Originally opened in 1991 in White Plains, NY by brothers Joe, Mike & Frank Rocco, Planet Pizza now has 8 locations throughout Connecticut, including this spot in Greenwich, which I was told is much better than the Stamford shop. After trying both, I can concur that this Greenwich pizzeria is markedly better than Stamford, like night & day. The biggest difference is in the dough, which is made from flour milled from Kansas spring wheat in a Hobart mixer, surprisingly delicious & firm, with zero flop, possessing shockingly decent char & crisp, particularly in the crust which actually has a New Haven-like crunch. The dough really has a coal oven feel & taste, even though it’s not, like a hybrid New York pizza with New Haven qualities. The cheese is pleasantly pungent & marvelously melty consisting of 100% whole milk Wisconsin mozzarella aged 28 days minimum, providing a somewhat silky smooth & moderately creamy consistency, also delightfully delectable. The crux of the problem with this pie is the dearth of sauce. Made from California tomatoes, the flavor is barely detectable, mildly sweet, but basically MIA. Lacking volume & substantial seasoning, this pizza is completely undersauced; there isn’t even much grease getting in the way, leaving this pie high & dry. While the dough & cheese are fantastic, the meager amount of sauce sinks the overall score, keeping the rating out of the 7s. The pockets of air bubbles would delight Portnoy; but they’re just flavorless bland spots atop the pie. This had all the makings of an upset score; but in the end, this is a semi-sexy looking pizza that ultimately leaves you flat. Though much better than the Stamford Planet Pizza, this is still a rather disappointing standard chain football pizza with potential to rate much higher pending on the amount of sauce they incorporate.
