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)

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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.

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

Website: https://www.saharapizzathedalles.com/

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)
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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.

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)

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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.

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)

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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.

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.

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.

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.