Everything was in order — a firm slice, pull-apart cheese, perfect pepperoni, spread sauce, crust that wasn’t too thin, but also not too thick and airy. But something was missing — that “wow” factor. Credit: Marcy Paredes | Managing Editor for Design
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, aliens watching from outer space, it’s been done: the first Pie Day Friday review suggested by a Lantern reader.
Last week, I was so excited to see a comment under the Jet’s Pizza review asking me to try Romeo’s Pizza that it was expedited to this week’s review.
At The Lantern, we give the people what they want.
I phoned in my order, waited the half hour and brought my large pepperoni pie back home. It wasn’t reviewed on the street corner as usual — my friends didn’t want to stand in the below-freezing temperatures holding their iPhone flashlights to compensate for it being dark at 5 p.m.
In an effort to keep the pizza’s warmth as if it were fresh out of the oven, I placed the cardboard box — which crowned Romeo’s the “local pizza champion” — up on my dashboard with the heat on the hottest setting and the vents on the highest speed.
My uncomfortable ride home was somewhat worth it as the pizza was alright, but nowhere near its champion-level claims.
After opening the box, I immediately noticed just how basic the pie looked. Nothing really stood out to me as far as appearances went: just another circular pizza with triangular slices, scattered pepperonis and a slightly risen crust.
My eyes did not deceive me and the taste mirrored my initial perceptions. If there was a dictionary definition of how pizza should taste, a picture of Romeo’s would show up on the page.
Everything was in order — a firm slice, pull-apart cheese, perfect pepperoni, spread sauce, crust that wasn’t too thin, but also not too thick and airy.
But something was missing — that “wow” factor.
With all the other pizzas I’ve reviewed, something has stood out to me, whether good or bad. Adriatico’s had incredible cheese; Sicilia had next-level crust; Hounddog’s had a tasty Parmesan crumble spread; Aracri had a lot of grease; Tommy’s crust was unbelievably thin and hollow; and Jet’s crafted a deep-dish crust with a surprisingly good crunch.
As for Romeo’s, I can’t say much else about it. It was a good pizza, and it only cost me about $15. Aside from that, not many details stood out because it wasn’t much different from a standard, run-of-the-mill pizza.
Perhaps the thing I remember the most is the establishment’s Capone Sauce. Don’t be fooled, though — it was just buffalo sauce, given an exotic name to increase the likelihood of trying it.
However, the sauce was memorable because it was something different and out of the ordinary. I can’t remember another instance where a pizza place has offered buffalo sauce for dipping.
Despite not liking the combination, at least it was memorable, unlike the pie — which was not exactly the worst pizza I’ve had, but was nothing spectacular.
Rating: 6.5/10
