Verdi Pizza Restaurant & Pizzaria (7770 Olentangy River Road, Columbus, OH)

Hype: Absolutely none.  We were just looking for a nice slice and didn't want to drive too far.  No expectations.

 Scene: Verdi is a pretty small place on the end of a strip mall.  It has some outdoor seating but it was too cold.  A family occupied a long table in the middle, which added a good positive vibe to our dinner.  Three generations at one table; very nice.  We were seated next to the beer fridge, which had a small, but solid selection of beers and sodas.  The guy talked us in to a Birra Moretti--a favorite of his and ours!  A few Italian looking prints added to a very positive ambiance.  Just as our pizza arrived the guy (manager, owner, we don't know) talked us in to a second round.  We could not refuse. 

The Pie:

Crust- Plenty of seasoning and garlic salt make it flavorful.  It is also foldable in the NYC Style.  We liked the chewiness.  It wasn't perfect though.  They should have left it in the oven a touch longer to brown it up just a little more.  With just a little more crispness this pie would be truly top notch.
Sauce- Understated next to the other toppings but filled with oregano and seasonings.
Cheese- Evenly and liberally applied.  Well done next to the peps.
Peps- Oily yet delicious.  Not overly salty yet flavorful.  Kinda interesting.  We liked em.

Overall: On its own, as a take-out pie, Verdi is solid but not amazing.  Dine in and you will find it to be a hidden treasure of whatever neighborhood this is--we don't know.  Families, awesome manager/owner dude, good beverage selections, and a very nice atmosphere all add to the pizza experience giving it a 5/5 pies.  Excellent place.

Rocco's Pizza Plus (1664 W. 1st Ave, Grandview Heights)

Hype: This place just opened last week so we thought we'd give it a go.  It has Pizza Plus attached to the name and the others (Bexley and Gahanna) are pretty good.

Scene: It is kinda sterile in there.  Too big, golf on the TV, and just not right.  We were not excited by the age of the workers, which I would average at about 19.  While we have had many good pies made by young people, these were not those kind of young people.  They were clean cut;  not creepy, not Juggalos.  So this was a bad sign. 

THE PIE:

Crust- Thick, bready, a little doughy, and boring.
Sauce- Not heavily applied.  It lacked the spice of other Pizza Plus locations.
Cheese- Pretty good, but again not stellar.  It was really thick in the center and light as we moved towards the edges.
Peps- Very boring.  Tasteless.  They do offer a "Spicey Pep" option, which we also tried and these tasted like real peps.  Our advice is to just drop the regular pepperoni option and call the spicey ones the regular.  We'll just act like this never happened.

Overall:  Certainly the weakest link in the Pizza Plus Chain. Barely 3-5 pies.  We had leftover slices for roommates with low standards.

Pizza Cottage, Newark, OH (969 Mt. Vernon Rd)

Hype: I'll be real honest. We totally went to Plaza Pizza first but it they are closed on Sundays--family folk and all. This Newark location of the Cottage is really close so we just went down the road a few blocks and they were open. We were bummed about not getting Plaza Pizza since we hardly ever make it back to Newark.

Scene: It is a large place with a huge outdoor eating space. It was a little rainy so we ate inside. OSU stuff mixed NASCAR on the walls. They also have tons of TV's just in case ya need 'em. Lot's of extended families at the large tables. Very family-friendly atmosphere--with beer.

The Pie:
Crust- This is a very classic Central Ohio thin crust. Party strips hold up well but since the it was so well done it might even hold up in a slice format. Nice work.
Sauce- Again, the classic sweet sauce with lots of dried Italian Seasoning. I like this style.
Cheese- A little bland, but well-applied and in no way bad.
Peps- Salty-spicy and generously applied. Cupped with some not cupped. Good.

Overall: This was not a mind blowing pizza experience but that should not minimize what Pizza Cottage does. They have a nice place with room for lots of families to get together around a good solid pie. Everything about it was solid, and traditional Central Ohio Pizza. A good option if Plaza is closed. 4--5 Pies!

Bono Pizza (1717 Northwest Blvd, Columbus, 614-906-8646)

Hype: We were pumped up about this one. Some friends said a few good things about it and a few people wrote to recommend it. High expectations, lots of mystery!

Scene: This is not what we expected. So you walk in to the beverage carry out and look left. I think it used to by a "Coney Island". Remember? They turned it in to a nice little faux Italian kitchen that just serves pizza I guess. It was really small and really crowded with very nice people: a couple Australians, a family, and an Asian guy with two big cans of Coors in front of him he brought in from the carry out next door. We talked about just getting it pick-up but some nice people were finishing up and offered us their table for two. Three of our four sat down at the table. I asked the lady working if she had an extra chair and she obliged--this made it really tight but everyone was kool about it. The placed ruled! Jim went to the carry out (which happened to be right through the sliding steel security gate) to pick up a sixer of a favorite beer. Things were getting even better. By the way: everyone was partying in there. It was like a paradise: a Pizza Speakeasy!

The Pie:
Crust- Laid back, not fully round, airy, soft underbelly due to all the sauce (see below) and crispy edges.
Sauce- Very nice. Herby, especially with all the basil. If you don't like basil you will not like this pizza. We all really liked it. Perhaps the highlight of the pie.
Cheese- Mixture of fresh mozza, asiago, and others. unevenly distributed, and heavy in spots. Very tasty.
Peps- Moderately spicy, yet very flavorful. Plenty of them and also unevenly applied. Also good.

Overall: This place ruled. We washed down the pies with the waffles that they had for dessert. Between the good company, friendly hosts, and comfortable chair we ate some totally good pizza. I will be coming back a lot, I hope, as long as everyone keeps this joint quiet. If we all go hyping it up like Bill Bellamy it will get too crowded and then we can't sit down and eat. Think about it. 5---5. Bono Rules!

