Sunday, December 19, 2021

Mamma Rosa's Italian Restaurant in Cookeville, TN

Basic Information:

Pizza: Mamma Rosa's Italian Restaurant
Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 200 S. Lowe Ave (2 blocks south of US 70N in downtown Cookeville)
Website: http://www.mammarosasitalian.com/
Date of Review Visit: September 2021
What I Ordered: 2 slices of square (Sicilian) pizza with pepperoni and sausage; Coke to drink
Price: $15.61 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

 

Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)


Detailed Review:

Crust: Mamma Rosa's offers two crust options: hand-tossed round and Sicilian square.  As most regular readers of this blog would expect, I chose the thicker square crust.  The square crust is a true thick Sicilian crust.  While I appreciated the heartiness of this crust, my pizza was slightly overbaked, and some parts of the crust were hard and overly crispy.  Overall, I have had better Sicilian crusts that this one.  Score: 6/10.

Sauce: The pizza is fairly undersauced.  What sauce does exist has a nice tomatoey taste.  Score: 7/10.

Cheese: The cheese tastes like high quality provolone or mozzarella.  It appears in high quantity and produces little grease.  The cheese is the strength of this pizza.  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: The sausage comes in tiny crumbles, and it offers spiciness but no real flavor.  The pepperoni has nice flavor with just the right amount of thickness and spiciness.  Both toppings appear in above average quantity.  Score: 8/10.

Overall Taste: The crust is filling, and you get some spiciness from the sausage.  Yet the overall taste is fairly underwhelming.  This pizza delivers quantity but not flavor to the taste palette.  Score: 6.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza has a nice square pizza appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: The dining room offers a casual dining atmosphere with nice music and pictures on the wall.

Customer Service: The service was slow, but they were very busy on my visit right after a Tennessee Tech football game.

Monetary Value: The quality is solid, but this pizza is very expensive if you buy by the slice as I did.  Buying a whole pizza is more economical, but I had nowhere to store any leftovers.


The Final Judgment:

There are some things to like here, but the cost and lack of flavor keep it from the top of my pizza list.  Score: 77/100.


Sunday, November 7, 2021

Hambone's Pizza in Cheyenne, WY

Basic Information:

Pizza: Hambone's Pizza
Number of Locations: 2, 1 in Cheyenne and 1 in Laramie
Location Reviewed: 415 W. 17th Street in downtown Cheyenne, WY (near the corner of 17th St. and Lincolnway)
Website: https://www.hambonespizza.com/
Date of Review Visit: July 2021
What I Ordered: small (10") pizza with pepperoni and sausage; 2 cans of Wild Cherry Pepsi to drink
Price: $8.45 (includes drinks and tax but not tip)
Photo:

 

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)


Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust on Hambone's Pizza has a nice and crispy but fluffy texture.  It has medium thickness but no independent flavor.  This crust does the job, but I have had better.  Score: 7/10.

Sauce: This pizza does not have a lot of sauce, but what sauce does appear has a nice tomatoey taste with only a mild amount of spiciness.  Score: 8/10.

Cheese: The cheese appears in adequate quantity and produces very little grease.  Like the crust, the cheese also has little flavor.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: The sausage comes in small chunks and has just the right amount of spiciness.  The pepperoni is unremarkable.  Both toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 8/10.

Overall Taste: The sausage and sauce combine to give an overall taste that is slightly on the overspiced side.  Also, I would have preferred meatier sausage.  Score: 7/10.

Pizza Appearance: The large amount of sausage dominates the appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: The dining room is just a couple of tables with stool-like backless chairs.  This arrangement is very uncomfortable for people like me who have back problems.

Customer Service:  The service was quick and friendly despite the fact that they were fairly busy.

Monetary Value: For quality pizza, the price is downright cheap. Therefore, the value is high, especially for a downtown location.


The Final Judgment:

Clearly the Hambone is connected to the pizza bone: they make a high quality pizza for a fantastic price.  If I lived in southeast Wyoming, I would come here often.  Score: 83/100.


