Pizza Review
Roma is the second oldest pizzeria in Westchester with a claimed establishment date of 1931, but likely starting in 1929. That's almost as old as Johnny's in Mount Vernon, who underestimates their establishment date by a couple decades (it's really 1922 not 1942). I got the Roma grandpa pie, which was an off menu version of their plain for decades until they put it on menu a few years ago. It has pecorino romano, garlic olive oil, sauce on top, and mozzarella. It's tasty. This is totally the pie for folks who like a really thin, crispy, crunchy type crust. But with more flavor with the added garlic oil and sheepy pecorino romano. It think sauce of top also makes for a more flavorful pie and a great distribution of sauce to cheese. No flop on any slice, well done on the bottom, it doesn't look great in the picture because it's dimly lit. But this is a must try pizza in Westchester. Best way to describe the crust is somewhere between Johnny's in Mount Vernon (but not as crispy) and a more typical slice joint pizza but crunchy instead of chewy.
Pizza Review
🍕HISTORIC PIZZA ALERT🍕 Founded all the way back in 1931 by George Tavolilla, Roma is now run by his grandsons Michael & John Tavolilla who still serve their signature thin crust brick oven pizza with exceptionally crispy texture & exquisite crunch. The dough is terrifically thin with a beautifully blackened & crisped undercarriage to go along with a phenomenally crunchy & thin crust. Tasty & firm, the dough provides an incredible canvas for the other ingredients. Fairly tight & modestly rigid in some areas, the shredded mozzarella cheese blend still maintains a moderately melty & relatively creamy consistency to go along with a rather pungent & sharp taste. However, the flow & flavor are interrupted by a substantial amount of excess oil, infiltrating the mozz & rendering a slightly salty taste. Since the pie is so thin, the significant volume of grease disrupts the balance of flavors among the ingredients. While the cheese blend isn’t bad, I feel like a fresh mozzarella would yield way less oil & be more compatible & complimentary to the texture of the dough. Light & subdued, the sauce also takes a backseat to the crispness of the dough & doesn’t shine as brightly as I had hoped. Possibly compromised by the grease flow, the sauce doesn’t pack as much punch & pizzazz as I’d prefer, with the seasoning falling a little short. Subtly sweet & mildly tangy, the sauce may just need a slight boost in volume to combat the saltiness from the extra oil & make its presence felt. A sweeter or spicier sauce would light this pie up like a Christmas tree, rocketing the score into the 8s easily. As it stands, this pizza is carried by its otherworldly texture. I respect the history & old school charm of this joint; but the cheese & sauce need to get on the same level as the dough in this classic battle of texture vs taste.
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