NY Food: Pizza (Vinnie's Pizzeria and Ray's)

Since nobody can travel right now due to COVID-19, let's go back in time a few months and visit New York to eat. My last visit to the New York was in December for a few days. The next few posts on this blog will focus on that trip. This particular post will discuss the pizza I sampled while there, because what trip to New York is complete without pizza.

Vinnie's Pizzeria in Williamsburg:

This was my first pizza experience on the trip to New York. Vinnie's was located in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn.

I had two slices. One was topped with eggplant and ricotta. The other was a sauceless white slice. Both were a good example of NY style pizza. I preferred the eggplant of the two, but both were very respectable slices of pizza.

Famous Original Ray’s Pizza:

I ate at this chain of pizzerias in New York. I ended up getting a slice of white pizza when I saw the crazy prices of some of the more exciting toppings ($8+ for a slice). It was alright, but nothing I'd go back to seek out.

Anthony's Pizza in Altamonte Springs, FL

Restaurants named Anthony's that serve pizza in the Orlando area can get confusing. From what I can determine, there's three Anthony's in the area, each with multiple locations. There's Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza (which is easy because of the coal), there's the Anthony's that has various locations around Orlando, and then there's the Anthony's in Altamonte Springs which is being talked about today. I believe this is the second location for this particular Anthony's, with the first located in Casselberry. This Anthony's opened recently in the same shopping center that's home to the new Whole Foods. I ordered two slices here. I tried their plain cheese slice and a vegetable slice. The cheese slice was good with a very nice balance of crust/cheese/sauce. It held together well as the slice was eaten. Cheese was good but the sauce was a bit bland.

The vegetable slice looked messy but was the better of the two slices. It was topped with spinach and a chunky tomato sauce. This slice had a very strong garlic flavor that wasn't there in the cheese slice. Again, the pizza held together well. With the toppings, it had much more character than the cheese slice.

With my two slices I tried at Anthony's, I'd say their pizza is pretty tasty!

Rocky's Pizzeria in Orlando, FL

I had lunch one afternoon at a restaurant called Rocky's Pizzeria located along Turkey Lake Road in a shopping center next to Wal-Mart. Pizza by the slice in Central Florida's strip malls sometimes seems like a questionable food adventure to me, just because I'm afraid of the turnover of the pies. If the pizza available for slices seemed past it's prime, I was prepared to order a sandwich instead. Rocky's had lots of customers when I walked in around 2:45, so I figured I wouldn't be eating a slice from the same pie that was made earlier that morning and was siting around all day long and decided to order their lunch combo.

The lunch combo included two slices of pizza and a canned beverage. I'm glad I did go with the pizza rather than a sandwich because these were very good slices. This New York style pizza had a thin, slightly crispy crust. The cheese and sauce had nice, evenly spaced proportions. Nothing was dripping off the crust, nor was there a lack of crust coverage. The cheese was slightly salty and although the sauce wasn't a standout flavor, it added nicely to the overall pizza flavor. The outside crust was brushed with a garlic sauce which was a nice surprise when I got an extra bit of flavor that I wasn't initially expecting.

Based on my first experience at Rocky's Pizza, I think they may be near the top of my list of good New York style pizzas near International Drive.

Goodfella's Pizzeria in Orange City, FL

I had dinner one evening at Goodfella's Pizzeria in Orange City. I had heard good things for a very long time about their other location in Orlando, but never got a chance to give them a try. This newly opened location in Orange City seemed to be very popular. There was a half hour wait to eat when I arrived on a weeknight.

I split a pizza at Goodfella's. My half was topped with spinach and sausage while the other half was topped with meatball. Another pizza was ordered at the table that was half Hawaiian and half cheese. The overall consensus at the table was that the pizzas had potential, but were undercooked and were too heavy on the cheese. My toppings also made my half of the pie a bit soggy as well.

Being that I had heard good things about Goodfella's in the past, I'd consider giving their pizza another try. Perhaps after this location has been open a bit longer and on a day when they don't have a wait so pizzas aren't being rushed out of the oven. The pizza definitely did have potential, but the sogginess and overly doughy crust didn't quite meet that potential...

