Lombardi's New York Pizza and Wings in Evansville, IN

Basic Information:

Pizza: Lombardi's New York Pizza and Wings
Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 3311 N. Green River Road in Evansville, IN (south side of Schnuck's parking lot)

Website: https://www.facebook.com/lombardispizzaandwings/
Date of Review Visit: May 2024
What I Ordered: 1 slice of pepperoni pizza, 1 slice of sausage pizza, fountain drink
Price: $8.06 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

 

Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: True to its name, Lombardi's makes New York style pizza, and therefore it has a thin, floppy, foldable crust.  They sell pizza by the slice, but the crust is not hard and crispy like most pizza by the slice places.  In the pizza by the slice universe, this is a solid crust.  Score: 9/10.

Sauce: As usual for New York style pizza, this pizza is somewhat undersauced.  What sauce exists has a fresh tomatoey taste.  Score: 8/10.

Cheese: Unfortunately, this pizza is also somewhat undercheesed.  The cheese does not produce much grease, so that's a plus.  Score: 6/10.

Toppings: The sausage is so sparse I ordered a 2nd slice just so I could judge the sausage; it has a pleasant pork flavor.  The pepperoni is unremarkable.  Score: 5/10.

Overall Taste: The sparse toppings really let this pizza down, and the overall taste is a little unremarkable due to the lack of toppings.  Score: 7.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza's appearance looks sparse due to the lack of toppings.

Dining Atmosphere: Lombardi's had quick counter service from a friendly guy on my visit.

Customer Service: The dining room is the bare minimum with no TV's or other entertainment.

Monetary Value: Pizza by the slice usually has high value due to its low price, and this one is no exception.  The better-than-expected quality helps on the other side of the value equation.

 

The Final Judgment:

Lombardi's is some more and better toppings away from having one of the best pizza-by-the-slice options I have ever eaten.  Despite its flaws, I recommend coming here for a quick lunch if you are in the Evansville area.  Score: 79/100.

Rustic Farms Pizza in Greenville, SC

Basic Information:

Pizza: Rustic Farms Pizza
Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 7611 White Horse Road on the northwest side of Greenville, SC (just south of US 25 and SR 183)

Website: https://rusticfarmspizza.com/
Date of Review Visit: March 2024
What I Ordered: small (10") pizza with pepperoni and Italian sausage; Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $18.36 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

 

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Rustic Farms Pizza is thin and crispy but not super thin like some southern-style pizzas.  This crust is not too hard, and my pizza was baked to perfection.  Excellent!  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: This pizza is undersauced and very overspiced.  They sprinkle even more spices on top of the pizza, and the spices really overwhelm pretty much everything else.  Score: 4/10.

Cheese: The cheese appears in decent quantity and has inoffensive flavor, but it produces quite a bit of grease.  Hence, the usual mandatory deduction for grease applies.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: The sausage has a mild flavor for an Italian sausage, and it gets covered up by, you guessed it, the spices in the sauce.  You have to cleanse your palette and then eat just a piece of sausage in order to taste the sausage's mild seasonings, which actually produce a pleasant seasoned pork flavor.  The pepperoni steals the show: it is what some pizza places call old world pepperoni with just the right amount of zip, and it cups as the pizza bakes.  Score: 10/10.

Overall Taste: This pizza could be a real winner, but the spices in the sauce and on top of the pizza overpower everything else.  Thus, the overall taste leaves somewhat to be desired.  Score: 7.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: This pizza has a balanced fresh appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: Rustic Farms has a nice large dining room that is good for eating as a group or eating alone.

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

Monetary Value: Rustic Farms makes high quality pizza, but the price reflects it.  Thus, the value is about average.

The Final Judgment:

Rustic Farms falls into the same trap so many other pizza places do.  I honestly don't understand why so many pizza places cover up so many good flavors with so many spices.  Thus, this pizza scores about the same as so many other good but not great pizzas.  Score: 82/100.