New Year, Newport

Twenty- Fourth Stop:  Newport Pizza Company

Date: January 8^th, 2012

Location: 601 Monmouth Street Newport, KY 41071

Ranking:  16

We’re baaaaaaaack!  Pizza lovers of the Tri-State rejoice; we have returned after a short pizza blogging hiatus and are now blazing through the last half of the top 50 Cincinnati pizzas.  However, the first post-hiatus visit was actually not in Cincinnati.  We dropped in to one of our tried and true favorites in Newport, on one of those warm, balmy evenings in January.

Almost everyone that we know loves Newport Pizza Company.  Only one of our friends has been less than impressed, and we’d venture to say that was a fluke.  Here’s why:  Newport Pizza Company has consistently served up unique, fresh, and delicious pizza every time we've gone, and that was no different on this particular visit.

In the spirit of full disclosure, we have to admit that we dined with a friend of ours who is also an employee at Newport Pizza Company.  One could argue that our satisfaction and overall experience is tainted or biased, but based on our past experience as well, we are willing to bet that the experience was a true indicator of the service and food we’d receive on any visit.         

The atmosphere in NPC is cozy, clean, and comfortable.  The service has always been very friendly, and the staff is well-informed and extremely knowledgeable about the menu and bar offerings.  Speaking of the bar--they offer a really great selection of craft and import beers, if that’s what you’re into.  Our fantastic server Krista was attentive to our every need, and made sure that our foray back into pizza blogging was going to be a good one.  And it was.

We started out with some Fried Mozzarella, which are fresh mozzarella chunks, battered and fried into gooey, geometric cubes, with a heavenly crisp on the outside.  The fresh, house made marinara sauce was the perfect compliment to these, although they could probably stand alone just fine.  Courtney had never tried these before, and was definitely in love.  (p.s.  there were two left and, though the server kindly advised that these weren't very good reheated, we found them to be just fine later.  Come on, you can't waste something that good!) 

Between the three of us, we decided to order two 12” pies, each split in halves with different types of pizza on either side.  That was a benefit of knowing an employee - she knew how to get the most bang for our buck and the most tastes out of one visit.  On one of them, we chose the Monmouth and the Meatball Lasagna.  On the other, half  Barbeque Chicken and half Zeus.

We both really loved the meatball lasagna pie, which showcased their homemade sauce and meatballs.  There was a light mix of Ricotta cheese in the sauce, which was a pleasant addition.  Eating this pizza reminded Robyn of our annual T-Givin’ potluck, in which our friends make delicious lasagna the night before Thanksgiving.  Whatever your favorite lasagna is, this pizza will probably remind you of it, which is awesome.  The crust is light and chewy, but not too thin to support the heavy toppings.  This pizza is a different kind of good, and the right choice if you're in the market for a pizza that's not quite pizza.   

Meatball Lasagna on the left, the Monmouth on the right

The Barbeque Chicken pizza was pretty standard for its kind, but was great.  Do not underestimate standard ingredients; it's what they do with them that is important!  We heard this one is pretty popular, and totally see why.  The barbeque sauce was sweet, not vinegary.  There was plenty of the sauce, which was nice.  The onions were a little dry for Robyn’s liking, but they still added good flavor to the pizza overall.     

Barbeque Chicken on the left, Zeus on the right

The Zeus was the first NPC pizza that Courtney ever tried, awhile back, and remains probably her favorite.  This one offers fresh spinach, Roma tomatoes, garlic, feta, asiago, and an olive oil base.  It is seriously the melt-in-your-mouth kind of good, actually just as good (if not better) than Courtney remembered.  This one is definitely the right choice if you want something with a different kind of taste, or maybe something a little lighter.   Also, if you love Asiago.  OMG Asiago.

The Monmouth is the NPC house specialty, basically a high-end deluxe pizza.  This guy features the usual suspects for a deluxe.  The meat:  pepperoni, awesome Italian sausage, and bacon.  The veggies: bright green peppers, onions, and mushrooms.  The cheese:  mozzarella, provolone, and Parmesan.  These ingredients are piled super high, so we recommend attacking this one with a fork.  A classic done right.

We know what you're thinking:  "of course you're going to give it a grand review, your friend works there!".  Believe us, though - we are not exaggerating.  Newport Pizza Company is good stuff.  Skip Dewey's the next time you head towards the Levee, and drive a few blocks up to NPC instead.  Maybe try the Pizza of the Month, where the NPC team tries out some creative blends and thematic pies (it's Caribbean Jerk now, but we heard the Greek they had recently was one of their best).  And, if it's your birthday and you are an extremely lucky person, their delivery driver will sing Happy Birthday to you in a full-on operatic voice.  You are not misreading this - it's one of our new favorite memories.  