Pizzeria Del-Dio in Orlando, FL

I recently met with TastyChomps to go try some Italian food at Pizzeria Del-Dio in Orlando. Del-Dio was once located in Fern Park and I have some vague memories of trying them back then, but that location changed ownership. In the early days of this blog, I actually wrote about the Fern Park Del-Dio while they had the second owners. Their pizza wasn't the best with some issues with the crust/sauce/cheese ratios and they eventually closed. Del-Dio's original owners reopened in the back corner of a strip mall off of Colonial Drive in Orlando, facing the Executive Airport.

When I arrived at Pizzeria Del-Dio, our meal started with a meatball appetizer. This consisted of two large meatballs in sauce. These were nice and flavorful. The garlic flavor was very strong here.

Next, we split a pizza. We ordered half pepperoni and onion and half sausage and spinach.

This was a very good pie. The crust/sauce/cheese/topping ratios were done right and there seemed to be just the right amount of everything. The pepperoni & onion slices were good, but I preferred the sausage & spinach. The spinach was sauteed with garlic and the sausage was sliced as opposed to crumbled (better that way).

Our meal ended with a cannoli for dessert.

I enjoyed my meal at Pizzeria Del-Dio. They served some pretty tasty pizza. Now that I know where they're hidden, I'll be stopping here again for more pizza at some point...

Anthony's Pizzeria in Orlando, FL

Anthony's Pizzeria is located in Thorton Park, just a block away from Lake Eola. It may or may not be connected to any of the many other Anthony's in Orlando, depending on who you talk to. I've been here several times and I can't remember ever having anything besides pizza.

The pizza at Anthony's can be really inconsistent. Sometimes it is really good, yet other times the pizza is average to bad. I guess it all depends on who is cooking on the particular day and their pizza making skills. On my most recent visit, I stopped in for a slice after walking around Lake Eola and exploring some of the surrounding neighborhoods in Thornton Park. It was a good day at Anthony's. The pizza was nice and thin with a good sauce/cheese ratio. The slice was good sized, and most importantly, it tasted good!

Frank's Ristorante in Pompano Beach, FL

I was in Pompano Beach and wanted to get a quick slice of pizza for lunch. Frank's Ristorante was close to where I parked so I gave them a try. Frank's had several different traditional pies to choose from, but for some strange reason I decided to try a slice of their taco pizza. It wasn't my best pizza decision, with my end conclusion being that American cheese and lettuce definitely don't go on a slice of pizza. I won't be ordering taco pizza again any time soon...

Gino's Pizza & Brew in Orlando, FL

Gino's Pizza & Brew has a few locations within blocks of one another in Downtown Orlando (or had- I know a couple of the other Gino's have since closed). The biggest and original Gino's is located on Orange Avenue near Church Street. Gino's is open 24 hours so pizza for breakfast is always an option here. The employees here are very creepy most of the time and it always seems like there's something shady going on in the restaurant. They are overpriced too, but they're cheaper than the other nearby pizzerias in downtown. All that being said, Gino's does have some very tasty pizza (and free garlic knots). They are one of my favorite places to go for pizza by the slice since they always have a good selection of different pies.

On one visit to Gino's, I shared an 18" cheese pizza. The pizza was good, although I personally felt it could have been cooked a little longer for a crispier crust.

On another visit, I had the Tomato Bianca pizza. This sauceless pie was topped with sliced tomatoes and sprinkled with basil. Unlike the cheese pie on my previous visit, the crust was cooked to perfection this time around.

Update: While downtown on May 19, 2013, I noticed that Gino's has gone out of business. I think this was the last one in Orlando. This place has been in Orlando for as long as I can remember, but I guess their high prices and creepy employees finally caught up with them. According to the sign out front, a new restaurant called Gitto's is opening up in this location.

Brooklyn Boys Pizzeria in Boca Raton, FL

I went searching for a late night dinner upon arriving in Boca Raton on a recent evening. My initial idea of getting take-out Turkish food didn't go over well with the picky eater that I was bringing food back for, so Turkish food suddenly turned into pizza. I found myself at a restaurant called Brooklyn Boys Pizzeria and picked up a few slices to bring back. I love how most South Florida pizzerias serve good NY style pizza by the slice. It seems like just about every pizzeria you go into down there always has slices ready to go, and the slices always seem to have a really good turnover too.

Brooklyn Boys served some good pizza. Nice thin crust, good amount of cheese and sauce, and very tasty. The crust could have been a little crispier, but otherwise I have no complaints!

