Review of Roberta's, 261 Moore St., Brooklyn, NY 11206 Ph. (718) 417-1118 (East Williamsburg, Bushwick)

Overall Rating: Excellent (****) ($1/2)

Pizza type:

Neapolitan Inspired

Pizza ordered: Margherita

Crust: Roberta's knocks it out of the park with a near-perfect Neapolitan inspired crust.  This crust has a nice rise and hollowness on the edges, although not bready. It has a slight crispiness on the bottom and edges and just the right amount of tough chewiness in the heart of the slice.  The wood fire oven gives the crust a wonderfully even char and, of course, a hint of wood smoke flavor.

 Sauce: The sauce is a delicate, crushed tomato with subtle spice and very little acidity.  Roberta's sauce imparts a nice garden-fresh tomato character to the pie without upsetting the balance of flavor.  It's a nice support, as a good sauce should be.

Cheese: The Roberta's pie is made with an excellent quality fresh, natural mozzarella.  The light, even flavor of this cheese blends perfectly with the spices of the  sauce and the other toppings.  This cheese also displays that wonderful natural mozzarella stringiness.

Other Topping(s): The fresh basil has just the right presence.  It is cooked just enough to release the delicate overtones of the herb. 

Atmosphere: Well, Roberta's is loud, crowded and urban-hipster chic, but yet it still provides a cozy neighborhood vibe.  It's a rather eclectic atmosphere, but the open kitchen and partially communal seating give it a relaxed, laid-back feel as well.  There are several seating areas ranging from bar seating to picnic tables to traditional tables. Something for any individual, couple or group.

 Service: The service is not fast and seems a bit hit or miss at times; however, when the server does get to you, you'll receive excellent attention to your party and to detail. Even with the chaotic pace of this pizzeria, you'll have the patient, professional and cheerful attentiveness of the server.

Utensils: Sturdy silverware and substantial paper napkins.

Overall: The relatively short hop on the L train from Union Square and about a two-minute walk brings you to the former garage, in a somewhat desolate neighborhood, that now houses Roberta's.  Quite frankly, I've never had a better Neapolitan inspired pizza.  If you are a pizza enthusiast of any level, a visit to Roberta's is a must!  Be prepared for a wait...but it's well worth it!  Enjoy!

Payment: Cash /Credit cards

Italian Pie, 417 S. Rampart St., New Orleans, LA (504) 522-7552

Overall Rating: Good to Very Good (**1/2)

Pizza type:

New York style pizza

Pizza ordered: Pepperoni and black olives

Crust: The gas-oven baked crust at Italian Pie is a good to  very good New York style crust.  The crust is relatively thin and exhibits the key components of the New York style, to include nicely browned and tougher texture edges, and a somewhat crispy bottom that transitions upward into a slight chewiness.  The bottom of the crust didn't display any desirable charring; however, it was nicely browned. The crust did not display any residual flavor of oil or herbs, thus making it a good neutral platform for the toppings.


Sauce: Italian Pie's sauce is a very good crushed tomato-based sauce that is nicely spiced without displaying any dominant herb flavor, as well as not being overly salty.  The sauce was applied sparingly enough, not throwing off the flavor balance of the pie.

Cheese: Although not a fresh mozzarella the cheese was a good quality, pizzeria mozzarella.  The cheese was applied a bit too heavily, giving the pie an ever so slightly dominant cheese flavor.  The cheese was of good enough quality, however, that it didn't come across a sour or separated...oily.

Other Topping(s): The pepperoni was flavorful, nicely spiced and not too lean, so it remained tender after baking.  The black olives on the pie were of very good quality and generously applied, but did not overwhelm the overall flavor.

Atmosphere: Italian Pie's South Rampart Street location does a great job of combining urban pizzeria with traditional neighborhood pizzeria feel.  The curb appeal is excellent...drawing in any true pizza lover.
 Service: The  service at Italian Pie is outstanding!  The server was enthusiastic and knowledgeable and went above and beyond to make our experience very pleasant.

Utensils: Rather flimsy paper plates and adequate utensils and napkins.

Overall: Often skeptical of chain pizzerias, I found this small NOLA chain does a great job of combining classic pizzeria atmosphere, a touch of urban chic, a good to very good New York Style pizza and great service, to produce an overall winner.  If you're in the Big Easy and love pizza, you will be pleased with this place.  It's within reasonable walking distance from the French Quarter, Central Business and Warehouse Districts.
 

Payment: Cash /Credit cards

Review of Vitolli's Pizzeria & Italian Eatery, 21862 Highway 59 Robertsdale, AL, (251) 947-9999

Overall Rating: Good to Very Good (**1/2)

Pizza type:

New York style pizza



Pizza ordered: Pepperoni, Italian sausage, beef, Canadian bacon, mushroom, onion, green pepper and black olives

Crust: The bakers at Vitolli's prepare a good hand-tossed crust, although, and with a bit more heat and care in the preparation, it could be very good for its type.  The crust did display some good crispiness around the edges and chewiness as you got into the thinner portion; however, in places, the edge was too thick and had a bit of a stale crispiness.  Also, the crust was a bite under-cooked in the center of the pie...maybe from thickness vs. temperature of the oven.  There was some nice char on the bottom of the crust, but not nearly enough.  It is certainly a good New York style crust, but needs some fine tuning.


Sauce: Vitolli's sauce was rather neutral in tomato flavor with some spice shinning through.  It gave the pie a nice tomato presence without any added saltiness, acidity or overpowering flavor.  They do a good job of not over-applying the sauce...just enough.

Cheese: I found the cheese to be of good quality, pizzeria mozzarella.  The cheese was not over present and didn't add any greasy or sour, separated taste to the pie.  As with the sauce, they knew how to added just enough without making the cheese a dominant flavor.

Other Topping(s): The pepperoni was mildly spicy and rather lean,  but not dry and added a nice zest to the pie.  The Canadian bacon added a nice smoked flavor without greasiness; however, the beef didn't seem to standout at all.  The Italian sausage was a bit bland and fatty in flavor, and didn't seem to add any interesting personality to the pie. The mushrooms were tender and flavorful, and well distributed as were the black olives.  The green pepper and onion came across as fresh and tender and added a nice clean, lively vegetable flavor to the pizza.

Atmosphere: I really enjoyed the cozy, classic neighborhood pizzeria atmosphere at Vitolli's.   They had a decent selection of beer and wine available at very reasonable prices.  The space is not too loud and is very family-oriented.
 

Service: The table service at Vitolli''s is exceptionally friendly and skilled.  The service was never rushed and very attentive without being intrusive.

Utensils: Sturdy silverware and substantial  napkins.

Overall: We're seeing more and more New York style pizza kitchens on the Gulf Coast and the quality varies greatly.  The descendant of Neapolitan pizza, the New York style pizza, is sold in a wide variety of venues from large franchise outlets to one-of-a-kind establishments. Vitolli's is a solid, good neighborhood pizzeria with a good product, great staff and cozy atmosphere.  With a bit of work on the crust, they could  produce a consistently, very good pizza!
 

Payment: Cash /Credit cards