Saturday, October 30, 2021

Abby's Legendary Pizza

Basic Information:

Pizza: Abby's Legendary Pizza
Number of Locations: around 36 in 2 states: Oregon and Washington
Location Reviewed: 2226 Shallock Ave. in Klamath Falls, OR (2 blocks from Sky Lake Medical Center)
Website: https://abbys.com/
Date of Review Visit: July 2021
What I Ordered: small (10") deep dish pizza with Italian sausage and pepperoni; 1 fountain drink
Price: $16.79 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:


Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)


Detailed Review:

Crust: Abby's Legendary Pizza offers 2 crust options: thin and deep dish.  As will come as no surprise to any regular reader of this blog, I chose deep dish.  The deep dish pizza has a nice golden brown pan crust that is about the same thickness as Pizza Hut's pan crust.  My pizza was slightly overbaked and thus a little crispier than I would have preferred.  I've had better pan crusts, but this one ranks pretty high.  Score: 8/10.

Sauce: The sauce is very overspiced; I could not taste the tomatoes for all of the spices.  As you would expect for a pan pizza, the sauce appears in high quantity.  Score: 6/10.

Cheese: The cheese is a tasty blend of mozzarella and an orange cheese I could not identify.  It appears in decent quantity but produces very little grease.  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: The sausage is on the spicy side for my taste palette.  The pepperoni is rather bland, and for good reason: they use Hormel pepperoni (like you would buy in the store), and they even advertise this fact.  I hope Hormel pays them a kickback for the advertising, because I doubt it helps them sell pizza.  Both toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 7/10.

Overall Taste: The spiciness and saltiness tend to overwhelm the taste buds, which is too bad because there are some interesting individual components here.  Score: 7/10.

Pizza Appearance: This pizza looks like a nice golden-brown pan pizza that has plenty of toppings.  

Dining Atmosphere: The dining room seems to date to the 1990's with video games of slightly newer variety.

Customer Service: The counter service was fast and friendly.

Monetary Value: This pizza has pretty high quality, but it is very expensive even though the counter service saves on the tip.


The Final Judgment:

This pizza tends to overwhelm your taste palette with brute force rather than impress it with a mouthful of flavor.  While I have certainly had worse pizza, Abby's does not rank as legendary in my gradebook.  Score: 77/100.


Sunday, September 26, 2021

Cibelli's Pizza in Central Oregon

Basic Information:

Pizza: Cibelli's Pizza
Number of Locations: 5, all in central Oregon
Website: https://www.cibellis.com/
Location: 820 NW 9th Street in Corvallis, OR (Update: this location is now closed.  They have no other locations in Corvallis.)
Date of Review Visit: July 2021
What I Ordered: small (10") meat-lovers pizza (sausage, pepperoni, and bacon)
Price: $12.95 (pizza only, no drink or tip)
Photos:


Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)


Detailed Review:

Crust: Cibelli's advertises New York style pizza, and this crust is the typical New York style crust.  It is thick on the outside and thin underneath.  This crust has a fresh bready taste; it is a very good crust.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: This pizza has more sauce than you would expect for a New York style pizza, but it is somewhat overspiced.  Score: 7/10.

Cheese: The cheese does not add a lot of flavor, and it produces quite a bit of grease.  Also, this pizza is slightly undercheesed.  Score: 6/10.

Toppings: As usual for an all-meats pizza, the toppings make or break the pizza.  The sausage comes in nice big chunks with just the right amount of spiciness.  The pepperoni comes in big thin slices without a lot of flavor.  The bacon comes in small crumbles and is only slightly salty.  All toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 9/10.

Overall Taste: The sauce and sausage complement each other well, but the overall taste is somewhat bland even though this is a meat-lovers pizza.  They "only" put 3 meats on their meat-lovers pizza, and some sweet ham would have really added to the flavor.  Score: 8/10.

Pizza Appearance: The toppings dominate the appearance, and the big slices of pepperoni catch your eye.

Dining Atmosphere: Cibelli's Corvallis location looked like it had a nice dining area even though I ordered take out.

Customer Service: The service was quick and friendly.

Monetary Value: This pizza has high quality, but it is fairly expensive, even for a 10" meat-lovers pizza.  Therefore, the value is no better than average.

The Final Judgment:

Though not without flaw, Cibelli's makes a nice pizza.  I would come here regularly if I lived in central Oregon.  Score: 83/100.


