Final Judgment:

In my view of the pizza galaxy, Star does not shine brightly.  Score: 44/80.

Antonio's Pizza and Pasta in Powdersville, SC

The Facts:

Pizza: Antonio’s Pizza and Pasta

Business Category: Single Store

Website: https://www.pizzarestaurantpiedmont.com/

Location: 142 McNeely Rd. in Powdersville, SC (across the street from Aldi and WalMart)

Date of Review Visit: October 19, 2019

What I Ordered: large (18”) pizza with sausage, pepperoni, and ham; coke to drink

Price: $25.92 (includes tax and drink but not tip)

The Micro:

Crust: Antonio’s offers two crusts: Sicilian and traditional.  I tried to order the Sicilian crust, but I was told they were “out of” 16” Sicilian crusts.  Thus, their crusts may not be freshly made.  The traditional crust I did manage to order is thick and crispy with a very hard texture; it was tough to cut with a knife or bite with my teeth.  The crust has a fresh bready taste, but it is very bulky and hard to eat.  Score: 3/10.

Sauce: This pizza is undersauced, but what sauce does exist has a nice tomatoey taste.  Score: 5/10.

Cheese: This pizza is also slightly undercheesed, and the cheese does not have a lot of flavor.  Fortunately, it also does not produce a lot of grease.  Score: 4/10.

Toppings: The sausage is a chunky sliced Italian sausage with only a little bit of spiciness.  Likewise the pepperoni has only a little spiciness.  The ham has almost a honey glazed taste, and I really like it.  All toppings appear in about average quantity.  Score: 9/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The thick and wide crust dominates the appearance.  Antonio’s dining area offers a nice dining atmosphere with faux wood tables.  The service was slow, and the waitress didn’t tell me they were out of Sicilian crusts until several minutes after I ordered.  Score: 7/10.

Value: The price is quite high, even for an 18” pizza with three toppings.  Score: 3/10.

Taste: The hard crust and lack of sauce really hurt here, which is too bad because the toppings left an interesting sweet and spicy combination on my tongue.  Score: 14/20.

The Final Judgment:

Large groups seem to really like Antonio’s, probably for their large pizzas, but for a single guy like me it’s only OK.  Score: 45/80.

Pizza Al's in Morgantown, WV

The Facts:

Pizza: Pizza Al’s

Business Category: Regional Chain (4 locations, all near Morgantown, WV)

Website: https://www.pizzaals.com/

Location: 192 Jim Street in Granville, WV (in University Towne Center between I-79 exits 153 and 154)

Date of Review Visit: October 11, 2019

What I Ordered: small (14”) sausage and pepperoni pizza; cherry coke to drink

Price: $13.25 (includes tax and drink)

The Micro:

Crust: The crust at Pizza Al’s is a hand-tossed crust with medium thickness and a fresh bready taste.  The texture does not stand out, but my pizza was baked to perfection.  Overall, this crust has more good than bad.  Score: 8/10.

Sauce: This pizza is rather undersauced, and the sauce contains chunks of tomatoes and tomato peels.  I don’t like finding things in my sauce, and that plus the lack of quantity make it not my favorite sauce.  Score: 3/10.

Cheese: This pizza is definitely not undercheesed.  The cheese comes in a thick, yummy, stringy layer that produces only a little bit of grease.  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: The sausage comes in ground up bits that are rather tasteless.  The pepperoni is what some pizza places call old world pepperoni, and it has exactly the right amount of spiciness.  Both toppings appear in average quantity.  Score: 7/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The cheese dominates the pizza’s appearance, which is fairly average.  The service is counter service, and it was quick and to the point on my visit.  Pizza  Al’s Granville location has a casual dining atmosphere with two large TV’s that were tuned to sports programming on my visit.  Score: 9/10.

Value: The smallest pizza Pizza Al’s makes is a 14” pizza, and for a 14” pizza with decent quality the price cannot be beat.  Bring a friend or be prepared for leftovers.  Score: 10/10.

Taste: What this pizza has comes together pretty well, but the lack of sauce really leaves a vacant spot on the taste palette.  Score: 16/20.

The Final Judgment:

Pizza Al’s calls themselves the best pizza in Morgantown, and I can see why. If you are in need of large pizzas, perhaps to feed a large group, Pizza Al’s should be at the top of your list.  It would be part of my regular pizza rotation if I lived near Morgantown.  Score: 63/80.