Pricy Pepperoni

Eighteenth Stop: Raniero’s

Date: June 13, 2012

Location: 28 Martha Layne Collins Boulevard, Cold Spring, KY

Ranking: 48

We had kind of been avoiding Raniero’s for awhile, and for various reasons.  The day that we finally planned to cross it off of the list, it looked like our dinner may not come to fruition.  Courtney was stuck in horrible traffic from Mason to Raniero’s Cold Spring location, not far past NKU.  Of course, she had also left her cell phone at home that day, so therefore could not communicate this delay to Robyn.  She ended up being almost a full half hour late.  Being the awesome, patient friend that she is, Robyn waited.  By the time we were both there, our stomachs were growling.  This day surely warranted an appetizer.

We walked right in and were given our choice of seats.  We selected a high top table, ordered our drinks, and promptly perused the starter selections.  When we looked at the menu, it stated that they served Pepsi products.  We wanted Cokes, but both ordered Mountain Dew instead.  When we told our server this, she surprised us by saying that even though the menu says otherwise, they only serve Coke products.  Score!

There were a few things that stood out:  the standard yet typically delicious Garlic Knots, the Bosco Sticks (cheese-filled breadsticks), and the Luigi Snackers (kind of like a pizza hot pocket).  However, what really caught our eye were the Queso Cheez Stix, which promised to give us crunchy tortilla snackers filled with warm queso.  Our waitress fully endorsed this selection, so we decided to give it a go, turning a blind eye to its ridiculous spelling.  Pizza-wise, we decided to go simple this round, and selected Zia’s Pepperoni Pie.  This pizza promised to bring us pepperoni “stacked high and side-to-side”.  Sometimes, that is all a pair of girls need. 

Apparently we ate three of these before remembering to take a picture. 

 Honest reaction:  the Queso Cheez Stix (ok, that is impossible to write without cringing) were good enough for a seemingly frozen appetizer.  We were hungry, so not all that picky, and we had no problem splitting these up and finishing them off.  However, we realize that it was not the most delicious of appetizers.  These surely are not fresh; we both believe that they originally hailed from the freezer section.  Accompanying six of these deep-fried treats was a little cup of salsa, likely of the Pace or Kroger brand variety.  We’re really not complaining about these – they were completely edible, and we were so hungry that we did not care.  However, it is something to note if you are in the market for a unique, homemade appetizer.  In that case, this is not the appetizer for you.  It’s also not for you if you hate purposeful misspellings (Cheez.  Stix.  Ugh). 

They might as well call them Kaysoh Cheez Stix.

Then came our pizza.  And folks, this is really the first time that we disagreed on a pizza.  Courtney liked it fine.  It was just a good, standard pepperoni pizza.  It had a good, greasy flavor that you expect from this classic pie.  The pepperoni itself was zesty, just as the menu promised.  Robyn, on the other hand, did not care for this pizza at all.  She ate it – just as with the Queso Stix, it was edible – but she really didn’t enjoy it.  Nothing about the pizza stood out or even hit the spot, and she was disappointed in pretty much every aspect of the pizza, which bummed her out.  While Robyn is the deeply in love with some greasy kinds of pizza (see: Jet’s), she did not like the amount or flavor of grease that seemed to be pooling all over the plate and seeping through the crust alarmingly.      

The whole shabang.

Ewwwwwwww

After Robyn sopped up excess grease with a napkin.

Now, back to agreeing.  We both agree that this pizza was a rip-off.  As aforementioned, this pizza description promised this specialty option to be “stacked high and side-to-side with zesty pepperoni”.  Only the zesty part of this description is correct; the pepperoni was not that prevalent.  There was really just a normal amount on it, which kind of pisses us off.  Our 12-inch pizza was $13.95.  Before seeing this pizza, Courtney had placed a to-go order for a large, 16-inch of the same variety.  This one was $19.95.  Twenty dollars for a pepperoni pizza?  It just seems like a bit much.  In drafting this post, Courtney checked out their menu again and saw that you can order a 16” “Pizza by the Pie” with one topping (example: pepperoni) for $16.50.  We are willing to bet that the difference in the amount of pepperoni between that and the Zia’s specialty kind is minimal.  Keep this in mind and save yourself some money if you’re ever in the mood for a simple pepperoni pizza from Raniero’s. The Zia is not worth it!  It is worth noting, however, that they seem to have good combo deals (under $5) if you’re looking for just a plain slice or two and a drink.   