Thursday, September 16, 2021

Cirello's Pizza in Corvallis, OR

Basic Information:

Pizza: Cirello's Pizza
Number of Locations: 1
Location: 919 NW Circle Blvd. (2 blocks west of SR 99W)
Website: https://www.cirellospizza.com/
Date of Review Visit: July 2021
What I Ordered: Mini (8") pizza with pepperoni and housemade Italian sausage, refillable Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $15.00 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

 

Summary Review: 3 stars (out of 5)


Detailed Review:

Crust: Cirello's is advertised as New York style pizza, but the crust is thicker than what I typically think of as New York style pizza.  The crust has medium thickness and a somewhat crispy texture.  It also has a fresh bready taste.  I like this crust even though it was not what I was expecting.  Score: 9/10.

Sauce: The sauce appears in high quantity.  It has a nice thick texture, but it is somewhat overspiced.  Score: 7/10.

Cheese: The cheese on this pizza is whole milk mozzarella, and it appears in decent quantity.  It also produces quite a bit of grease, which leads to a mandatory deduction.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: The sausage appears in nice big chunks, but I was expecting more flavor from a housemade sausage.  The overly spicy composition of this sausage overwhelms what is otherwise a nice fresh taste.  The pepperoni is unremarkable.  Both toppings appear in above average quantity.  Score: 7/10.

Overall Taste: I like what I am eating to taste like what it is, which is why the spiciness of the sausage and sauce really overwhelm my taste palette.  Some people might like the taste of Cirello's, but it is not for me.  Score: 7/10.

Pizza Appearance: The big chunks of sausage dominate the appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: Cirello's has a decent-sized and comfortable casual dining area.

Customer Service: The people working there were very good at ignoring me, even as I was standing at the counter waiting to order.

Monetary Value: This pizza has pretty high quality, but it is very expensive.  Therefore, the value is not good.


The Final Judgment:

A somewhat odd entry in the New York pizza space, I see why some people like Cirello's even though it misses the mark for me.  In Corvallis, I prefer nearby Cibelli's over Cirello's.  Score: 74/100.


Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Sahara Pizza in The Dalles, OR

Basic Information:

Pizza: Sahara Pizza
Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 918 W. 6th St. on the west side of The Dalles
Date of Review Visit: July 2021
What I Ordered: personal (8") Lion's Feast Pizza (all-meats pizza)
Price: $7.99 (pizza only; no drink or tip)
Photos:


Summary Review: 4.5 stars (out of 5)


Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Sahara Pizza is not a Chicago-style thick crust, but it is thicker than I was expecting for a west coast pizza.  The crust is crispy on the outside but chewy on the inside.  My pizza was slightly overbaked, hence a small deduction on an otherwise excellent crust.  Score: 9/10.

Sauce: This pizza is slightly undersauced.  What sauce does appear has a nice tomatoey taste and medium-thick texture.  Score: 8/10.

Cheese: The 100% mozzarella cheese appears in high quantity.  It does not have a lot of flavor, and it produces a decent bit of grease.  Score: 6/10.

Toppings: As with any all-meats pizza, the toppings make this pizza.  All toppings appear in high quantity.  The sweetness of the ham and the slight spiciness of the sausage make a nice combination.  The other meats do not really stand out.  Score: 9/10.

Overall Taste: The sweet/spicy combination of ham and sausage steals the show, the other items add mellow accompaniments.  Maybe this pizza could use a little more sauce or more flavorful other meats.  Score: 9.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza looks like the robust pizza it is.  It comes in a tiny box that feels super heavy for its size.

Dining Atmosphere: I ordered take-out, but the small dining area seemed purely functional.

Customer Service: The service was a little slow: I had to wait about 10 minutes past the promised ready time, and they were not busy on my visit.

Monetary Value: The price is downright cheap for pizza this good.

 

The Final Judgment:

Sahara Pizza is an attractive pizza option, especially if you like thicker crust pizzas.  Though not quite elite, I would come here regularly if I lived in The Dalles.  Score: 88/100.