Lubrano’s Pizzeria and Restaurant in Somerset, NJ

The Facts:

Pizza: Lubrano’s Pizzeria and Restaurant

Business Category: Single Store

Website: http://www.lubranospizzeria.com/index.html

Location: 1830 Easton Avenue in Somerset, NJ (near I-287 exit 10)

Date of Review Visit: August 3, 2019

What I Ordered: 3 slices of sausage and pepperoni pizza; 2 20oz Dr. Pepper’s to drink

Price: $14.77 (includes tax and drinks)

The Micro:

Crust: Lubrano’s only makes large pizzas, but for individuals they sell reheated pizza by the slice.  The crust is thin and crispy, kind of what you would expect for reheated pizza.  While reheated pizza never has the best crust, this crust is near the top of its pizza category.  Score: 8/10.

Sauce: True to the New York style, the sauce does not appear in high quantity, but it has a nice tomatoey taste.  Score: 7/10.

Cheese: The cheese comes in two types: a layer under the pepperoni and a few shreds scattered atop the sausage.  The bottom layer is thick, stringy, and yummy.  The shredded top layer does not add much to the pizza.  Also, this cheese produces quite a bit of grease.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: The pepperoni has just the right amount of spiciness.  The sausage is a somewhat bland mild Italian sausage, and they used the strips rather than the chunks on my pizza because the chunks were frozen.  Both toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 9/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The appearance is odd due to the slices of sausage.  Lubrano’s has a purely functional dining room.  The service is counter service, and it was fine despite the fact that the menu is very complicated.  Score: 8/10.

Value: The price seems high, but this was basically dinner for two people.  The pizza slices are big, so in fact the value is pretty good.  Score: 8/10.

Taste: The overall taste is a little on the flavorless side, but it is not bad for reheated pizza.  Score: 14/20.

The Final Judgment:

Lubrano’s is a nice pizza option, especially if you are in need of large pizzas.  Score: 62/80.

Capone’s Pizza Bar in Branford, CT

The Facts:

Pizza: Capone’s Pizza Bar

Business Category: Regional Chain (2 locations, both near Branford, CT)

Website: http://www.caponespizzabar.com/

Location: 2400 Foxon Road in North Branford, CT

Date of Review Visit: August 2, 2019

What I Ordered: small (12”) pizza with sausage and pepperoni; Coke to drink

Price: $13.83 (includes tax and drink but not tip)

The Micro:

Crust: Capone’s calls their pizza New Haven-style pizza, which apparently means a thin crispy crust with skimpy toppings.  The style and texture of the crust are fine, but my pizza was overbaked with a hard, blackened crust.  This crust is a good idea that needs better execution.  Score: 7/10.

Sauce: The sauce does not appear in a lot of quantity, but it has a nice tomatoey taste.  Score: 7/10.

Cheese: Capone’s uses a tasty cheese blend that includes some yellow cheese: the orange you see on the pizza in the picture below is cheese, not grease.  The cheese appears in good quantity too, and it is the strength of this pizza.  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: The toppings are applied rather sparsely, and both the sausage and the pepperoni have a hint of spiciness.  The toppings that exist do the job as best they can, but the pizza could use more of them.  Score: 6/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The pizza’s appearance is odd due to the orange cheese.  The dining area has a nice casual dining atmosphere with Al Capone-style decorations and big TV’s tuned to sports shows.  They also have a bar side to the dining room that the Baptist I am did not utilize.  The waitress did not pay me a lot of attention even though I was the only customer in the dining side of the restaurant.  Score: 7/10.

Value: The quality is pretty high, and the price is not crazy given that you are in Connecticut.  Also, this is a 12” pizza, not an 8” or 10” pizza most places call a small.  Overall, the value is pretty high.  Score: 8/10.

Taste: This pizza could be fantastic, but the lack of toppings and the burnt crust really keep this score down.  Score: 15/20.

The Final Judgment:

I like Capone’s, but it could be so much better.  Score: 60/80.