  

Does ANYONE think this pepperoni is stacked "high and side-to-side"?

I suppose Raniero’s could have been a better experience; perhaps we just didn’t order the right things.  We’ve both heard good things from many different people (we actually ran into two different couples that we know just in our quick visit), so the place must be doing something right.  We understand that other appetizers choices are decent.  In fact, when we ran into our friend Jeff there that evening, he provided us with this quote:  “Who needs Mario when you’ve got Luigi Snackers?” The service was quality, and the atmosphere (an old Blockbuster) is nice for a pizza parlor/bar.  It is also worth noting that Raniero’s offers a 24” Pizza Challenge in which two collaborating contestants struggle to consume a 24” cheese pizza in less than 10 minutes.  If they finish within the allotted time, their pizza is on the house; if not, they must fork up the dough.  From the looks of their site, it looks like they are trying to petition this contest for Man v. Food.  Courtney’s brother has actually championed this feat, and has his picture framed on the Raniero’s wall.  Her family is very proud.

Here’s our biggest takeaway from our Raniero’s experience:  it’s expensive.  We’ve not had any complaints, really, about pizza pricing until this point.  Some places are more than others, but some are also better than others, or perhaps provide more quality ingredients (some of which are very noticeable).  At Raniero’s, we went about as simple as we could, but that wasn’t reflected in the price, and unfortunately the price wasn’t balanced with the quality. If you have $20 to spend on a pepperoni pizza, you’re probably better off going somewhere that offers you either better pizza, or the ability to add side items for that amount.

Grandview Tavern & Grille

Thirteenth Stop: Grandview Tavern & Grille

Date: April 11^th, 2012

Location: 2220 Grandview Drive Fort Mitchell, KY 41017

Ranking: 34

Shhhhhh.  Half price pizza on Wednesdays.  Don’t Tell. 

So, this particular week, Wednesday was the only evening that worked for us to get together for a pizza treat.  We wanted somewhere close to one of our houses, so when Courtney checked our master tracking spreadsheet and saw that Grandview Tavern & Grille was in Fort Mitchell, that seemed like the place to go.  As luck would have it, upon visiting their website, she found that Wednesday is half price pizza night.  Score.

When we pulled into the parking lot, Robyn remembered family dinner there a few years prior.  It had been for a special occasion, such as an anniversary, that warranted a “fancy” dinner.  And, as we eyeballed the storefront, we started to second-guess whether or not we were dressed appropriately.  Everyone seemed to be dressed in suits and dresses.  Apparently this place is a big happy hour hot spot for the corporate folk.  We’re not fancy ladies, especially on weeknights when the plan is to stuff our faces with delicious pizza goodness.  Also, we are so used to little parlors and holes in the wall that this place immediately struck us as stuffy.  However, as soon as we approached the hostess station, we realized we had worried for no reason.  While the overall atmosphere was a bit more formal than to which we are accustomed, there were plenty of other people in casual attire around the bar and in booths along the walk to our table.  Once we saw the lady in the crummy old hoodie, we felt much better.

We were seated in a room adjacent to the bar area, where the clientele seemed to be mainly the upper crust of the white middle class baby boomers.  Our hostess seated us in a booth table covered in white linen, a glass tabletop, and adorned with candle lighting.  Despite the candles and time of day, the room was very dim, which made photos difficult when coupled with our amateur skills and tools. 

The pizzas come in one size:  the perfect size for one hungry adult.  We like this setup, as it allows us to try two kinds of pizza pie.  Our final picks were the Sicilian ($12 regular price) and the Wild Mushroom ($12 regular price).  The Sicilian was topped with “homemade zesty tomato sauce, Italian sausage, pepperoni, capicola, fresh basil, and oregano.”  The Wild Mushroom came with roasted and sautéed mushrooms, olive oil, garlic, and smoked Gouda.   There are many other tasty-looking choices available, and it took us a few moments to narrow down our selections.

For both pizzas, the shining element was the crust.  The dough is enhanced with a top-secret blend of herbs and spices, making it unlike any other crust we’ve consumed thus far.  It was soft, yet crisp in all the right places, and has a show of green that tells us its herb components are fresh.  When we commented to our server about how much we liked the crust, he agreed that it was delicious but then quickly said “he cannot tell a soul” its recipe.  No worries – we have no intention of actually trying to recreate these pizzas.  We just want to eat them.

