Cutter's Pizzeria in Oxford, AL

The Facts:

Pizza: Cutter's Pizzeria
Business Category: Regional Chain (2 locations, both in east-central Alabama)
Website: https://cutterspizzeria.com/
Location: 1781 Hamric Drive East in Oxford, AL (at the corner of US 78 and Coleman Road)
Date of Review Visit: March 2022
What I Ordered: handtossed small (10") meat lover pizza, Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $13.18 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

 

The Micro:

Crust: Cutter's Pizzeria offers several pizza/crust options.  Because I was by myself and had no way to store leftovers, I chose the handtossed, which is the only option the menu lists with a small size.  The handtossed crust has a fantastic chewy texture.  It is thick on the outside but not thick enough on the inside to support all of the toppings.  I'm not really a fan of handtossed crusts, but I liked this crust more than I thought I would.  Score: 9/10.

Sauce: This pizza is somewhat undersauced, and the sauce that does exist has little tomatoey flavor.  Score: 4/10.

Cheese: This pizza has plenty of cheese, but it produces a decent bit of grease.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: This pizza has plenty of toppings, but none of them carry a lot of flavor.  The sausage is only spicy, and the pepperoni is unremarkable.  My favorite of the three meat toppings is the ham, which appears in large lean slices.  Score: 8/10.

 

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: My pizza had an evenly cut topping-dominated appearance, as you would expect for a meat lover pizza.  Their Oxford location offers a rather plain dining experience with only some TV's for decor or entertainment.  The service was poor: the servers seemed more interested in talking to their friends than serving customers. Score: 6/10.

Value: The quality is not great, but the price is fairly low.  Therefore, the value is not bad. Score: 6/10.

Taste: Except for some spiciness in the sauce and sausage, nothing really excites the tastebuds here.  Score: 14/20.

 

The Final Judgment:

Cutter's makes a passable if not excellent pizza.  I would like to try some of their other crust options.  At this price point, it belongs as part of your pizza rotation, but it probably won't make the top of your pizza list.  Score: 55/80.

Cucina 100 Wood Fired Italian in Fountain Inn, SC

The Facts:

Pizza: Cucina 100 Wood Fired Italian
Business Category: Single Store
Website: https://www.cucina100.com/
Location: 100 S. Main Street in downtown Fountain Inn, SC
Date of Review Visit: February 2022
What I Ordered: 12" Trifecta Pizza (Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, and applewood smoked bacon); Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $17.23 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

 

The Micro:

Crust: As stated in its name, Cucina 100 makes pizza in a wood fired oven.  This crust is thicker than you would expect for wood fired pizza.  It has a fantastic crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside texture, and it has none of the burnt taste you frequently find with this kind of pizza.  This is one of the best wood fired crusts I have ever had.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: This pizza is fairly undersauced, and what sauce does exist has more of a spicy taste than a tomatoey taste.  I can't say I care for this sauce.  Score: 4/10.

Cheese: On the other hand, this pizza has plenty of cheese.  It seems to be 100% mozzarella or provolone, and it produces very little grease.  What more could you want?  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: As usual for a meats pizza, the toppings make or break the pizza.  The sausage comes in thick round slices, and it tastes like Johnsonville mild Italian sausage, which is a little too spicy for a pizza sausage according to my taste.  The Canadian bacon has a nice slightly sweet ham-like taste, but the applewood smoked bacon has less flavor than the bacon topping on other pizzas I have had.  All toppings appear in excellent quantity.  Score: 9/10.

 

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service:  My pizza had a perfectly-baked even appearance dominated by the toppings.  Cucina 100 has a nice dining area in a row of old brick buildings that has housed many things before this restaurant.  The service was quick and attentive on my visit.  Score: 10/10.

Value: The price is fairly high, but the quality is also fairly high.  Therefore, the value is about average.  Cucina 100 only makes 12" pizzas, so you cannot gain a price advantage by ordering a larger size.  Score: 4/10.

Taste: The sauce and the Italian sausage combine to produce a little too much spice for my taste.  The more intricate flavors get covered up by the spiciness.  Score: 16/20.

 

The Final Judgment:

Far better than your average small town pizza, Cucina 100 deserves a spot in your pizza rotation.  I would definitely come here but maybe not too often due to the price.  Score: 63/80.