Jimmy's Pizza (1484 Oakland Park Avenue, 263-2678‎)

Hype: Dave's been hearing all kinds of stuff about this place for a while so we decided to try it out. We also wanted to open Season II with a real winner. Expectations were very high and we were not let down.
Scene: We walked up to the place in a strip mall to see some dude working on a motorcycle in front of the laundry-mat next door. Only one Lady was running the show. Right when we walked in she layed down a proposition:
Lady: "Are you the guys that ordered the two large pepperonis?"
Us: "Ugh, yeah."
Lady: "Hey I've got this dumb-ass delivery guy that won't be back for like an hour and I need these pizzas delivered down to my girl on Duncan fast. If you guy's will take 'em down there I'll give you yours for free. Deal?"
Us: "OK"
...five minutes later... Delivery guy walks in. He's way to old to be delivering pizzas, and I don't mean 25. More like 70. Velcro shoes. Shitty van. Old. Our pizza delivery days were already over.
...Instead the lady offers us half price for the pizzas, $10, AND gives us two stray pizzas to squelch our appetites until ours are done. Yes, that's four (4) pizzas for the price of one. This place rules: certainly the strangest 45 minutes I've ever spent picking up a pizza. Too much to tell here, ask Fern.

The Pie:
Crust- perfect. Thin, but not saltine. Typical of North--NW Columbus pies. Uniformly browned to a crispy-flaky bottom and a more moist top, next to the awesome sauce.
Sauce- made by famous Carfagna's gourmet shop. Spicy, sweet, perfectly applied, and not overly done. It does not distract from the rest of the pie. I like it.
Cheese- Fairly typical pizza cheese. This was not overwhelming like the bottom two ingredients. Not to say it's bad or anything though. Moderate application.
Peps- Medium thick cut, salty, not too greasy, cupped. The edges were browned and bottoms still a little chewy.
Overall: As strange as the pickup was the pie was nearly perfect. All of the ingredients worked well together to make a fancy pie, without any pretense. Grade A slices for the masses. 5/5 pies!!!!
***Party Boyz: They have a nice selection of domestic brews at state minimum prices. 24oz. Big Cans for 1/99. Deal

Clintonville Primo Pizza (Indianola Ave and Weber)

Hype: This kittycat told us that we were hungry for some pie. We had a lot of work to do so we thought we'd just get some pick up. Its close to the house and who doesn't like to pizza while they work?

Scene: Its a pizza pick up desk. They do delivery too. It has a family business vibe to it without the portraits of old Italian ladies. These seem to be midwestern folk.


The Pie
Crust- Thin and flaky. It does droop a little in the center, but not too bad.
Sauce- A little sweet and tasty. Good stuff here.
Cheese- They keep it real here. Not Rotolos amounts but a good dose of the real deal.
Peps- Spiced just right, thick-cut and well applied.

Overall: We order two larges and each pizza was not alike. The first was better than the second. This is not the diminishing returns concept from that economics class I failed. The second was underdone. Maybe that's why daddy had a belly-ache and Dave was feeling a little ill. This costs them a pie I think. 3---5. Or on second thought, maybe we should not have ate that much pizza and we are just plain stupid. I've had Primo before and liked it a lot. Maybe they should get that one back?

Villa Nova Ristorante (5545 N High St, Columbus, OH)

Hype: None.  We just haven't done a new pizza in a while and I drove by this place a while a go.  Some people have told us about it and said good things.

Scene: I guess this place is a staple for the South Worthington-- North Columbus family crowd and I can see why.  Family owned and operated, good food, great service, beer by the pitcher and decorated like my crazy aunt's with at least 200 copper kettles.  I liked the original Pac-Man machine in the doorway but hated the elevator music.   Reminded us of the old 'Taste of Italy' in Newark: nice place.

THE PIE

Crust--Thin, but not crackery.  A small amount of that cornmeal crumb stuff on the bottom that is common to pizzas in Grandview and Arlington (in fact, many aspects of this pie make it similar NW Columbus; a good thing).

Sauce--A little sweet.  Not at all a standout.  Quiet.

Cheese--Tasty.  Not that much of it but this does not detract from the pizza's taste.  It's good.

Peps!--Very good.  The curled slightly and were ample.  I liked them a lot.  

Overall: I found myself totally dominating this pizza.  I don't know if it was my hunger or what but it hit the spot.  Dave was less hungry as you can see from the photo his side needed my help.  We both agree that the Villa Nova is worth a trip.  Solid 4/5 pies.

Dante's Pizza (3586 Indianola Ave. , Columbus, OH)

Hype: Described by our friend Jason as the most Newark -like pizza in town, we were extremely hot to taste this pie!

Environment: 1. Wood Paneling(reminiscent of pizza joints in Newark) 2. Toppings visible next to the front counter upon entering the premises(let's you know what you're getting!) 3. Killer Jukebox!! Everything from Van Halen to REO Speedwagon. Even Foreigner was thrown into the mix! 4. Neon Miller Lite pizza slice sign. Totally Vintage!!!

THE PIE!!!: Crust-Hinze thought the crust was the best part. Toasty on the edges, yet a little chewy underneath the toppings. Nicely done!
Sauce - Lots of it! Very sweet, with lots of oregano, a hallmark of Newark pizza. Two thumbs up! Cheese - Lots!!! Good n' cheesy. Extremely filling.
Pep-Salty and a good amount of it. At least two per slice. A bit scorched in the oven, giving the pizza a more bacon-like flavor, adding a fine saltiness to the overall package.

RATING: 4 pies out of 5....Nice!!!

Note*** You can get pitchers of Bud/Bud Light for $7.40 if you like to party.