#plain pie

Paul has been telling me to check out Riko’s for months now and on a recent trip to Long Island I had the chance to stop on my way to Massapequa. I made sure to not eat a lot earlier in the day since I knew Riko’s was a pie only place so I went in hungry for some slices. I know LI likes to jack up their prices so I was pleasantly surprised to only be spending $11 on a pretty big personal pie. I was able to finish all 6 slices, but would have been more than content with 4.

I went for the hot oil pizza (Paul’s recommendation) which is Riko’s claim to fame. It’s a plain pie made with spicy oil and a stinger pepper in the middle. I had mixed feelings about the hot oil. While it did have a nice kick, it was not distributed very well, leaving some bites with no spice and others with way too much. Honestly I might have preferred a plain pie because the cheese and sauce were great! Thin crust with a nice layer of cheese and that light, unseasoned sauce that I love. I would like to return eventually to try some other items, I hear they have a dope hot oil hot dog....

                                       this one’s from Paul’s visit!

I saw Chimney Rock Inn getting some hype online from people claiming it to be among the best pizza in Central Jersey and, seeing how I work just a town over, decided it was a must-try. First off, I am always a little put off by these full pie only places.They always seem to get way overhyped online and turn out to be average pizza that's overpriced and not really unique at all. Chimney Rock unfortunately met the stereotype. While it was good, nothing truly stood out for me. Cheese was fine. Sauce was pretty generic tasting but again fine. The crust stood out a little more because of how soft it was and how it just pulled apart when I bit it, but then it got all crackery and crumbly at the end and so that was just fine too. At $13 for a small pie (that I was able to finish on my own just barely) I can't say it was worth the hype.

I recently saw Barstool Sports list of the best pizzerias in NJ and had some time to kill, so I decided to visit Princeton Record Exchange and check out a Princeton spot from the list - Conte's. Let's just say, I have no idea why this place made the list. First off, what a ripoff. I paid $15.50 for a small plain pie, and it wasn't even good! Nothing had any flavor to it. It was like I was eating dense, stretchy cheese with no flavor on top of crackery crust. It was pretty filling, but maybe that was just because I was sick of eating what tasted like nothing. This is just further proof that Barstool's reviews are whack. Don't waste your time.

A pie Paul got from a different Mamma Mia’s than I go to, but from the looks of it this one might be better! He said the accompanying calzone got a 4/6.

A couple months ago I noticed that Pizza Station, a spot that’s been around for as long as I could remember, looked permanently closed. Thankfully, this wasn’t the case for long, and the location has since reopened as Mamma Mia’s Too and it’s pretty good!

Mamma Mia’s still does a Wednesday night large cheese pie special for $9, so we decided to give it a shot for Wednesday night dinner. The first thing I noticed when I went was that they finally have a decent selection of specialty slices! But more on those in a separate post as right now we are focusing on the plain. First off, I absolutely loved the crust. It was the perfect balance of thin and crispy. The cheese was good too, but the sauce did get me at first as it was a little more seasoned than I generally enjoy. Also, while I do love me some thin crust, I was able to house like 4 and a half slices, so just be aware that two might not be enough if you’re really hungry! Mamma Mia’s Too is definitely worth a shot, especially for $9 on a Wednesday. I have a feeling my review might go up to a 5 at some point.