Pizza by the Slice, and a Whole Lotta Spice

Twenty-third Stop: Ramundo's Pizzeria

Location: 3166 Linwood Avenue  Cincinnati, OH 45208

Ranking: 14

It was a weeknight, and takeout pizza seemed like a good way for us to spend the evening.  There are a few places on the pizza list that offer only takeout, or are perhaps best designed for takeout.  Ramundo's has a very small interior, with its space mainly reserved for the kitchen.  There are a couple of bar top-type tables immediately near  the entrance, mainly there to accommodate the late-night diners after their rounds of the many bars that pepper the heart of Mount Lookout.  For these patrons, Ramundo's offers the good ol' pizza by the slice deal, also a good option for a quick lunch for those who work at the local businesses.  If you want a whole pie and a seat, though, we recommend picking up an order and heading home to your dining room table.  Or, better yet, your couch, which we all know is the best place to eat pizza. 

For a few years, Courtney and her husband lived right in Mount Lookout square, within walking distance from some great restaurants.  There was Ruthai's for (you guessed it) Thai food, Betta's, no longer there, for wonderful Italian (Filo Chicken!), and Zip's for a tremendous burger.  Ramundo's was their go-to for pizza whenever the mood struck, and they usually ordered a 3-topper with bacon, spinach and tomatoes.  It was always delicious, with the freshest of ingredients and just a little spicy kick to the sauce.   

Having not had Ramundo's for too, too long, Courtney was truly looking forward to reconnecting with their pizza.  We called ahead to place our order, which included that large bacon-spinach-tomato pie and some Ramundough Bites.  These aptly-named treats are described on their website as "zesty pepperoni & cheese rolled up in our garlic butter brushed dough".  Who can resist that?  Plus, we learned about Ramundo's Rewards, a loyalty-type program for clients, and how new members get a free order.  Top that.

The pizza was just about ready when we picked it up, and we were quickly headed back to Courtney's to indulge in its deliciousness. 

Sometimes a dish, an event, a place can take on added importance and greatness in your mind, increasing with the years and with every time you remember it in conversation.  "Remember how good that blah blah blah was?"  "It was the best blah blah blah EVER."  We're sure you know that overhype-things-for-yourself feeling; we can't be the only ones.  Well, sadly, that was the case here.  Courtney had such melt-in-your-mouth memories of Ramundo's Pizza.  Worse, she'd passed this excitement onto Robyn.  In the end, we both ended up disappointed.  Bummer.

It's not that Ramundo's Pizzeria has bad pizza.  It's just that, well, it wasn't as good as we wanted it to be.  It certainly was not as good as Courtney recalled, though certain elements do stand out.  The crust - crisp and chewy.  The toppings - absolutely fresh.  The flavor - something was missing.  The sauce - incredibly spicy.  It probably didn't help that, before eating our Ramundough Bites, we both doused them with the side of sauce that accompanied them.  The spice of the sauce totally overpowered the poor little pepperoni and cheese snacks, and sent our mouths into a fit of rage.  We were a little saddened the by spice-level of the sauce, but figured it only hit us so hard because we had so liberally applied it to the appetizer.  Surely, the pizza wouldn't be so bad.  We were wrong.  Not horrendously spicy, but still a bit too much.  Courtney didn't remember it being like this in the past, but from what we've heard, that is generally the experience with their sauce.  There are folks out there who love Ramundo's.  After all, it is #14 out of 50.  We can see that, perhaps especially if you're into spicy.  Overall, it just wasn't our favorite. 

Ramundough Bites-what's not to like here?  Yum!

Some classic iceberg lettuce to cool the palate after that spicy sauce

We don't advise against Ramundo's, but we think it's fair to say we don't highly recommend it, either.  We've heard people exclaim their love for Ramundo's, and we've heard others denote it as "gross".  Guess we're right in the middle.  If you are a fan, be sure to sign up for Ramundo's Rewards.  Their e-mails are frequent, but they do offer some nice deals for their members, including bonus treats on your birthday.   Oh, and their calzones are fantastic.  Well, so says Courtney's memory, which is apparently not so reliable these days.  

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.