Pepper’s Pizza and Subs in Bar Harbor, ME

The Facts:

Pizza: Pepper’s Pizza and Subs

Business Category: Single Store

Website: http://peppersbarharbor.com/

Location: corner of SR 3 and Loren Street in Bar Harbor, ME

Date of Review Visit: July 29, 2019

What I Ordered: small (10”) pizza with sausage and pepperoni; fountain drink

Price: $11.77 (includes tax and drink)

The Micro:

Crust: The crust on Pepper’s Pizza has medium thickness and a nice crispy texture.  What really makes this crust delicious are some tasty blackened bits baked into the crust.  This crust is different enough to earn a high score on this metric.  Score: 9/10.

Sauce: The pizza is somewhat undersauced, and what sauce does appear is somewhat over spiced.  You taste the spices more than the sauce, and that’s not a good thing.  Score: 3/10.

Cheese: This pizza is slightly undercheesed, and what cheese does exist is a rather bland mozzarella.  Also, it produces quite a bit of grease.  Just like I am not a fan of this sauce, I am not a fan of this cheese.  Score: 3/10.

Toppings: The sausage is of the putrid pellet variety.  The pepperoni is unremarkable.  Neither topping has a lot of flavor, and both toppings appear in about average quantity.  Score: 4/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: There is nothing remarkable (good or bad) about this pizza’s appearance.  Pepper’s has a small dining room with a casual dining atmosphere and Boston sports memorabilia on the walls.  The service is counter service, and it was fine.  Score: 8/10.

Value: The price is also fairly cheap for New England, but the quality of this pizza is fairly low.  Also, they do charge extra for refills on fountain drinks, which can drive the price up.  Score: 5/10.

Taste: The crust may be best tasting thing on this pizza, which really says something about everything else.  Score: 11/20.

The Final Judgment:

Bar Harbor has a limited selection when it comes to pizza, but there are better options than Pepper’s.  Score: 43/80.

Bertucci's Pizza

The Facts:

Pizza: Bertucci’s Brick Oven Pizza and Pasta

Business Category: Regional Chain (locations in 9 states; based near Boston)

Website: https://www.bertuccis.com/

Location: 280 School Street in Mansfield, MA (near I-495 exit 12)

Date of Review Visit: July 24, 2019

What I Ordered: small (10”) pizza with sausage and pepperoni; Coke to drink

Price: $18.48 (includes tax and drink but not tip)

The Micro:

Crust: The crust at Bertucci’s is crispy but not as thin as you would expect for a brick oven pizza.  The crust has a nice texture with some cornmeal baked into the crust.  My pizza was baked the perfect amount.  What’s not to like?  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: This pizza features a Pizzeria Uno-style sauce with juicy chunks of tomatoes.  The sauce appears in high quantity, and it has a fantastic tomatoey taste.  Score: 10/10.

Cheese: This pizza is slightly undercheesed, and what cheese does exist is a rather bland mozzarella.  On the bright side, it does not produce much grease.  Score: 7/10.

Toppings: Bertucci’s calls their chunky sausage a sweet Italian sausage, and their characterization is accurate even though it has only a slight sweet taste.  The pepperoni is slightly spicy, but the spiciness builds on your taste palette as you eat more of the pizza.  Both toppings appear in adequate but only adequate quantity.  Score: 8/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The large chunks of sausage dominate the appearance.  Bertucci’s has a nice casual dining area with comfortable seats.  The service was prompt and friendly.  Score: 10/10.

Value: Even for a 10” brick oven pizza in New England, this pizza is very overpriced relative to what you put in your mouth.  Score: 1/10.

Taste: The spiciness of the pepperoni clashes a little with the sweetness of the sausage.  The sauce really saves the day.  Score: 16/20.

The Final Judgment:

Bertucci’s makes a nice pizza, but in the brick oven category I like Brixx more.  Score: 62/80.

Wicked Good Pizza in Rhode Island

The Facts:

Pizza: Wicked Good Pizza

Business Category: Regional Chain (2 locations, both in Rhode Island)

Website: http://www.wicked-good-pizza.com/

Location: 12 Nooseneck Hill Rd. in West Greenwich, RI (just north of I-95 exit 6)

Date of Review Visit: July 22, 2019

What I Ordered: small (8”) pizza with sausage and pepperoni; 20 oz. Dr. Pepper to drink

Price: $9.99 (includes tax and drink)

The Micro:

Crust: Wicked Good Pizza makes thick crust pizza, but the texture is odd for a thick crust pizza: it is completely chewy with no crispiness at all.  My pizza was baked exactly the right amount, but the texture really sets this crust back.  Score: 5/10.

