Home Run Inn Frozen Pizza
Usually Pizza Expert shies away from having us review Frozen Pizza, but after I recently tried samples of Home Run Inn Frozen Pizza, that we were given as a perk on Klout, I had to take a few moments to review it for our readers. Like most times I review pizza here, I start off negatively thinking I will have a bad slice, since more often than not most slices (especially frozen pizza) suck. The pizza was free, the size looked puny, and I didn’t feel like waiting around 15 minutes for this micro sized pizza to finish cooking. So I was thinking the worst.
The tiny box that these Home Run Inn Pizzas are a great indication just how small this pizza would be. If I was in the super market I probably wouldn’t even notice them. When I removed the pizza from the box, I wondered if one would be enough or if two would be better since I am a grown boy. Before you read on, you should know, looks are deceiving. I really enjoyed this pizza!
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Junior’s Pizza Boynton Beach, FL
Went to Junior’s Pizza in Boynton Beach the other night to try out what some have written in and described as some of the best pizza in Boynton Beach. There isn’t a ton of competition in Boynton Beach when it comes to good pizza, so it was believable that a place could be crowned the best. Our friends also told us that Junior’s Pizza was the best they had in Boynton Beach after they heard we were going as well, so I really thought I was about to embark on a rather excellent pizza journey.
Even though I had driven up this part of Congress in Boynton Beach dozens of times, I never even noticed Junior’s Pizza in the background. Meanwhile it is right there in the shopping center behind Doc’s Burgers. I must have had my blinders on previously. We walked into a very understated Junior’s Pizza and found a seat in the area to the left of the place where the booths were. We didn’t know whether to order at the counter or just seat ourselves, so we sat down and hoped someone would notice us, or ideally, they would just let me order from the counter and bring it back to the table myself.
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OIP Original Italian Pizza Boca Raton, FL
On a dead back street just east of Federal Highway in Boca Raton sits a pizza location that can never seem to stay in business. We have seen several pizza places make a valiant attempt to remain open on SE 1st ave here, but since there is no signage on Federal Highway, and since the location is not so close to walk to from the buildings on Palmetto, outside of delivery it is hard to attract people to come. This didn’t stop OIP Original Italian Pizza from opening at this spot in Boca Raton. Prior to OIP Original Italian Pizza, it was Fatso’s Pizza, and Amato’s Pizza (which was good) and I forget the previous names before them.
Andy and I decided to go try it out since neither of us had been there before, and both wanted the taste of something new around town. Not much had changed inside OIP since the new owners bought the location about 5-6 months ago. One of my favorite things about the previous pizza owners in this location was that none of them made me go through the stupid, moronic process of having a server bring me my pizza slices. Luckily enough Original Italian Pizza chose to continue with this policy.
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Sal’s Pizza Deerfield Beach, FL
Didn’t have much time the other day to be picky about where lunch should be eaten, since the people I was with only had an hour. We happened to be off 10th Street in Deerfield Beach and as we drove towards the west we pulled into a shopping plaza that had a Sal’s Pizza in it. Sal’s is a local chain around this portion of South Florida, for those of you who do not know. Seems like every Sal’s Pizza claims they are different than the others, at least that is what the people I was eating with said the lady who drops off the menus to their office always says.
We entered Sal’s Pizza in Deerfield Beach and it looked like all the others, so I am not sure how she could claim they are different, but whatever. I wasn’t here for the ambiance, I was here for the pizza. Since, none of us wanted a whole pie, we took advantage of some of the lunch specials Sal’s has. One of them has a slice that comes with it, so it was a perfect chance for me to try a piece of their pizza out.
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San Marzano Pizza Merrick, NY
Although I have posted many reviews since the last pizza tour we did on the South Shore of Long Island, it is time to catch up. Our next stop brought us to San Marzano Pizza in Merrick. I have always liked the town of Merrick and San Marzano sits at the corner of Benson and Merrick Ave. right in the heart of the town.We were surprised to find a Wood Oven Pizzeria located in a town like this, since most of the places around here are your typical mom and pop pizza joints.
Upon walking into San Marzano Pizza, the delicious smell hit us immediately. It reminded me of the scent that Tucci’s Pizza has in Boca Raton. It is delightful and alluring, like the smoke out of the oven turns into a finger and motions you to come on in.
