DiRosato's Pizza and Pasta

3869 Lyell Road, Gates
Visited July 19, 2011
Written by Tyler



Believe me, we are well aware that just about every restaurant we visit falls in the ‘B’ grade range. One evening, Drew and I set out to find a bad restaurant.

We couldn’t find a place that looked comfortably sketchy enough (if that makes sense) in Gates, so we settled for what we figured would be a decent meal at DiRosato’s, on the corner of Lyell and Elmgrove roads.

I hadn’t been to DiRosato’s in about eight years, and noticed a lot of changes to the inside of the restaurant since. It no longer had sort of a sports-bar feel it had last time I visited, but now seemed like a typical dine-in pizza place with some semblance of a bar on the other half, as well as some outdoor seating.

We walked in expecting to order at the counter like at a normal pizza place, but it turns out this is supposed to be a sit-down restaurant with table service, so we took a seat to be waited on.

After perusing the extensive menu, I decided on a Buffalo chicken sandwich and a slice of pizza, while Drew opted for a grilled chicken calzone with a side of potato wedges. Much to Drew’s dismay, they were out of potato wedges and he had to settle for curly fries.

My slice and his fries were first to arrive. I was impressed by the pizza’s appearance, and it had a decent crust-cheese-sauce ratio. The cheese was alright, and the sauce didn’t really have any kick to it. The combination of those two was decent, but the crust was the best part.

It was thick and doughy in most spots, but had a nice crisp on the bottom and on the edge. Overall it wasn’t spectacular, but it was good and I’d definitely stop by and order it again.

Drew’s fries were predictably generic and seemed to have more batter than potato. He was also disappointed that the waitress never brought out his ketchup until he was almost done.

Which brings up my next point, the service was kind of awkward. Like I said, we walked in not expecting to be seated and waited on, and when we were it was a bit slow considering there were only two other tables occupied. To the staff’s credit it was friendly and helpful, just a little slow.

Anyway, I was impressed by my sandwich when it came out. It was the perfect size and came on Martusciello’s bread, which always equals bonus points. The chicken tasted good and looked like some effort went in to preparing it. The sandwich tasted good overall, but was maybe just a tad dry for my liking.

I thought Drew’s calzone looked really good – with a doughy exterior – but he said he’s had better. It had a lot more cheese (mozzarella and ricotta) than chicken, and was pretty dark – almost burnt in a few spots – on the bottom.

Drew said the chicken was nice and juicy, but he wasn’t thrilled about the dark bottom crust. He also wanted a mild Buffalo sauce with the chicken, but it instead came on the side. I got to sample some of the crust and thought it was good, but the calzone could have used more chicken and less cheese.

Drew took a huge peanut butter cookie for the road and enjoyed it, saying it was very soft and filling. I didn’t try any, but it looked really good – as did the few other cookies at the register.

Overall DiRosato’s fell in the ‘B’ range, as expected. It could have been better, if not for the awkward service, atmosphere and a few flaws with our orders.

It’s hard to tell what type of restaurant DiRosato’s is trying to be. On one hand it looks like a typical pizza place, but it’s also working on becoming sort of a bar and a family restaurant at the same time – adding to the overall awkwardness.

However, the food was pretty good. The sandwich, pizza and calzone all had features that made them somewhat unique from similar items at comparable restaurants.

DiRosato’s also offers several pastas, plus typical grilled and fried items, subs, wings, wraps, salads and tacos.

While we wouldn’t make a trip out to Gates (or the supposed second location in Greece) specifically for DiRoasto’s, we would definitely stop by if we’re in the area.

Ratings

Service/Atmosphere: Awkward.

Food: I really liked the crust on the pizza and calzone, enjoyed my sandwich and thought there were a lot of intriguing choices on the menu.

Value: I don’t have the prices of the top of my head, but they were very reasonable and the portions were decent.

Overall: The restaurant seems to be in some sort of identity crisis, and the service and atmosphere are kind of awkward. A few things held DiRosato’s from meeting its potential, but as it is the food is good and comes at a good value.

Grade: B-

Marvin Mozzeroni's

39 North Main Street, Brockport
Visited Feb. 27 and March 6, 2011
Written by Drew



It has been my mission this year to try as many different places out here in Brockport as I can. With my second semester halfway through, a few restaurants remain on my “must have” list.

Now that NASCAR is back in season, My roommate Josh and I have been watching the races on Sunday afternoons. By the time a race is over with, it is around 6:30 in the evening. We have decided in the last few weeks to head in to town and enjoy a nice meal before we go back and do our homework for the next day. I honestly never thought of Marvin Mozzeroni’s as an option until Josh recently mentioned it. Looking back, I am glad he suggested it.

Josh and I went into Mozzeroni’s with absolutely no idea of what we wanted. After about 10 minutes of looking at the menu, I decided I was going to try a calzone, opting for a Buffalo Chicken ‘Zone.

Since the start if the school year, everyone has bragged about the quality of the calzones that come out of competitor Calzonies. After a few bad calzones from there (coming up in a future post), I have wanted to look elsewhere to fulfill my calzone desire. Guess what… I found it.