Robyn really liked the cheese on the Wild Mushroom pizza, along with the juicy flavor and texture that the mushrooms provided.  Its smoked Gouda was melt-y and delicious, really all you can ask for.  The mushrooms (we think Cremini) were whole and had a slightly sweet flavor.  Odd for mushrooms, we suppose, but somehow it worked. 

Robyn wasn’t keen on the Italian sausage on the Sicilian, but mostly because it’s not one of her favorite toppings in general.  Courtney was happy with this one, and especially liked the fresh basil that topped it all.  It was a great touch to the sausage and pepperoni, providing an overall cooling effect to those spicy meats.  This pizza was nice and crispy at the edges, giving a nice crunch to your bites. 

As aforementioned, Courtney had discovered that Grandview hosts a ½ prize pizza deal on Wednesdays.  Our server didn’t mention this when we ordered, but neither did we.  No big deal, since we already knew about the deal, and would have gotten pizza regardless.  However, when he did eventually slip a hint at ½ priced Wednesdays, it was rather uncomfortable.  He handed us each a check (we go dutch), smiled, and said that the pizza tastes “so much better on Wednesdays.”  We didn’t know what to say.  As far as he knew, neither of us even knew about the promotion.  It almost seemed like he was calling us out as cheapskates, which we didn’t really like.  Though he was very nice and attentive throughout our visit, this moment is the one that sticks with us. 

In the grand scheme of things, sure, we liked Grandview’s pizza.  Most notably, the crust was a small work of art.  There was that odd moment with our server near the end but, overall, considering his otherwise friendly service and their tasty pizza, it was a pleasant dining experience.  You can tell that they take special care in making each guest’s personal pizza, and pride themselves in their array of fresh ingredients.  We just don’t think we’ll be dreaming about this pizza every night (we’re looking at you, Giuseppe’s!).  

Back to the Good Life

Eleventh Stop: Buona Vita Pizzeria

Date:  March 24^th, 2012

Location: 441 6^th Avenue Dayton, KY 41074

Ranking: 12

 

Perhaps when Rivers Cuomo, of the band Weezer, lamented that he wanted to “get back to the good life,” a tasty Italian experience is what he yearned for, along with all that shakin’ booty and makin’ sweet love mentioned in the song The Good Life. After all, what’s NOT to love about enjoying a relaxing Saturday afternoon with friends over a delicious pizza or two?  It is the good life, or “buona vita” in Italian, that the Frommeyer brothers and their extended community of family and guests seek, and they seem to be doing a great job fulfilling that mission here in Dayton, Kentucky.

With its location just down the street from a dear friend’s house, this restaurant has always been on a mental to-do list for Robyn.  It seemed as if everyone BUT her had gotten a chance to enjoy the food at Buona Vita at least once before, Courtney included.  Residing in an old bank building in Dayton, KY, the restaurant offers a full menu of classic Italian cuisine amidst a quaint, unique atmosphere.  It is a fantastic place to take a date or to catch up with an old friend.  We were seated in the spacious booth called “The Vault,” which used to be the actual vault from the bank that was formerly housed in the building.  The gorgeous door to the vault hangs open, giving other diners a peek into the cozy and secluded little spot.  It is our understanding that many people make reservations specifically for the vault, but as luck would have it, none had been made during our spontaneous visit.  So in we went!

Our view from the vault.

 There were two special guests on this visit-Matt and Bridget.  It’s nice to vary the routine from time to time, and we also relished the possibility of trying more pizza than we would if it had been just the two of us.  This also made the vault seating a little more sensical – it would be a pretty large dining spot for just two people.  Four diners v. two does provide some slight complications, such as ordering food that everyone agrees upon, and splitting the leftovers and the bill fairly.  However, it was worth it to let Matt and Bridget gain the experience that is Top This while spending some quality time with one another.  We are sure that they agree :)

Matt and Bridget, basking in the honor of special guest-dom

Our waiter was patient with us as we negotiated our selections.  We ended up going with two selections.  The Calabrese is described simply as extra hot pepperoni pizza and the other is a variation of the Pewee’s Pizza Bianco.  Believe it or not, we are having trouble remembering its exact name and cannot find it anywhere online.  We know that it builds upon the Bianco, which is a white pizza featuring oil, Italian spices, cheese, and spinach.  This particular pie adds prosciutto and (we think) black olives to the mix.  It was possibly called the Giuseppe, or the Bianco Giuseppe, but we are not 100%.  Generally on our outings, one of us tries to write down the pizza name, featured ingredients, and some quick, immediate notes.  With our special guests there, we seemed to forgo this busy work for good conversation; well, if we are honest, for immature jokes and end-of-week venting. 

