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.

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!

Rotolo's Pizza, [1749 W. 5th Ave, Columbus OH]

Hype: All kinds of people talk this pizza up like its the fucking president or something. Anyway, we had to pick Jesse up from work because he got hit by an immigrant and his car was totaled so we were out on that end of town already. Dave asked if the pizza was ordered once every 2-3 minutes. WE WERE HUNGRY.

Scene: Mostly just a carry-out place. This is for on-the-go south Arlington, Grandview people that probably work a lot. Not much to say, soda cooler on one wall and a few chairs. Photos of the tradition on the wall: that's respectable.
The Pie
Crust- This crust is well-done, but not overcooked. Party-sized strips stay firm when held at the edges. Good crispness, but not saltined like Tommy's on Lane Ave. Very nice
Sauce- Here is the problem; it was not evenly distributed on the pie. It is traditional Columbus sauce: sweet with good doses of oregano, only on one side. Bummer.
Cheese- Very flavorful and tons of it. This was the highlight of the pizza. I don't remember this from previous outings to Rotolos. CHEESE LOVERS PIE!
Peps- Quarter-sized, thick-cut, a little cupping. Even the ones that were covered in tons of cheese had a good flavor. Plenty of 'em too.

Overall: This pie was a pleasant surprise and WE WERE SUPER HUNGRY. Dare I say this was a 5 out of 5 pie shop? Well it was yesterday. YES!

***Their theme song rules too!! Hear it here!

Dewey's Pizza (W. 5th Ave, Grandview 614-487-8282)

Hype: People have been telling us all about this place.  We've heard it was awesome, bad, expensive--all kinds of stuff.  We just had to slay this pie!!!!!!!!

Scene: It looked kinda like a fancy yuppified

 microbrew-serving bar/restaurant, but it wasn't too bad because you could see the guy hand tossing the crusts.  Lots of young girls working there, which could be a blessing or a curse.  The menu was filled with really fancy "gourmet" pizza combinations that I can't even remember but we aren't gay so we just got a 17" pepperoni.

PIZZA TIME!

Crust- New York Style Pizza!  Foldable, hand tossed, chewy, but slightly underdone.  A little crispness on the outside with a chewy crust would have made this crust perfect, rather than near-perfect.

Sauce- This was the highlight of the pie.  Sweet, strong oregano, small bits of tomato and all good.

Cheese- Nicely added, good flavor and highlighted the sauce well.

Peps- Low point of the pie.  Not bad at all though.  Thin and not very flavorful.  Maybe they spend too much time worrying about the prosciutto and artichokes.    

Overall: Great addition to the Columbus pizza scene.  This is a welcome alternative to Ohio-style shops that are all over the northwest end of town.  You should stop by!  As for price, not too bad.  The only reason it was too expensive when your parents took you there is the expensive pizza you ordered.  Our pep was normally priced.  STRONG 4 out of 5 pies!!!!!

***Party boyz: They serve beer.

Dewey's Website

Panzera's Pizza (1354 Grandview Ave., Columbus,OH, 43212)

Hype: Everyone seems to like this place. Ate here several years ago but never really with a pizza critical view in mind.

Scene: Nice patio to enjoy your pie on while catching a nice breeze, tho there's no place to eat inside. What does one do in the winter when they want to eat their pie fresh from the oven? hmmm. something to consider. This place could not be reviewed when its cold outside.

The Pie:

Crust: Damn solid. Chewy, firm, not burnt in the least.
Sauce: Great and tangy, seasoned well with some definite oregano flavoring going on.
Cheese: Decent. Not enough though. Biggest complaint of this pie was that it could have used some more cheese on top.
Peps: Oh yeah, this was the high point of the slaying. Flavorful with hints of grease, but not too much. They curled up nicely on the pie, given a nice aesthetic value to the presentation.

Overall: Good stuff here. 4 out of 5 pies. A strong 4 at that.