In Search of a Decent Pie

Friday nights are ours; it's our date night. Hubby and I order a pie, grab a Netflix movie, sit back and relax... At times, we change our routine and venture out to outside venues to enjoy our pizza (and sometimes, the pizza turns out to be an "Eastchester" at Piper's Kilt or an order of extra-hot wings at Candlelight Inn, but that's another story...) and lately, we've been dare-devilish!

So, I've hit the guides- Zagat's, Westchester Magazine, New York Times reviews- to locate a cozy pizza spot that delivers thin (and dry- we later learn!) crust, good sauce (not too-sweet or too-salty), tasty cheese (no, rubber is not acceptable), and for toppings, hubby's favorite pepperoni crisp but not dried and/or burnt. Not too much to ask, you'd think, right? Oh, well...

For home delivery, we reached out to our neighborhood joint, the Venetian Delight Pizza off Central Park Avenue. They've been quite consistent with the quality of their ingredients but often times, either the pepperoni is undercooked, or the crust soggy, or the pie suffers from a mishap of shape shifting on route to our home. We've accepted it for the convenience. With that said, the very last time, as it turned out to be, we paid $17.00 for a small pie with half-pepperoni, half-plain small pie, hubby and I rioted! We couldn't help but wonder if the pie was being imported from our favorite Brooklyn spot, Grimaldi's... No mas!

So, we decided to try out "Red Barn Pizza" located in a cute Dutch colonial off Central Park Avenue. Hubby insisted that we "test-drive" it with a slice first, and then commit to a full pie. So, we stopped off on our way from the train station home on a rainy Friday night. The "pizza guys" were very nice- even offered some garlic knots along with our slices. Hoping that this would be the answer to our search, we dug into our slices. And, that's where the fairy tale ended. The sauce was too sweet, the garlic in the sauce too crunchy, and I'll just stop here and say that we headed to Sherwood’s for some ribs.

The next time, we turned to Muzzarella, a small spot on Hartsdale Avenue. We've never been inside the place (my gourmand friend warns that their experience of dining-in was not pleasant) but we pass by it frequently enough to add to our repertoire. We called in for a small plain pie. It arrived cold. So, I had to turn the oven on, wait for it to warm up, and then put the pie in, and 30 minutes later, we were finally eating. The whole process took such a long time that I chalked this experience off- our visions were blurred, stomachs yearning for some food, I think we would've eaten anything at this point. So, we smartened up! The next time, we placed our order and turned our oven at the same time. The crust was thin, not soggy, the sauce flavored, and the cheese tasted quite like, ummm, cheese. We liked it, but did not love it.

We then headed to a stand-alone pizzeria on Brook St., Mezzaluna. Its name reminded me of an amazing Italian restaurant in Istanbul that I used to frequent with my friends when I was in college. Having some similar expectations, we landed at Mezzaluna on a busy Friday evening. We were seated promptly in its tiny, little dining room, a little bit in the way of the wait staff. Our pizza was ok, not really distinctive. Quite frankly, I cannot remember any part of it that stood out in memory or on my tongue; yes, the crust was thin, the sauce decent, but nothing really called us to visit this place again. Perhaps, my expectations were set higher just based on my association with the restaurant that I loved, in any case, I wouldn't encourage or discourage anyone from trying this place out.

Exhausted by our search, I wanted to give Totonno's in Yonkers a try. The radio jingle reminds us that "only God creates better pizza" so I asked hubby to get off Bronxville so we can get there fast! Off Tuckahoe road, we drove up the hill on which Totonno's is perched inside the Ramada Inn. Before I go on further, I need to admit that I have this preconceived aversion to hotel restaurants. No matter what the reviewers say, or how good a restaurant can be (and, indeed there are many AMAZING restaurants housed in hotels across the globe, so I apologize if I offend any), there's something gimmick-y about hotel restaurants that I cannot even explain.

Well. Back to Totonno's. The atmosphere. There was an older gentleman at a keyboard playing and singing along to some golden oldies. This reminded me of "gazino"s (a restaurant/ entertainment venue, usually outdoors) that my grandparents used to take me as a child- one would go to the "gazino" for the entertainment- usually a popular singer, entertainer- and food was always secondary, or even tertiary to the opportunity of spending an evening with a company of friends and family. The clientele at Totonno's also reminded me of New Year's Eve's that I spent with my family as a child- ladies in outfits adorned by paillets, men in jackets, kids in their best dresses. Only, this time, it was hubby and I who were the youngest of the bunch. We ducked into a window spot overlooking at the lights of Yonkers. Was that the infamous seminary we saw? We couldn't tell. Back to the pizza. We got a plain pie. The crust was thin but soggy. Fresh mozzarella. Some basil leaves. Decent sauce. We ate. Apologized to God on behalf of the commercial jingles. We left. The older folks were polka dancing. We're never going back. Not unless we're taking our great-grandchildren...

The following Friday, we headed back to our dependable, what-you-see-is-what-you-get place, Pizza & Brew. Always with long lines, it has two locations: one in Scarsdale, another in Greenburgh off of Saw Mill River Road. We've never had a bad experience at this restaurant, but I would not claim that its pizza was one of the best that I've ever had. Although, at this rate, it was looking pretty good! With decent pies, it's the fast-food version of a restaurant experience. Fresh ingredients. Thin-nish crust, gooey cheese, and decent pepperoni. It's a nice fall-back location. And you always get what you expect.

I am inclined to classify A'Mangiare in the same category as Pizza & Brew but only with much better pizza. And perhaps, the best sauce out of all the ones we've tried. There's a number A'Mangiare's in the area: Bronxville, Pleasantville, Elmsford, and White Plains. We went to the movies at the Saw Mill movie complex so the Elmsford location was the closest. It's on Main Avenue (which is the same as Route 119), with ample parking in the back. Nice atmosphere. Thin crust- definitely very crispy. Not too-sweet, nor too-salty sauce. The same sauce is also used in the mini-pizzas in their baskets. Definitely worth a try. The pepperonis were spicy and crisp- not overwhelming the pie. Another perk- they have Captain Lawrence Brewery Company Ale on tap. Nice to sample local ale with good pizza. We left the place all happy and full. We'll see them- maybe at another location- soon!

In our search of a decent pie, we also sampled the deep dish at Pizzeria Uno's, both at its Yonkers and White Plains locations. Another what-you-see-is-what-you-get place, only at times, the results can be inconsistent. We've sent back pizzas for either being undercooked or overcooked. The inconsistency, especially to hubby, is a big drawback. The bar scene and the beers on tap are a plus.

There are more pizzerias that we sampled: Planet Pizza- way too-doughy, very like Domino's; although, much better red sauce. Sal's in Mamaroneck, a great slice joint with long lines.

Our quest is not completed, perhaps it never will. Unless we find our Grimaldi's or John's or Lombardi's here in Westchester...