Marvin’s Buffalo Chicken ‘Zone was one of the best calzones I have ever eaten in my whole life. It was a mixture of the price, size, quality, and atmosphere that made my meal such a good experience.

The insides of the calzone consisted of cubes of chicken fingers shaken in Buffalo mild sauce, with mozzarella, cheddar and ricotta cheeses, but the outside of the calzone was even better than the inside.

The dough was perfectly cooked on the outer layers, and became more and doughier as you make your way into the center. The bottoms were crisp and had a nice texture.

My Buffalo Chicken ‘Zone came with a side of bleu cheese and two sides of mild Buffalo sauce. I used up the whole cup of blue cheese, but didn’t even bother putting more wing sauce on it because it already had the perfect kick to it.

I was hesitant about ordering the calzone with the ricotta in it, because I’m not a big fan of ricotta, but a last-minute decision to get the ricotta turned out to be a good thing, because it complimented the Buffalo sauce well.

Another thing I thoroughly enjoyed was how well everything stayed inside the calzone, and how clean it was to eat. I ended up cutting my calzone in half to make it easier to eat, and all the insides stayed on the inside. This made my experience much more pleasant.

Josh also ordered a calzone, the Marvin’s Chicken Finger ‘Zone, without the Romano cheese. This calzone consists of chicken finger strips, mozzarella and ricotta cheese, all smothered in pizza sauce with a side of bleu cheese. When I asked josh how it was, he simply responded, “Amazing.”

After both of us finished our calzones, we sat there for a good 10-15 minutes watching TV. That is yet another thing that made our experience there so amazing: the large-screen flat-panel television. We were able to change the channel to whatever we wanted while we were there, which made it feel like we were home.

Marvin Mozzeroni’s website is: www.whatareyouhungryfor.com. This implies that they will pretty much make any of their dishes custom to how you would like them, which I experienced this on our return visit.

I ordered another Buffalo Chicken ‘Zone, but instead of getting the Buffalo sauce, I asked for sweet and sour sauce. The guy who took our order said, “No problem.”

I ate the whole ‘Zone, however I would say it wasn’t as good as the first mainly because it just lacked the kick that the Buffalo Chicken ‘Zone had. They will make anything custom to how you want it, but I suggest just sticking to their menu for the best combinations of tastes.

On our second trip, we also felt it was necessary to sample some pizza so I could write this review. Josh ordered a personal-sized cheese pizza. He compared Marvin’s pizza to that of Main Street Pizza, which we have called the best pizza in Brockport. He also mentioned that he “liked the pizza part.” After I made fun of him a little bit, he clarified himself and mentioned how he was a little disappointed when it came to the crust of the pizza.

I also ordered a personal-sized pizza – cheese and pepperoni to be exact. I shared the same opinion as Josh did, adding the taste and quantity of pepperoni was similar to that of Main Street’s.

Mozzeroni’s has four other locations, including one on the west side at 534 Lake Avenue in the city, just north of downtown. Another noteworthy item is the $5 Lunch Special, with 14 different options, offered weekdays from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

The menu includes five different sizes of pizza, 26 different calzone fillings/pizza toppings, and several specialty pizzas, subs, seafood dinners, pastas, salads, wraps, quesadillas, various sides and fryer items.

Both times we went to Marvin Mozzeroni’s, we had some of the best service anyone could ask for. I can see us going back several of times before the semester wraps up.

Ratings:

Service/Atmosphere: Love the fact I can just take the remote control off the counter and turn on ESPN. Also the service behind the counter has to be some of the friendliest RWG has come across.

Food: Really good calzones –arguably the best in Brockport – and serviceable pizza, with an extensive menu we’ve barely tapped in to.

Value: The prices were a little higher than those of other typical college-town places, but the products are definitely worth every penny.

Overall: Without a doubt, I will be returning to Mozzeroni’s in the near future.

Grade: B+

Crosby's (formerly K&K Food Mart)

1228 Hilton-Parma Corners Road, Parma
Written by Tyler

Gas stations aren’t typically the most picturesque places to sit down and enjoy a bite, but they’re usually good for cheap bites on the go.

It would be unfair for grading such a place on atmosphere and service (for food), not to mention it’s a relatively extensive chain, so we will refrain from giving a grade in this situation. But, we will throw a suggestion out there if you’re ever in the Hilton/Parma area and need to grab something quickly, and perhaps share it with a friend or two.

Crosby’s, formerly K&K Food Mart, on the corner of Parma Center Road and Route 259, is a Sunoco station with a food mart/convenience store inside.

They do have a typical pizza-joint menu, including fresh pizza (as opposed to gas stations with only a few slices sitting in a warmer all day), wings, fried foods, subs and more, but it’s the calzones that having us fueling up on food at Crosby’s, rather than gas.

It’s more so just a folded over, or “stuffed” pizza, rather than a typical calzone, which often has multiple types of cheese, sauce on the side and is personal sized. