Review of Leon Gessi New York Pizza, Colorado Springs, CO Feb 2009

Leon Gessi New York Pizza (****) ($ ½)
1806 Palmer Park Blvd.
Colorado Springs, CO 80909
(719) 635-1542

Walk into Leon Gessi’s and you’ll encounter real pizzeria atmosphere set against the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains! Upon entering, you are struck by the hometown pizzeria feel and tempting aromas from the open kitchen where the staff of Leon’s serves up an excellent New York style pie!

I visited Leon’s after a long chilly, and rainy, day at the Air Force vs. Navy football game. The space was comforting, brimming with a hometown feel, and the severs were friendly and on the spot! I was with a group of locals, so they knew their way around, and that was a good thing because I was a bit confused by the ordering protocol; whether at the counter or table.

After settling in at our table, we started out with salads and an appetizer of meatballs. The salads and meatballs were nothing special, but they kept us busy while the real treat was in the oven!

The sauce on the Gessi pie was excellent. They hit on all the good qualities of a New York sauce. It was well-balanced, with an identifiable blend of spices that didn’t conflict in the least. The sauce was smooth, as well, with no acidic or bitter background. I also admired the hint of sweetness the sauce displayed. This probably was from sugar added to cut the acidity of the tomatoes…a good trick if done skillfully.

The bakers at this pizzeria continue to score with an excellent crust. A good New York style pizza crust requires quality ingredients, patience in handling and forming, topping with care and, of course, baking at a high enough temperature to impart a somewhat crispy, brown and slightly charred character. Well, these guys do a great job in what I believe is a gas oven. The crust was approaching crispy, nicely browned with a bit of charring on the bottom, and very importantly, nicely finished on the edges. Too many bakers leave a thick, bready edge on the pie that doesn’t crisp up well. A little added attention can correct that by thinning out the edge so it takes on a firmly crisp finish. This can also add more surface area for the toppings. Wide, thick crust are often not suitable surface for the topping, effectively reducing the size of your pie.

As for cheese, no complaints here, although probably not a natural mozzarella, the cheese on the Gessi pie was very good. It was flavorful, not too salty and stayed well blended as it cooled, no oily separation. The staff at Gessi’s did an excellent job with metering that amount of cheese…you can use too much! The amount was just right!

The Italian sausage on the pie was excellent. The slight sweetness of this lightly textured and well-spiced sausage shown through the other flavors just enough, without the greasy, fatty after-taste often encountered with so-called Italian sausage.

The service at Leon Gessi’s is friendly, prompt and knowledgeable. The utensils were of good quality; however, the napkins were of low quality, and as I’ve stated before, constant reaching for another napkin is distracting, but hey, this pizza is worth a bit of reaching!

Enjoy your pizza!

Review of Ravenite Pizzeria, Fairhope, AL, Jan 2009

 

Ravenite Pizzeria (*1/2) ($)
102 N. Section Street
Fairhope, AL 36532
(251) 929-2525

I recently read a review in which the reviewer stated that the Ravenite served Brooklyn, NY quality pizza right here in LA (Lower Alabama)! Well, I’m not sure where he had been eating pizza in Brooklyn, but I found this pizzeria’s pie to be just fair quality at best.

On my recent visit to Ravenite with some friends, I entered the dimly lit, lively space really expecting a very good pizza. I ordered my typical pie for reviewing New York style pizza establishments, the basic Italian sausage and cheese pizza. I was disappointed starting with the aroma, which was dominated by the overtones of the bold sauce, and the let down was complete upon the first bite.

The cheese on the Ravenite pie was an adequate quality mozzarella, but not particularly remarkable in any aspect. I noticed it did tend to reveal an almost separated quality, as in the components of the cheese separating, as it cooled, which can sometimes produce an undesirable, stand-out flavor. This quality in cheese tends to destroy the flavor blend of the pie.

The sauce on the pie was full-bodied, simply throwing off the balance of the whole pie. The strong, somewhat acidic and salty flavor of the sauce dominated the flavor of each bite of this pizza. In fact, the strong nature of the sauce almost hid the very tomato essence it is intended to display.

Unfortunately, the crust did little to help this pie. The crust was bready, airy, somewhat thick edged and flimsy. It didn’t have the nice thin, browned and lightly charred texture and flavor a good New York crust should display. The sausage on the Ravenite was good. It was light, slightly sweet and well spiced; however, maybe a bit sparse.

The service at Ravenite is a bit “off-handed”, but courteous and professional. The establishment serves a good selection of beers and hosts live music regularly. The utensils are sturdy and the napkins of good quality; however, if it’s really good pizza you seek, keep looking; you can do better on the Eastern Shore.

Enjoy your pizza!