Sauce: The sauce appears in slightly above average quantity and has a nice tomatoey taste.  I like it.  Score: 9/10.

Cheese: This pizza has plenty of cheese.  The blend seems to be a rather flavorless 100% mozzarella, and it leaves slightly more grease than I would prefer.  Score: 7/10.

Toppings: Both toppings appear in thin slices, and neither has a lot of flavor.  They do appear in high quantity.  Score: 7/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The pizza has a well-balanced appearance.  The service was counter service, and it was to-the-point and quick.  The dining area is a set of stools with a counter.  Score: 7/10.

Value: The pizza quality is not great, but the price is pretty low.  Therefore, the value is above average.  Score: 7/10.

Taste: The best tasting thing on this pizza is the sauce, which means that the overall taste is fairly unremarkable.  Score: 14/20.

The Final Judgment:

With nothing exceedingly wicked or good, Wicked Good Pizza is a solid pizza option but no more.  Score: 56/80.

Chester's Pizzeria in Hamilton, OH

The Facts:

Pizza: Chester’s Pizzeria

Business Category: Locally-owned

Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Pizza-Place/Chesters-Pizzeria-110218395738711/

Location: 2929 Dixie Highway in Hamilton, OH (at the corner of SR 4 and Bobmeyer Rd.)

Date of Review Visit: June 21, 2019

What I Ordered: small (8”) pizza with sausage and pepperoni

Price: $8 (includes tax but not drink)

The Micro:

Crust: The crust on Chester’s pizza is not the thickest crust I have eaten, but I still classify it as a thick crust.  The crust has great texture: gold and crispy on the outside but chewy on the inside.  The blackened cheese on the edge provides fantastic flavor.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: This pizza has plenty of sauce.  The sauce has a nice thick texture and a great tomatoey taste.  Score: 10/10.

Cheese: This pizza has plenty of cheese.  The cheese tastes like some nice fresh provolone, but it leaves slightly more grease than I would prefer.  Score: 9/10.

Toppings: Both toppings appear in satisfactory quantity, but neither the pepperoni nor the sausage has a lot of flavor.  Score: 6/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service:  The pizza looks like yummy pizza with plenty of cheese and sauce.  Chester’s only offers carryout, so dining atmosphere is not relevant.  The service was friendly and prompt.  Score: 10/10.

Value: Rarely do you see pizza this good for this cheap.  Only the fact that this is an 8” pizza as opposed to a 10” pizza prevents a perfect score.  Score: 9/10.

Taste: The cheese and sauce combine to give this pizza a fabulously rich taste.  No matter what toppings you order, you will get a flavorful pizza.  Score: 19/20.

The Final Judgment:

I was born in Hamilton, OH, and my birth-town’s signature pizza comes through with flying colors.  Miss Chester’s at your own peril.  Score: 73/80.

Pie's the Limit in Central Illinois

The Facts:

Pizza: Pie’s the Limit

Business Category: Regional Chain (3 locations, all in central Illinois)

Website: http://piesthelimit.com/

Location: 3429 Freedom Dr. in Springfield, IL (just north of I-72, exit 93; between Walmart and Target)

Date of Review Visit: May 19, 2019

What I Ordered: pizza with provolone, parmesan, sausage, pepperoni, and ham

Price: $9.77 (includes tax but not drink)

The Micro:

Crust: Pie’s the Limit makes build-your-own pizza in assembly line fashion similar to MOD Pizza or Blaze Pizza.  The standard crust is of medium thickness, and it has no outstanding qualities whatsoever.  At least my pizza was baked the right amount.  Score: 2/10.

Sauce: Among their various sauce options, I ordered the standard sauce.  The pizza is undersauced, but the standard sauce has a nice tomatoey taste.  Score: 6/10.

Cheese: I ordered the standard cheese with some extra provolone and parmesan.  The standard (mozzarella) cheese is rather flavorless and lackluster, but the added provolone and parmesan really add to the flavor.  The cheese does not produce much grease, which is a plus.  Score: 7/10.

Toppings: The toppings appear in high quantity, but the toppings I chose have very little flavor.  The ham may be the tastiest of the three toppings I chose, and it has a nice fresh taste.  Score: 6/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The pizza has an attractive appearance with plenty of toppings.  I ordered carry-out, but the Springfield location has a small functional dining area with outdoor seating available.  The service was fine.  Score: 10/10.