Sunday, August 1, 2021

MrJims.Pizza

Basic Information:

Pizza: MrJims.Pizza
Number of Locations: around 50 across 6 states, most numerably Texas
Location Reviewed: 2523 Grand Ave. Unit A in Laramie, WY (east end of UW Plaza)
Website: https://mrjims.pizza/
Date of Review Visit: July 2021
What I Ordered: small (10") pizza with sausage and pepperoni; 20-ounce Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $12.89 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:
 

Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)


Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at MrJims.Pizza has medium thickness.  It has a nice crispy-on-the-outside but chewy-on-the-inside texture, although mine was a little too crispy.  This crust is solid, but considering MrJims.Pizza's motto is "It's the crust," I was expecting more from this crust.  Score: 9/10.

Sauce: This pizza is somewhat undersauced, but the sauce that does appear has a nice tomatoey taste.  Score: 7/10.

Cheese: The cheese seems to be 100% mozzarella.  It appears in decent quantity, but it produces lots of grease and offers little real flavor.  Score: 5/10.

Toppings: The pepperoni is unremarkable.  The sausage comes in crispy small chunks with just a little spiciness.  Both toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 7/10.

Overall Taste: The overall taste could have been very bland, but the slight spicy flavor of the sausage saves the day.  The crust helps too in its own way.  Score: 7.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza's appearance is dominated by the crust and toppings, but it is served on a pan that is way too large for the pizza.

Dining Atmosphere: The dining area consists of just a few tables; it is purely functional.

Customer Service: The service was friendly and quick.

Monetary Value: While not cheap pizza, the price is reasonable for decent quality pizza.


The Final Judgment:

Laramie is a college town, and MrJims.Pizza is slightly better than your average college town pizza.  Maybe one day it will earn a terminal degree and become DrJims.Pizza.  Score: 77/100.


Monday, June 7, 2021

Roma Italian Restaurant in Harrison, AR

Basic Information:

Pizza: Roma Italian Restaurant
Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 1320 Highway 62/65 N in Harrison, AR (beside Super 8)
Website: https://www.facebook.com/RomaRestaurantHarrison/
Date of Review Visit: May 2021
What I Ordered: small (12") pizza with Italian sausage and Canadian bacon; Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $15.66 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

 

Summary Review: 4.5 stars (out of 5)


Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Roma Italian Restaurant has a classic crispy on the outside but nice and fluffy on the inside texture.  This is not Chicago-style thick crust, but it is slightly thicker than average.  Overall, I really like this crust.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: This pizza does not have a lot of sauce, and the sauce that does appear has a strong garlic taste.  The garlic taste is way too strong for my palette.  Score: 6/10.

Cheese: The cheese is a tasty blend of mozzarella and Romano, and it appears in high quantity while producing little grease.  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: The sausage is a little bland, but the Canadian bacon tastes like nice fresh ham.  Both toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 9/10.

Overall Taste: The heavy garlic flavor in the sauce really weighs down the overall taste on what is otherwise an excellent pizza.  Score: 8/10.

Pizza Appearance: This pizza has a nice well-balanced appearance that is very white due to the cheese.  

Dining Atmosphere: Roma's has a large dining room with cloth napkins and other touches of class.

Customer Service: The service was quick and friendly.

Monetary Value: This pizza is not cheap, but the price is reasonable given the high quality.  Therefore, the value is pretty good.

 

The Final Judgment:

Roma's is a great pizza option if you like garlic.  I don't like garlic, so I think it is good but not great.  Still, I wish I lived closer to Harrison, AR so I could come here more often.  Score: 88/100.


Tuesday, June 1, 2021

La Torcia Brick Oven Pizza Company in Arkansas/Texas

Basic Information:

Pizza: La Torcia Brick Oven Pizza Company
Number of Locations: 15 across 3 states
Website: https://www.brickovenpizzacompany.com/
Location: 814 US 62 in Harrison, AR (beside Sofa City)
Date of Review Visit: May 2021
What I Ordered: 10" pizza with Italian sausage and pepperoni; Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $17.45 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)


Detailed Review:

Crust: Most brick oven pizzas feature a thin and crispy crust, and I was expecting such here.  However, it turns out I got only the crispy part.  This crust has plenty of body, and I found it to be an unexpectedly good crust.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: The sauce does not have a lot of taste, tomato or otherwise.  It appears in high quantity.  Score: 7/10.

