Rivermont Pizza Lynchburg, Virginia
Every time I've walked into Rivermont Pizza, I'm greeted by the fantastic vibe it gives off. It's small and rustic feeling, nothing fancy, but very functional. The selection of beer is one of the best I've encountered - always lots of great locally brewed choices and never a let down. Up until this last visit, that was the only reason I went there. Despite the name, I've always been leery of places that pass themselves off as a proper bar and eatery - see the review of The Lodge in Boca - big time pizza fail.
I went into this review with zero expectations. I expected a soggy, greasy pie that had to be folded in half to make it to my mouth, instead, what I got was a pleasant surprise. I ordered the Margherita and when it arrived I immediately sized it up - the cheese looked as if it had been cooked well, just the slightest golden brown markings on it, the amount of sauce didn't look excessive, but the crust did look a bit underdone. As I peeked under a slice and looked at the bottom of the pizza, my suspicions about the crust were confirmed - definitely not a crispy, thin crust. I expected to lift it up and watch it flop worse than an Eddie Murphy movie. To my utter surprise when I lifted a slice, the crust held. Magical...Isaac Newton be damned. I bit into it, and again, not crispy at all, just a soft, thin crust. I'd almost bank on the fact that the oven wasn't hot enough...unfortunately this is an all too common problem among pizza joints.
I did say I was pleasantly surprised, so back to the rest of the pizza. The sauce had just the slightest hint of sweetness which was well balanced with the acidity...and just the right amount spread onto the pie. The cheese, as I mentioned, was cooked perfectly, flavorful, and as chewy as any good mozzarella should be on a pizza. The basil was shredded and tossed on top of it all and added a refreshing element to it all. All on top of this strangely durable, yet undercooked crust. Why, oh why, couldn't it have been crispy?
Overall, it was a good pizza. It could have been a great pizza, but the crust really brought this one down from delicious to average. It's cooked in a wood fired oven and boosting the temperature is a simple fix that could really make this pizza the best in Lynchburg and a solid contender on Worst Pizza.
For a solid pizza in need of a little extra heat, I give Rivermont Pizza in Lynchburg, Virginia 5 out of 8 slices.