Value: The price is fairly low considering the customization possible.  Therefore, the value is quite good.  Score: 8/10.

Taste: Normally for customized pizza the toppings make the taste, but the provolone and parmesan cheeses are the tastiest things on this pizza except when you manage to get a bite of sauce.  Therefore, the overall taste is unspectacular.  Score: 12/20.

The Final Judgment:

I might come here occasionally because the price is right, but I can’t say this pizza ranks very high in my book.  In the customized pizza space, I prefer MOD or Blaze.  Score: 51/80.

Gerry's Pizza Italian Restaurant in Rockford, IL

The Facts:

Pizza: Gerry’s Pizza Italian Restaurant

Business Category: Locally-owned

Website: https://www.gerryspizza.net/

Location: 7403 Argus Dr. in Rockford, IL (beside Red Roof Inn)

Date of Review Visit: May 16, 2019

What I Ordered: 10” thick crust pizza with pepperoni and sausage

Price: $11.47 (includes tax but not drink or tip)

The Micro:

Crust: Gerry’s Pizza offers thick and thin crust options.  As will come as no surprise to any regular reader of this blog, I chose thick.  Unlike many thick crust pizzas, this crust is thick under the entire pizza, not just around the edges.  The crust has a lot of body, but it is a little too crispy and bulky in places.  Score: 8/10.

Sauce: This pizza has plenty of sauce, but the sauce has a strong garlic taste that overpowers any tomato taste and pretty much every other taste on this pizza.  I’m not a fan of garlic, and therefore I am not a fan of this sauce.  Score: 4/10.

Cheese: The cheese appears in excellent quantity, and it is a stringy mozzarella that does not leave a lot of grease.  I like it.  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: The sausage and pepperoni both appear in high quantity, but neither one has a lot of independent flavor.  Score: 7/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The pizza looks like a nice thick crust pizza with the odd but not unheard-of square cut pattern.  I ordered carry-out, but Gerry’s has a large dining area with a single TV tuned to game shows on my visit.  The service was friendly and fine.  Score: 9/10.

Value: The price is fairly high considering all I ordered was a 10” pizza with no drink.  Better value can be found elsewhere.  Score: 5/10.

Taste: The taste of garlic really overpowers everything else.  That’s too bad because there are some other good things going on here.  Score: 14/20.

The Final Judgment:

Gerry’s is not the best pizza in Chicagoland, but it’s not bad.  I prefer Lou Malnati’s or Uno’s to Gerry’s.  Score: 57/80.

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria (Pizza Review #100)

The Facts:

Pizza: Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria

Business Category: Regional Chain (59 locations, mostly near Chicago, IL)

Website: https://www.loumalnatis.com/

Location: 1050 E. Higgins Rd. in Elk Grove Village, IL

Date of Review Visit: May 15, 2019

What I Ordered: Personal Malnati Chicago Classic Pizza (8” deep dish sausage pizza); Coke to drink

Price: $11.99 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

The Micro:

Crust: True to its name, the crust on the pizza at Lou Malnati’s is an inch thick Chicago-style butter crust baked in a pan.  They do also offer a thin crust option, but I have no idea why.  I have not yet seen anyone do this style of crust better than Malnati’s does.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: This pizza features a thick layer of sauce spread over the top.  The sauce has some chunks of tomato, which I don’t like.  However, the most important thing to me about any tomato sauce is that it tastes like tomatoes, and on that metric this sauce passes with flying colors.  Score: 8/10.

Cheese: The cheese seems to be 100% mozzarella, and it appears in high quantity even though I had to look for it under the thick layer of sauce.  Score: 9/10.

Toppings: The sausage is an entire layer, and as you would expect on a Chicago-style pizza it appears in nice fresh chunks.  This is my favorite kind of pizza sausage.  Score: 10/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The sauce and crust dominate the appearance.  The Elk Grove Village location has a dark dining room that is well-decorated with antique light chandeliers and antique-looking chairs.  The service was friendly and excellent, but the pizza took longer to make than it should have considering they weren’t that busy when I came here at 3pm on a Wednesday.  Score: 9/10.

Value: The price is reasonable for pizza of this quality.  Therefore, while this is not cheap pizza, it does offer good value.  Score: 8/10.

Taste: Everything comes together really well.  Maybe this pizza has a little too much sauce with a few too many chunks of tomatoes.  Score: 19/20.