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Mizner Plaza Pizzeria Boca Raton, FL
Across the South entrance to Mizner Park in Boca Raton lies a strip mall that has seen plenty of businesses come and go. At the eastern end of the plaza in a corner that is very hard to see, lies a new pizza place called Mizner Pizzeria. Mizner Pizzeria in Boca Raton took the place of Jonathan’s Corner which seemed to be put up for sale, soon after opening. After our first dining experience there, it was quite evident that Jonathan’s didn’t really have the pizza prowess necessary to remain opened for long.
People sent in emails soon after Jonathan’s Corner opened to advise me that the location was for sale. My normal reaction to those that were interested and were looking for advice was that the location seemed doomed, since nothing lasts there, and no matter how good you are, some locations are empty or for sale for a reason.
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Vince’s Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria Pizza Renton, WA
I’ve had awfully “good luck” ordering from d-dish.com in Portland, one of those restaurant home delivery marketing companies. Delivered Dish signs up restaurants, supplies backend ordering/menu software, and arranges delivery of restaurant menu items direct to your house for a small fee. They aren’t the only ones or the creators of the concept, but they do a pretty good job at it as far as I am concerned.
Most large cities have a similar service, and on a business trip to suburban Seattle recently, I checked out their version, 2 Go Services. I don’t know if there is any relationship between the Portland and Seattle outfits, but they do use the same “backend” and your sign-on will work with either service.
In Seattle, we tried our luck with Vince’s Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria Pizza Renton, WA, a 50 year-old Italian restaurant and pizzeria.
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Oro Pomodoro Pizza Rockville, MD
Just across from the library at Rockville’s busy “Town Center”, you’ll find “Oro Pomodoro”. This place prides itself on serving authentic Italian food including Maryland’s first VPN (Verace Pizza Napoletana) certified pizza. On the surface, it sounds right with San Marzano tomatoes, caputo flour, and buffalo mozzarella baked in a 900 degree wood fired brick oven. The taste, however, doesn’t match these high expectations. In fact, I would only rank Oro Pomodoro to be the 3rd best pizza in Rockville (Pizza CS, Matchbox)
One clue as to how this pizza doesn’t reach VPN expectations comes from it’s disregard for basil on the Margharita pizza. The sauce and cheese were perfectly proportioned, but unlike their website photos showing basil over half the pizza, mine had only a single small leaf. The crust was another area of concern as it was closer to a fast food textured crust than a brick oven one. Once again, the ingredients were right but the preparation and proportionality were not up to VPN quality.
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Cherrywood Pizza Wantagh, Long Island
During the previous excursion throughout the South Shore of Long Island, we ended up in Wantagh, trying out Cherrywood Pizza, which I have received many emails about. Many said it was one of the best pizza places in Long Island, so I had to try for myself. Each time I go back to where I was raised, which happens to be Long Island, I am finding it more difficult to trust people when they say “you have to try xxxxx since it is the best pizza in Long Island“.
What I have discovered is that every single pizza loving person thinks the pizza in their neighborhood is the best, and will almost physically fight you over it. It would be sacrilegious to even think that the pizza in the adjoining town could be better than the one served at your local pizzeria. This type of view is understandable, since you always love and remember the pizza places from your childhood, which you ate all the time and naturally thought were better than the rest.
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Assaggio del Forno Boca Raton Florida
ASSAGGIO DEL FORNO HAS CLOSED!!
So another restaurant has decided to try to succeed in the Regency Shops by Woodfield Country Club. Assaggio del Forno recently finished their build out and opened their doors to the public, at least that is what it seemed. We will get to that in a bit. Anyways, many places before Assaggio del Forno tried to survive with the discriminating clientele that tends to frequent the establishments in the Regency Shops. If you haven’t been shopping in this part of Boca Raton, in the Regency Shops, it might be worth visiting just to see how much plastic surgery could be found in one shopping center.
Once I saw the signs up for Assaggio del Forno, which is a new casual dining restaurant that will serve Neapolitan pizzas with some “artisanal” flare, as well as other Italian dishes that can be described with some chic trendy terms, I was excited to go in and try it. This was the latest restaurant to open around here from restauranteur Dennis Max.
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