As we waited for our pizza delivery, Courtney and Matt split an appetizer of mozzarella filled breadsticks, “Little Joey’s Cheese Filled”, which they really enjoyed.  These were an indulgent treat.  We know that fried bread and cheese is not good for you, but we don’t care because we like it.  It wasn’t long after they finished these up that our cute tattooed waiter carried over two piping-hot-out-of-the-stone-oven pizzas.   

Bread.  Cheese.  Yummmm.

 We first present you with a warning:  The Calabrese is not for the faint of heart.  We just could not handle the overpowering heat from the spicy pepperoni, as much as we tried.  Robyn tried peeling the pepperoni and cheese off the top in a last ditch effort to not waste any of the crust, but it just wasn’t possible.  The oil from the pepperoni soaks through to every last bit, making every bite of the pizza incredibly spicy.  Courtney ate a bite, took a drink, ate a bite, took a drink (repeat).  It didn’t help.  Matt and Bridget are built from a stronger heat threshold, and enjoyed that pie a lot more than either of us did.  This was good, because we would have felt bad about wasting so much pizza.  The thing is, if it wasn’t so damn hot, we think it would have been really awesome.  They were not loosely using the term “spicy” on their menu.  If you’re a fan of really spicy food and can handle it, you will probably LOVE this pizza!  All of the great pizza elements are there, but if you can’t get your taste buds past the heat, that’s all you’ll be able to focus on. 

Hot hot heat.

 The other pizza, the “Giuseppe”, we’ll say, was much more enjoyable to both of us.  The lightly charred, crisp-bottom crust was nearly cracker thin and maintained a light crunch under the fresh, tasty toppings.  The prosciutto was salty, as it should be, but not overwhelming (like the Fratelli’s sausage).  The cheese was buttery and well spiced with Italian herbs, and the spinach was daintily placed on top, cut into teensy tiny thin strips.  While Robyn typically prefers a doughier, thicker crust, she still enjoyed this pizza.  Courtney prefers thin crust pizza, and this was thin on a new level.  It’s so thin that it seems it would be easy to burn to a crisp.  Rather, Buona Vita has perfected their cooking methods through an opulent heritage of food and technique. 

The pizza with the name we can't remember. 

The pizza at Buona Vita is made with the “labor of love”; the way all great pizzerias craft their wares.  They describe their rich family history, daily food preparations, and ingredients in a brief narrative on the menu.  In short, the recipes, which originate from family in Italy, have been handed down from multiple generations and made with great care in the restaurant named after the Bonavita family.  A stone oven, reaching 600 degrees, cooks the made-to-order pizzas and calzones to traditional perfection for the hungry crowds that gather in this welcoming atmosphere.  Though we didn’t have any of their homemade cookies or desserts, we have heard great things about them from friends and web reviews.  Next time, we’ll take advantage of these traditional Italian sweets after taking pleasure in more of this crispy, flavorful thin crust pizza.  But, you can bet your spicy-hot bottom dollar that it won’t be the Calabrese.   

No Straws for You!

Tenth Stop: Fratelli’s 

Date:  March 18^th, 2012

Location: 6890 Tylersville Road West Chester, OH 45069

Ranking: 10

Wouldn’t it be cool if Ma Fratelli from The Goonies would have greeted us as we breezed through the doors of this similarly named pizza joint?  On second thought, Ma Fratelli had a pretty nasty attitude, and as it turns out, attitude can have a significant impact on the lens through which we view our human interactions (and our pizza).  There’s a good reason that old saying exists about someone “leaving a bad taste in your mouth.”      

"The only thing we serve here is tongue!  You boys like tongue?"

We’ll just say it up front:  Fratelli’s was disappointing.  We walked in completely aware of its top ten status, armed with empty bellies, and ready to feast on some deliciousness.  In the end, things just didn’t work out as expected.  Writing a scathing review is not our goal here.  Obviously others have had great experiences with Fratelli’s, or it wouldn’t be ranked as a Top 10 pizza in Cincinnati.  However, we have to be honest about our own experience, as uncomfortable as that may be, because that’s what we set out to do on this pizza mission.    