The Final Judgment:

A Chicago classic, Lou Malnati’s ranks right up with Uno’s and LaRosa’s as my favorite pizzas available.  Score: 73/80.

Paesano's Italian Restaurant in Seneca, SC

The Facts:

Pizza: Paesano’s Italian Restaurant

Business Category: Locally-owned

Website: http://www.paesanositalian.com/

Location: 1727 Blue Ridge Blvd. in Seneca, SC (on SR 28 just north of US 123)

Date of Review Visit: April 30, 2019

What I Ordered: Large (14”) sausage pizza; Dr. Pepper to drink

Price: $17.71 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

The Micro:

Crust: The crust on Paesano’s pizza has a crispy texture with medium thickness.  Our pizza had some blackened areas especially underneath, so it may have been slightly overbaked.  Some corn meal adds some nice texture.  Overall, this crust is not quite perfect, but I like it.  Score: 9/10.

Sauce: This pizza is somewhat undersauced, and the sauce is unevenly distributed across the pizza.  Also, the sauce is slightly overspiced, and it comes with a few chunks of tomatoes, which I don’t prefer.  I’ve certainly had better sauce.  Score: 5/10.

Cheese: The cheese seems to be 100% mozzarella, and it appears in decent quantity.  It also has the rather bland 100% mozzarella taste.  Score: 6/10.

Toppings: This pizza features plenty of sausage of the ground-up variety.  The sausage has very few spices, and it tastes more like a fresh pork sausage.  The sausage also has quite a bit of salt.  I didn’t notice the saltiness much at first, but it accumulated on my taste palette the more I ate.  Score: 7/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The large amount of ground-up sausage dominates the appearance.  The dimly lit dining room has some nice Italian-like music playing through the speakers.  The metal silverware, real-cloth napkins, and before-dinner garlic knots are all nice touches. The service was friendly and fine.  Score: 10/10.

Value: The quality is OK, and the price is reasonable for a dine-in 14” one-topping pizza.  Therefore, the value is above average.  Score: 7/10.

Taste: The saltiness of the sausage really builds-up on the taste buds, and it keeps this score down.  The crust and cheese are the strengths of the taste.  Score: 14/20.

The Final Judgment:

Open only for dinner, Paesano’s offers a touch of class in rural Seneca, and it is a rather popular dinner option because it offers far more than pizza.  The food itself is satisfactory but not much more.  Score: 58/80.

Newk's Eatery

The Facts:

Pizza: Newk’s Eatery

Business Category: Regional Chain (locations in 13 states, mostly in the southeast)

Website: https://newks.com/

Location: 132 SR 12 in Starkville, MS (diagonally across the parking lot from Vowell’s Market Place)

Date of Review Visit: March 13, 2019

What I Ordered: Sausage and pepperoni pizza with a fountain drink

Price: $13.06 (includes drink and tax)

The Micro:

Crust: The crust on the pizza at Newk’s Eatery is the pleasant combination of thin underneath but thicker around the edge.  Corn meal baked into the crust adds some nice texture, and the crust has a fresh bready taste.  I like it.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: This pizza is somewhat undersauced, but what sauce does appear has a fresh tomatoey taste.  Newk’s does offer the option of adding diced tomatoes as a topping at no extra cost, which I declined.  Score: 8/10.

Cheese: The cheese appears in decent quantity, but it produces a decent amount of grease.  Thus, there is the usual mandatory deduction.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: The pepperoni appears in thin slices and is slightly spicy but unremarkable.  The sausage steals the show: I would classify it as a sweet Italian sausage, and it comes in nice fresh chunks with tremendous flavor.  Both toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 9/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The large amounts of sausage and grease dominate the appearance.  They also toss some sliced herbs on the pizza, and I promptly removed them.  It’s not the best look, but I’ve seen worse.  The Starkville location has a large dining room with an open air kitchen that allows you to see your pizza as it is being made.  The service was quick and fine.  Score: 8/10.

Value: The quality is quite good, but the price is fairly high.  Newk’s only makes personal pizzas, so you gain no economies of scale by ordering a larger size.  They also offer other dishes, mostly sandwiches, but not as many as you would expect for a diner named an eatery.  Score: 5/10.

Taste: The sausage really makes the taste, but the crust and sauce do their parts too.  Only the extra grease holds this score back.  Score: 18/20.

