Gino’s Pizza and Italian Restaurant in Chesterfield, VA

Basic Information:

Pizza: Gino’s Pizza and Italian Restaurant

Number of Locations: 1

Location Reviewed: 6429 Centralia Road in Chesterfield, VA

Website: https://www.ginospizza-va.com/

Date of Review Visit: May 2018

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

Price: $11.56 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

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Summary Review: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust on Gino’s pizza has a fresh bready taste, but it is too thin to support all of the pizza’s toppings.  My pizza was also slightly overbaked.  Score: 7/10.

Sauce: The sauce has a nice thick texture and a yummy tomatoey taste.  It appears in good quantity.  What’s not to like?  Score: 10/10.

Cheese: This pizza is slightly undercheesed, and what cheese exists has no distinctive flavor.  The cheese also produces quite a bit of grease.  This is the weakness of this pizza.  Score: 5/10.

Toppings: Both toppings appear in excellent quantity and have just the right amount of spiciness.  On the down side, the sausage may be the saltiest sausage I have ever eaten on a pizza.  Score: 8/10.

Overall Taste: Everything comes together pretty well, with the saltiness of the sausage being the only real detraction.  Score: 8.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza’s appearance is nice and tidy.

Dining Atmosphere: Gino’s restaurant sports a fantastic but dimly lit casual dining area with some pop music and TV’s for entertainment.

Customer Service: The service was excellent.

Monetary Value: For a good quality 12” pizza (not the usual 10” that most restaurants call a small), this pizza is downright inexpensive.

The Final Judgment:

Gino’s is a nice pizza place in suburban Richmond.  I would come here often if I lived in the area.  Score: 85/100.

Salvatore's Pizza & Pasta in Birmingham, AL

Basic Information:

Pizza: Salvatore’s Pizza & Pasta

Number of Locations: 2, both near Birmingham, AL

Location Reviewed: 1594 Montgomery Highway in Hoover, AL (on the west side of US 31 between I-65 and I-459)

Website: https://www.salvatorespizzeria.com/

Date of Review Visit: March 2018

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

Price: $13.71 (includes drink and tax)

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Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Salvatore’s is crispy and thin but not too thin.  My pizza was slightly overbaked, thus making the texture of the crust a little too hard and crispy.  This crust is not the best, but it is at least as good as average and maybe better.  Score: 7/10.

Sauce: The sauce is applied with sufficient but not too much quantity.  It has some spiciness but not too much to overpower the tomato taste.  Excellent!  Score: 10/10.

Cheese: The cheese appears in sufficient quantity and has some flavor, but it produces a decent amount of grease.  Therefore, the usual mandatory deduction applies.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: Both the pepperoni and the sausage were just the right amount of spiciness, and they appeared in excellent quantity.  Some extra spices sprinkled on top may have been a bit too much.  Score: 9/10.

Overall Taste: This pizza seems to have just the right amount of everything, so the overall taste is pretty appealing.  I do wish the crust was not as crispy.  Score: 8.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The toppings really dominate the appearance, which is pretty attractive except for the uneven cut.  This pizza is served on a metal tray with a paper covering, which is a problem if you try to cut the pizza with a knife because you will also cut through the paper.

Dining Atmosphere: The small dining area is merely functional with some nice TVs, but I did notice some water-stained ceiling tiles and what appeared to be a pile of dirty dishes near the restrooms.

Customer Service: The service was counter service, and the man behind the counter did not even greet me when I walked up to the counter to order.

Monetary Value: The price is pretty high for a personal pizza and a drink.  Mitigating factors are 1) the quality of the pizza, 2) this is a 10” pizza rather than the usual 8”, and 3) the counter service saves on the tip.

The Final Judgment:

Salvatore’s presents an interesting mix of good pizza but poor dining atmosphere.  While it is a notch or two below the elite pizza levels, I would sanction coming here regularly.  Score: 79/100.

Bertolo's Pizza in Greenville, SC

Basic Information:

Pizza: Bertolo’s Pizza

Number of Locations: 1

Location Reviewed: 3631 Pelham Road in Greenville, SC (in Milestone Plaza)

Website: https://bertolospizzas.com/

Date of Review Visit: January 2018

What I Ordered: medium (14”) pizza with sausage; fountain drink

Price: $15.12 (includes drink and tax)

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Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: Bertolo’s Pizza features the nice thick crust that I like.  The crust has a fresh bready taste, and some cheese spilled over onto the crust adds to the flavor.  I like this crust.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: The sauce comes in high quantity.  The sauce has a nice tomatoey taste and is not overspiced.  I found bits of onions in my sauce, and I don’t like finding bits of anything in my sauce.  Score: 8/10.

Cheese: The cheese comes in decent quantity and does not produce a lot of grease.  The cheese has very little flavor.  It is adequate but not much more.  Score: 6/10.

Toppings: The ground up sausage comes in decent quantity, but it has no real flavor.  This is not some of the better sausage I have had recently.  Score: 4/10.

Overall Taste: Thanks to the blandness of the sausage, the overall taste is fairly underwhelming.  The crust and sauce save a disaster.  Score: 7/10.

Pizza Appearance: The thick cheese-splattered crust and dark well-baked color dominate the appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: The dining atmosphere is purely functional with some water stains in the ceiling tiles.

Customer Service: The service is counter service, and it was fine on my visit.