This is another “order at the counter” kind of place, which always throws us for a loop.  Right off the bat, there was something a little off.  Our server seemed a little indifferent and even rude, and made us both feel rushed to order.  She asked us what we wanted, but didn’t hand us a menu; we had to ask and then grab one for ourselves.  Maybe if you are a regular, no physical menu is required.  However, we are not.  Perhaps intuitively, we had glanced at their menu online, and thought that the New Yorker might be where it was at.  Pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, and onions:  a classic combination that we both enjoy.  We ordered a large for its leftover potential.  It was also about 7pm in the evening, and neither of us had eaten much that day.  As usual, our eyes were bigger than our stomachs.  Robyn suggested ordering Garlic Knots, since neither of us had experienced these before.  This Italian joint seemed to be the ideal place to give them a go.

After we spewed out our order, we paid on the spot, as is typical of most counter-ordering locales.  Our Receptionist of Rudeness did kindly split our check, though, as we requested.  We both paid with our debit cards, and upon receiving our bill noticed a line for tip.  With no cash on hand, Courtney quickly calculated a tip and hoped it would suffice.  As we walked through the restaurant and chose our table, Robyn mentioned that she was leery to leave a tip before experiencing the service, and would just leave a cash tip.  Wise words, and ones that Courtney will bear in mind during future pre-paid restaurant excursions. 

We sat down in a place that allowed Robyn optimal basketball watching (March Madness, y’all!).  A moment later, the same greeter/server brought over our drinks.  She set them on the table, said “You can get your straws are over there,” and then walked away.  Weird, right?  She actually walked past the straws in order to bring us our drinks.  So, we got up and grabbed our straws, as well as our forks, plates, and napkins to prevent future trips.  Self-service is no problem with us, but her drink delivery was still off-putting.  Further, it seems like they should make their operations clear with new customers before you ask for a tip right off the bat.  It just feels a little presumptuous to the newcomers like ourselves.   

The garlic knots came, and were good enough.  These are really just miniature breadsticks covered with some melted provolone and served with a cup of marinara.  The marinara was not very exciting.  It is a thin and runny consistency, so it is probably best just to dip your knot right into the cup. If you just want a simple, bread-y appetizer, then these might be a good option for you.  They weren’t earth shattering or anything, but not everything needs to be.  We also will probably be subconsciously judging every garlicky bread appetizer by the standard set with the almighty dough logs from Rocafella’s.      

Then came the pizza.  The large pizza at Fratelli’s is HUGE.  We’ve been eating a lot of pizza lately, and have ordered a number of “larges” across town, but were still surprised by this one’s enormity.  In fact, when Courtney tried to take one leftover piece to work for lunch the next day, she had to cut it into four pieces just to fit in a container.  We both liked the look of the sausage that is used on the New Yorker.  It is not crumbled, but cut into thin, rectangular pieces from links of Italian sausage. Those thin slices sit on top of the cheese and curl up at the edges while the pizza cooks.  It looked delicious.  The green peppers looked impressive, too:  bright green, fresh, and cut in nice, big hunks.  Once this pizza was placed before us, we hungry girls needed to eat it immediately. 

This entire piece took about a half hour to eat (not exaggerating)

Up close and personal survey of the goods

We each took a giant slice for ourselves, once again, expecting greatness.  And maybe Fratelli’s is great to some people – we surely see the potential – but this particular visit and this particular pizza did not measure up for us.  Overall, there was something just a little odd about the flavor.  Each of us felt that the pizza had an overwhelmingly salty flavor to it, which we came to attribute to the Italian sausage.  It wasn’t terribly bad, but it was definitely noticeable and was an observation that stayed with us through each bite. 

Once home, Courtney tested her leftovers on former Special Guest Matt, who liked the pie, but also noted the salty flavor. Robyn revealed that her leftovers were actually more enjoyable the next day when warmed up in the toaster oven.  Sausage is salty, we know, but we were a little surprised by how much this one topping affected our Fratelli’s experience.  The crust was thin with a crisp bottom, and with the size of the slices, Fratelli’s surely does achieve the New York style pizza it claims to offer. This pizza was good, but it seems that our overall experience was compromised by other details. 