Cheese: The cheese is supposed to be a five cheese blend, but it tasted like plain mozzarella to me.  The cheese appears in high quantity and does not produce much grease.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: The Italian sausage is nice: it comes in big chunks and is just a little spicy but not too spicy.  The pepperoni is unremarkable.  Both toppings appear in sufficient quantity.  Score: 7/10.

Overall Taste: The Italian sausage saves what would otherwise be a very bland overall taste.  Score: 7/10.

Pizza Appearance: Brick Oven Pizza Company serves its pizza in a nice pan, maybe a thicker pan than necessary.

Dining Atmosphere: The location in Harrison offers a nice dining area with a typical casual dining atmosphere.

Customer Service: The service was quick and friendly.

Monetary Value: This pizza is not cheap, but it is not too expensive for brick oven pizza even if this is not a typical brick oven pizza.  Thus, the value is OK but not great.

 

The Final Judgment:

This pizza was not what I expected from a brick oven pizza place, but it is not bad.  That being said, in Harrison, AR I prefer nearby Roma's Italian Restaurant over Brick Oven Pizza Company.  Score: 80/100.


Sunday, March 21, 2021

Michelli's Pizzeria in West Melbourne, FL

Basic Information:

Pizza: Michelli's Pizzeria
Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 145 Palm Bay Road NE in West Melbourne, FL (beside Publix)
Website: http://www.michellispizza.com/
Date of Review Visit: January 2021
What I Ordered: small (10") pizza with sausage and pepperoni, 2 16.9 ounce Dr. Pepper's to drink
Price: $15.27 (includes drinks and tax)
Photos:


Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)


Detailed Review:

Crust: Michelli's Pizzeria makes thin crust New York style pizza.  The crust is nice and crispy on the outside but a little soggy and droopy underneath.  While not terrible, I have had plenty of better crusts than this one.  Score: 6/10.

Sauce: The sauce appears in decent quantity and has a nice tomatoey taste.  What's not to like?  Score: 10/10.

Cheese: This pizza does not have a lot of cheese, but it does produce a decent amount of grease.  Therefore, this cheese is not the best.  Score: 5/10.

Toppings: The sausage is excellent: it comes in nice big slices with just a little spiciness.  The pepperoni is more mundane.  Both toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 9/10.

Overall Taste: The sauce and toppings work together very well, and the crust and cheese do not get in the way too much.  I like the overall taste of this pizza.  Score: 9/10.

Pizza Appearance: As usual for a thin crust pizza, the toppings dominate this pizza's appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: The dining room was closed due to Covid-19 on my visit, but it looked like nothing more than a couple of tables with chairs.

Customer Service: The service was OK but not particularly helpful at decoding the somewhat complicated menu.

Monetary Value: This pizza has fairly high quality, but the price is high, even when you factor in the two drinks.  Therefore, the value is below average.


The Final Judgment:

I was amazed by how many New York-style pizzas there are on Florida's east coast these days.  Michelli's is not the worst of the lot, but I like nearby N.Y. Pizza Spot more.  Score: 75/100.


Saturday, March 6, 2021

N.Y. Pizza Spot in West Melbourne, FL

Basic Information:

Pizza: N.Y. Pizza Spot
Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 2231 W. New Haven Ave. in West Melbourne, FL
Website: http://nypizzaspot.com/
Date of Review Visit: January 2021
What I Ordered: 2 slices of Sicilian crust pizza with sausage and pepperoni; Mr. Pibb to drink
Price: $11.56 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:
 

Summary Review: 4.5 stars (out of 5)


Detailed Review:

Crust: N.Y. Pizza Spot offers 2 crust styles: hand-tossed and Sicilian.  I chose the latter, which is a true Sicilian thick crust.  The pizza looks blackened and very overbaked, but in fact mine was only slightly overbaked.  The crust has a nice crispy-on-the-outside chewy-on-the-inside texture.  I like this crust a lot even though it may be a little too crispy.  Score: 9/10.

Sauce: This pizza has a nice amount of tomato sauce, but the sauce is slightly overspiced.  Score: 8/10.

Cheese: This pizza features plenty of cheese, and it seems to be 100% mozzarella.  The cheese also does not produce much grease, and therefore it is excellent.  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: The thin slices of sausage are a little spicy but not overly spicy.  The same is true with the pepperoni.  Both toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 10/10.