The Final Judgment:

For a “non-pizza” place, Newk’s Eatery makes a surprisingly good pizza.  If they had a location near my home, I may not come here regularly due to the price, but I would definitely come here.  Score: 66/80.

Lost Pizza Company in Columbus, MS

The Facts:

Pizza: Lost Pizza Company

Business Category: Regional Chain (12 locations, mostly in Mississippi)

Website: https://lostpizza.com/

Location: 2009 Highway 45 in Columbus, MS (in Jackson Square strip mall)

Date of Review Visit: March 11, 2019

What I Ordered: Small pizza (10”) with pepperoni and Italian sausage; Dr. Pepper to drink

Price: $10.37 (includes drink and tax)

The Micro:

Crust: Lost Pizza offers two crust options, thick and thin.  As no surprise to anyone who regularly reads this blog, I chose thick.  The thick option is a nice pan crust like you would find on a good Chicago-style pizza.  My pizza seemed slightly overbaked, so the crust was maybe a little too crispy.  That somewhat outstanding, I like this style of crust.  Score: 8/10.

Sauce: This pizza is somewhat undersauced, but what sauce does appear has a thick texture and robust tomatoey taste.  This is a good sauce, but the pizza needs more of it.  Score: 7/10.

Cheese: The cheese appears in decent quantity, and it produces very little grease.  The cheese “blend” seems to be 100% mozzarella, so the flavor is a little bland until you sprinkle on some parmesan.  Score: 9/10.

Toppings: The pepperoni is a little spicy, but not as spicy as the chunks of Italian sausage, which are a little spicier than I prefer for my sausage.  Nevertheless, I would rather have slightly too spicy than the flavorless pellets some pizza places call sausage.  Both toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 9/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: This pizza looks exactly like what a deep dish Chicago-style pizza should look like.  The Columbus, MS location has a nice dining atmosphere with antiques on the walls and TVs for entertainment.  The counter service was quiet and reserved but OK.  Score: 9/10.

Value: This pizza is good quality, and the price is pretty low for pizza this good.  The counter service even saves money on the tip.  Score: 10/10.

Taste: The spiciness of the sausage is a little strong, but the extra layer of spices sprinkled over the top is too much.  I had heartburn the night after eating here, and I almost never get heartburn.  Score: 15/20.

The Final Judgment:

I like Lost Pizza, but I wish they would tone down the spices a little.  Score: 67/80.

Mama Minto's Pizzeria in Iva, SC

The Facts:

Pizza: Mama Minto’s Pizzeria

Business Category: Locally-owned

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

Location: 109 E. Broad St. in Iva, SC

Date of Review Visit: February 9, 2019

What I Ordered: Personal pizza (10”) with pepperoni and sausage; Dr. Pepper to drink

Price: $9.81 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

The Micro:

Crust: The crust at Mama Minto’s has a fresh bready taste, and my pizza was baked to golden brown perfection.  This crust might be too bulky for this style of pizza, but that’s my personal preference.  Score: 8/10.

Sauce: This pizza has almost no sauce, which is typical for a New York style pizza.  What little sauce it does have is not overspiced, and it has a nice smooth texture.  This sauce isn’t bad, but the pizza needs more of it.  Score: 5/10.

Cheese: The cheese appears in very high quantity, but the cheese and/or the pepperoni produce a decent amount of grease.  A thick layer of parmesan cheese covers the top of the pizza, and the parmesan’s taste overpowers the rest of the cheese (and most of the rest of the pizza).  That’s too bad because the rest of the cheese is pretty good.  Score: 9/10.

Toppings: The sausage is rather uninspiring: it carries a slight sweet flavor but nothing else.  The pepperoni comes in thin slices and has just the right amount of spiciness.  Both toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 8/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The parmesan cheese gives the pizza a very white appearance.  The dining room is cozy and functional, which is typical for a small-town pizzeria.  The service was friendly and excellent.  Score: 9/10.

Value: This pizza is good quality, and the price is down right inexpensive for pizza this good.  Score: 10/10.

Taste: The cheese and pepperoni ensure that the overall taste is quite robust.  This score is held back only by the overpowering parmesan cheese.  Score: 17/20.

The Final Judgment:

Small town pizzerias can be hit and miss, but this one is more hit than miss.  If you find yourself passing through Iva, SC, Mama Minto’s is worth a stop.  Score: 66/80.