Really, the two most memorable things about Fratelli’s were the salty pizza and the medium-to-poor service.  In regards to the latter, we just really didn’t feel welcome in the restaurant.  From the moment we walked in, we felt pressured to hurry up and order, take a seat, eat, and leave.  We had to seek out our own menus, straws, and consider ourselves lucky to have received just one beverage refill.  Sometimes poor dining service can be blamed on an exceptionally busy afternoon or an understaffed crew.  Neither of these scapegoats were true.  Two other tables were occupied during our time there, and at a few points throughout our visit, we saw 3-4 employees huddled behind the counter.  Perhaps we were inconveniencing them, who knows.  What we do know is that, if we lived closer, we would probably give Fratelli’s another shot.  Via delivery.

Omnivores at Heart

Ninth Stop:  Fatty Patty’s

Date:  March 8^th, 2012

Location: 644 Main Street Covington, KY 41011

Ranking: 32

Robyn was stoked to finally try out Fatty Patty’s.  Not far from her home and having received lots of positive buzz since its opening, the restaurant had been on her personal to-do list for a while now.

Fatty Patty’s is located in MainStrasse village, right on a corner near Straus Haus, Zola, and across from Designs by Dana.  We walk by this place all of the time, often together, but still had not yet managed to cross its threshold.  We grew nervous as we approached and saw a “For Sale” sign facing us from the Fatty Patty window.  Not to be too concerned, though – apparently they’ve been renting, and the building owners are looking to sell.  This isn’t a death sentence (yet, we know; but, we’re also hopeful). 

The dining room, which is located towards the back and past a bar-like area, is small and surprisingly orderly, despite the masses of neatly displayed cartoon and pop culture memorabilia all over the walls.  It’s actually fairly organized by genre:  Snoopy & the Peanuts gang in one corner, the Simpsons in another, and several shelves of that old BC cartoon, among numerous other collector’s items.  The tables are adorned with a variety of comic strips (ours was the Garfield table!) and some have copies of comic strip coffee table books atop them, which you can look at while you wait for your order if you aren’t already mesmerized by all of the things hanging from the walls. 

After reading some other internet reviews of Fatty Patty’s, it is clear that they offer quite a range of menu items.  People seem to be over the moon about their hoagies, sandwiches, and ice cream, but the real reason for our visit was of course, the pizza! Based on Cincinnati Magazine’s recommendation, we tried the namesake Fatty Patty pizza, which is a meat lover’s dream, topped with Italian sausage, ham, bacon, beef, pepperoni, “red sauce,” and Provolone cheese.  Since we haven’t ventured into the arena of all-meat pizzas, we thought we’d give it a go.  Honestly, though, neither of us were truly excited about it.  We generally like some veggies to mix it up, even if only carmelized onions. 

The crust was thick and fluffy around the rim, and thin throughout the diameter of the toppings.  Unfortunately, the thin crust in the middle could not support the weight of all that meat, and had to be carefully dished out and eaten with a fork.  There is no way you are getting the Fatty Patty in your mouth by hand, no matter how determined.  It seriously falls apart when you remove it from the pan (see picture below).  Courtney really wanted to double up the thin underlying crust and toppings with the hearty outer crust, and tried to fold hers in half.  This did not work out so well.  It should be pointed out that the crust around the rim was especially aerated, chewy, and tasty.  What Robyn really loved about the crust was their own specially concocted blend of grated Parmesan cheese mixed with other herbs/spices that flavors the crust while it cooks.  It came out with a charred but flavorful tinge to it.  You can also find this special blend of cheese on the tables to dispense on your pizza at your own will, along with the standard red pepper flakes. 

Speaking of red pepper flakes, Robyn was amused by the fact that she felt the need to “liven up” the flavor of the pizza with some of that red pepper zing.  Maybe it was all of those meats blending together to form one homogenous flavor that she can only describe as “carnivorous.”  Or maybe she felt the need to include some vague semblance of a vegetable on board this animalistic voyage.  Either way, red pepper flakes are not a common thing to see on her plate, so as far as her taste buds are concerned, there had to be a little bit of something missing from this pie.

There are areas where this pie excelled, however, including the subtle flavoring on the crust and the seemingly fresh, quality meats that served as our toppings. But, we both discovered that, when it comes to pizza, we definitely want an abundance of cheese and sauce.  Both of those ingredients were almost completely masked by the meat toppings, which was a little disappointing, because it would have been interesting to see how the Provolone cheese affects the pizza as compared to the traditional flavoring of mozzarella that we see most often on pizzas.            

One of the other advantages of Fatty Patty’s is the friendly service we received.  Our server was really nice, attentive to our needs, and eager to answer any questions we had. We would love to make some return visits and sample other pizzas and menu items (the stromboli, in particular!), and grab some ice cream for dessert.