Joey's Supreme Pizza in Okeechobee, FL

Okeechobee. Located between Florida's biggest lake and miles of sugar farms to the south and endless cattle farms to the north, it's a pretty isolated town. The drive along 441 through this nothingness is a great ride, but there really isn't too much in terms of food along the way. That is, except for in Okeechobee. The last time I took the scenic route down south, I stopped for dinner in Downtown Okeechobee at a place called Joey's Supreme Pizza.

We started out with garlic knots at Joey's Supreme Pizza. These knots were way bigger than what most Italian restaurants serve when it comes to garlic knots. I unfortunately filled up on these so I didn't have much room left for the pizza! They tasted alright, although I thought they could have used less oil and more garlic.

I find Florida has far too much mediocre pizza, so I honestly wasn't expecting much for pizza in Okeechobee. When the pizza was delivered to the table, I was plesantly surprised. This pizza was a thin crusted NY style pie. It was cooked to perfection and had just the right amount of sauce and cheese. The sauce was a little too thick and pasty in spots for my liking, but otherwise I have no complaints. I love it when I find a totally unexpected good pizzeria!

Fellini's Pizza in Atlanta, GA

On a recent weekend in Atlanta, I had a late night dinner at Fellini's Pizza on Ponce De Leon Avenue. Fellini's is a local Atlanta chain and this particular location looked like it was inside of some sort of repurposed auto-repair place. We ordered at the counter and after much negotiation, it was decided that we would share a large Ham & Pineapple Pizza. Hawaiian pizzas are a funny thing. Pineapple and ham on pizza seems like a horrible combination, that is until you taste a slice of Hawaiian. Most people seem to have a strong opinion towards Hawaiians, but I was recently converted into a fan of pineapple on pizza, so I had no objections.

The pie wasn't bad, but also wasn't something I'd go out of my way to return for. It tasted okay, but the crust was doughy and seemed undercooked. There was also far too much cheese for the pie in my opinion. I never understood the reasoning when pizzerias double the amount of cheese on a pie when toppings are ordered. Why can't places like this give the standard amount of cheese with the toppings on top? Excess cheese shouldn't pool off the slice under it's own weight just because of some small pieces of fruit and meat...

Overall, I found the pizza to be very mediocre. But then again, Atlanta isn't a city famous for pizza so I suppose I can't expect too much. Fellini's Sicilian pies did look interesting though. They didn't have the typical look of a standard Sicilian, so perhaps I'll branch out and give one a try if I ever find myself in a Fellini's again...

Kelsey's Pizzeria in Port St John, FL

I took myself to Port Canaveral to get an up close view of a recent Delta IV rocket launch. The rocket went up right around dinner time, so it was a great excuse to try a new restaurant in the area. The winner for the night turned out to be Kelsey's Pizzeria in Port St. John.

If a restaurant is called pizzeria, perhaps I should have tried their pizza. Instead, I decided to get their version of Eggplant Parmesan. This dish consisted of breaded and fried eggplant rolled around ricotta cheese, topped with melted mozzarella and marinara sauce. The eggplant tasted good, although the eggplant slices still had skin which ended up being pretty chewy in spots. Also included in the price was a side salad, garlic bread, and a huge plate of spaghetti.

Overall, it was your average, middle of the road Italian food. Nothing creative or exceptional, but nothing bad either. The food was pretty much what I was expecting when I ordered...

And for those interested, here's my video of the rocket launch...

Cappello's Pizzeria in St. Cloud, FL

While traveling through St. Cloud, I realized it was time to eat. I spotted an Italian restaurant called Cappello's and pulled into the parking lot. As I exited the car, I was greeted with a great pizza odor emitting from the building. At that point, I immediately knew I'd be ordering a pizza for my meal. Before the pizza though, I had a garlic knot appetizer.

The pizza was served pretty soon after the knots. The crust was thicker than what I expect from a NY style pie and didn't have that foldability that most 'real' NY pizzas have. Instead of a super-thin crust, this thicker crust was light and airy and had a great texture. The cheese was nice and salty and released just the right amount of oil when cooked. What really pulled the pizza together was the sauce. It had a wonderful garlic flavor that permeated throughout the whole pie.

Initially, I saw the thicker crust on the pie and assumed that this would be one of those pizzerias that claim to serve NY style pizza, when in reality, their product is nowhere close when it comes to taste or structure. After all, St. Could isn't a town where I would expect to find good pizza. Once I tasted Cappello's pizza though, I realized I was wrong! I would rank this as one of the best pizzas I have had in a while!