Monetary Value: The price is higher than usual for me, but I was not alone like usual: I came here with my friend and Pastor Dave Rickerd.  Once adjusted, slightly above average quality plus average price equals slightly above average value.

The Final Judgment:

Bertolo’s is not my favorite pizza in Greenville, but it is a solid if unremarkable pizza option.  It deserves a spot in your pizza rotation, if maybe not a special one.  Score: 75/100.

Frankie’s Italian Grill in Beaumont, TX

Basic Information:

Pizza: Frankie’s Italian Grill

Number of Locations: 1

Location Reviewed: 105 I-10 South in Beaumont, TX (on the west side of the highway)

Website: https://frankiesgrill.net/

Date of Review Visit: December 2017

What I Ordered: Mini-pizza (10”) with pepperoni and sausage

Price: $10.81 (pizza only; includes tax)

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Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: The pizza at Frankie’s Italian Grill features a hand-tossed crust of the not-too-thick-not-too-thin variety.  The crust has a nice chewy texture.  This is not my favorite type of crust, but this crust is nice for what it is.  Score: 8/10.

Sauce: The sauce has a nice tomatoey taste, and it appears in good quantity.  I like it.  Score: 10/10.

Cheese: This pizza is slightly undercheesed, and it still produces a decent amount of grease.  At least the cheese has some nice flavor, especially after you sprinkle on some parmesan.  Score: 6/10.

Toppings: The two toppings fall at the two extremes in terms of quality.  The pepperoni has nice thickness and just enough spiciness; it is excellent.  The sausage is of the horrid pellet-variety.  Both toppings appear in good quantity.  Score: 6/10.

Overall Taste: The overall taste comes together pretty well, but it would be a lot better without the sausage.  Score: 7.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The big sausage pellets dominate the appearance, which is not a good thing.

Dining Atmosphere: I ordered take-out, but Frankie’s has a nice dining room atmosphere with big band music playing through the speakers.

Customer Service: The service was quick and attentive.

Monetary Value: Slightly above average quality plus slightly above average price equals average value.

The Final Judgment:

Frankie’s is a nice little pizza place that has other menu offerings as well.  If I lived in Beaumont, I would make it a part of my regular pizza rotation.  Score: 79/100.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill

Basic Information:

Pizza: Carrabba’s Italian Grill

Number of Locations: about 200 across 29 states

Location Reviewed: 1550 I-10 South in Beaumont, TX (on the west side of the highway)

Website: https://www.carrabbas.com/

Date of Review Visit: December 2017

What I Ordered: Wood-fired (10”) pepperoni pizza; Dr. Pepper to drink

Price: $17.62 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

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Summary Review: 3 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: As you would expect for a wood-fired pizza, the crust at Carrabba’s is of the thin and crispy variety, but it is not too thin.  The crust has an excellent texture, and my pizza was baked just the right amount.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: Carrabba’s puts very little sauce on its pizza, and what sauce does exist has an odd slightly spicy taste.  Score: 4/10.

Cheese: The 100% mozzarella cheese appears in decent quantity.  You can request some grated parmesan or romano to sprinkle on, which I did liberally, but you have to ask for it.  The cheese produces quite a bit of grease, which leads to a mandatory deduction.  Score: 7/10.

Toppings: The pepperoni appears in thin slices, but there are not that many of them.  The pepperoni has just the right amount of spiciness, but there is also a “topping” of spices sprinkled over the pizza that can overspice the taste relative to my preference.  Score: 5/10.

Overall Taste: The spiciness really dominates the taste palette, so this pizza’s taste does not rank too high in my book.  Score: 6.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza has a tidy appearance with every piece of pepperoni in its place.

Dining Atmosphere: The dining room atmosphere is fantastic with cloth napkins and some pleasant instrumental music playing through the speakers.

Customer Service: The service was prompt and attentive, which is excellent considering they were very busy when I came here on a Monday evening.

Monetary Value: You must be paying for the atmosphere and service.  Even considering the good quality, this pizza is very overpriced relative to what you put in your mouth.

The Final Judgment:

I could sanction coming here if you are trying to show someone or a group a good time, but Carrabba’s offers too little value for casual or solo dining.  In the wood-fired pizza space, I prefer Brixx over Carrabba’s.  Score: 70/100.

Frodo's Pizza in Greenville, SC

Basic Information:

Pizza: Frodo’s Pizza

Number of Locations: 1

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

Website: https://frodospizza.menufy.com/

Date of Review Visit: November 2017

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

Price: $11.75 (includes drink and tax)

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Summary Review: 3 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

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.

Overall Taste: The crust and cheese are the most flavorful things on this pizza, which means the taste is rather uninspiring.  Score: 7/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza looks like a nice thick-crust pizza.

Dining Atmosphere: 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.

Customer Service: The service is counter service, which saves on the tip.

Monetary 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.

The Final Judgment:

Frodo’s is a decent option for thick crust pizza but not much more.  Score: 73/100.

Summa Joe's Searing Pans in Anderson, SC

Basic Information:

Pizza: Summa Joe’s Searing Pans

Number of Locations: 1

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

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

Date of Review Visit: October 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)

Photo:

Summary Review: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

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.

Overall 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: 9/10.

Pizza Appearance: The toppings take center stage on this pizza’s appearance: the pizza looks loaded with toppings.

Dining Atmosphere: 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.

Customer Service: The service was excellent, friendly, and efficient.

Monetary 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.

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: 86/100.