Epilogue:  The next day, Courtney toted her two leftover slices to work to eat on her lunch break.  For lack of a toaster over, she reheated them in the microwave.  It sucked.  Pizza is never really that good after making some rounds (literally) through the microwave, but this was especially gross:  sloppy, gooey, soft, and blahhhhhh.    

Tom's Papa Dino's (named when people still knew how to use apostrophes)

Eighth Stop: Tom’s Papa Dino’s 

Date:  March 4^th, 2012

Location: 290 Main Street  Florence, KY 41042

Ranking: 39

We were actually aiming for Bourbon House Pizza last Sunday, but upon arriving found a note on the door:  the restaurant would be closed for the evening due to unforeseen circumstances.  We were bummed, of course, especially since we had taken measures to make sure that this was an “open on Sundays” kind of place.  However, we acknowledged that the circumstances causing them to close were probably much more important than us being able to eat pizza for lunch, and began a spontaneous hunt for a new pizza location in the area.

So, where else would we go?  Courtney remembered another Florence location on the list:  Tom’s Papa Dino’s.  We made a quick phone call to confirm that they were indeed open, and made the additional 15 minute drive down to the Union area. 

This little restaurant is family-owned, and has been in operation for a little over 50 years.  The vintage-looking sign out front shows the restaurant’s age, and suggests how embedded this little pizzeria has become in the local community over the years.  Tom’s Papa Dino’s is definitely on the smaller side, but we’ve found this to be common for most of the good pizza places.  The lights are low and the colors are warm and inviting; there is also some family memorabilia adorning the walls to make it even cozier.  We snagged a table towards the back with a view of the kitchen and promptly ordered an appetizer.  At this point, at about 4pm with no lunch, and after driving around Florence for what seemed like 2 days, our stomachs were growling. The battered mozzarella sticks were the perfect antidotes to our hunger while we waited for the pizza.   

We had looked over the menu, and though they did offer a standard amount of specialties and a list of potential toppings, we opted for something pretty basic.  The Paparoni features double pepperoni and extra cheese.  You can’t go wrong with these two, so we took this easy route and placed our order pretty quickly.  We enjoyed some mozzarella sticks as we waited, and discussed whether or not these proprietors are aware of our blogging mission.  Here is a scenario that we imagined:  (Server) “Tom!  Papa Dino!  The girls from Top This are here!”  (Tom/Papa Dino break out in a panic)  “Mama mia!  Let’s give them a pizza that will make their hearts melt.”

We had ordered a large pizza chiefly for its promise of many leftovers and second suppers.  It came out, piping hot and simply smothered in mozzarella cheese.  The Paparoni is constructed in layers (i.e. cheese, pepperoni; cheese, pepperoni), rather than just throwing down a mat of cheese and topping it with the pepperoni slices.  This is nice, as you get little hidden treasures of flavorful pepperoni as you eat, as well as some crispier pieces on top.  There was ample sauce, which was enough to match the extra cheese and pepperoni; they really balanced it all quite nicely.  The sauce was a both a bit tangy and sweet, like most we have encountered. 

Considering the gooey mounds of cheese atop its surface, we were both impressed by the thin crust.  It withstands the cheese well, and we found ours to still be firm and dry.  Our only real problem came when we tried to slice and serve this bad boy.  The amount of cheese piled onto this pie makes it difficult to cut, as the cheese doesn’t seem to want to be separated from its brother and sister cheese strands.  This became easier as the pizza cooled but, of course, we were too impatient and hungry to wait for that.  In the meantime, we were victims of the dreaded topping avalanche, which actually wasn’t so bad, as long as those toppings were making it to the right place (i.e., our mouths).    

This is Robyn's 1st piece, after the arduous slicing efforts that took place before making it to the plate 

Tom’s Papa Dino’s definitely appeased our hunger.  The pizza was not our favorite, but we both definitely liked it, and we must remember that there is some tough competition out there in this pizza mission (although admittedly, not so much competition in Florence, KY).  Tom’s Papa Dino’s pizza is nothing fancy; rather, it is just a good, solid pizza from a nice, family-run establishment.  If you are in the area, swing by to try the Paparoni or another classic pie.  Be sure to snag some tasty fresh cookies from the checkout counter before you head out, especially if they are covered in white icing and green sprinkles.  You will not regret this, we promise.

"Since we started adding the icing on these, we can't keep 'em!" said the lady in charge