Overall Taste: Everything works together pretty well.  Maybe there is too much spiciness when combining the sauce and the toppings.  Also, the blackened crust is a little too crispy.  Score: 8/10.

Pizza Appearance: The blackened crust somewhat tarnishes the pizza's appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: The restaurant has a small dining area with some TV's for entertainment and pictures of New York City on the walls.

Customer Service: The service was prompt and attentive on my visit.

Monetary Value: This pizza is high quality at a reasonable price, and therefore it offers above average value even though the price is not cheap.

The Final Judgment:

I like Sicilian pizza, and N.Y. Pizza Spot makes a pretty good one.  I'm not sure how New York this pizza is, but I like it regardless.  Score: 88/100.


Friday, January 15, 2021

House of Pizza in Belton, SC

Basic Information:

Pizza: House of Pizza
Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 205 N. Main Street in Belton, SC (2 blocks north of the intersection of US 76 and SR 20)
Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Pizza-Place/House-of-Pizza-126689060719973/
Date of Review Visit: December 2020
What I Ordered: Small (10") pizza with pepperoni and sausage; Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $10.85 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:
 

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)


Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at House of Pizza is somewhat thin but not super thin.  It has a crisp and crunchy texture, and my pizza was baked to a perfect golden brown.  This crust is not distinctive enough to earn a super high score, but it is pretty good.  Score: 8/10.

Sauce: The sauce is slightly overspiced: I tasted more spices than tomatoes.  It does appear in high quantity.  Score: 7/10.

Cheese: The cheese has no remarkable taste, but it does appear in medium to high quantity.  The cheese also produces a decent amount of grease.  Score: 6/10.

Toppings: The sausage has a fresh taste even though I am pretty sure it had been frozen.  The pepperoni is unremarkable.  Both toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 8/10.

Overall Taste: The fresh taste of the sausage stands out, but overall the taste is still a little bland.  Score: 7.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza has a nice tidy appearance dominated by the abundant toppings.

Dining Atmosphere: House of Pizza offers a casual dining atmosphere with a TV and a jukebox.

Customer Service: I was the only customer in the dining area, but the service was quick and attentive.

Monetary Value: For pizza this good, the price is down right cheap.  You can get an even better deal if you order 2 pizzas and take advantage of their quantity discount.

 

The Final Judgment:

Better than the average small town pizza, House of Pizza in Belton is a nice inexpensive pizza option.  I go to Belton every few months, and I will come here again.  Score: 84/100.


Friday, January 1, 2021

Red Elephant Pizza and Grill in Dothan, AL

Basic Information:

Pizza: Red Elephant Pizza and Grill
Number of Locations: 2, one in Tallahassee, FL and one in Dothan, AL
Location Reviewed: 3108 Ross Clark Circle in Dothan, AL (on the west side of Dothan near US 84)
Date of Review Visit: December 2020
What I Ordered: Individual (8") pizza with Italian sausage and pepperoni, Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $11.96 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

 

Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)


Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Red Elephant is a true southern thin crust.  It has a nice crispy texture, and my pizza was baked just the right amount.  I like it.  Score: 9/10.

Sauce: There is not a lot of sauce on this pizza.  What sauce there is has a pasty texture and does not offer much flavor.  Score: 5/10.

Cheese: This pizza has a moderate amount of cheese, and it does not produce much grease.  Therefore, I like this cheese more than moderately much.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: The sausage appears in tiny crumbles; it is spicy but provides no real flavor.  Likewise the pepperoni adds little flavor.  Both toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 5/10.

Overall Taste: This pizza leaves spiciness but not much else on the taste palette, so this score leaves somewhat to be desired.  Score: 6/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza looks like the nice thin crust pizza it is.

Dining Atmosphere: Red Elephant has a nice dining area with some video games for younger patrons or young-at-heart patrons.

Customer Service: The service was quick and attentive.

Monetary Value: The quality is decent, and the price is relatively low.  Therefore, the value is pretty high.


The Final Judgment:

There are some things to like about Red Elephant (even if you are not a Crimson Tide fan), but in Dothan I like nearby Mama Rosa's a little more.  Score: 76/100.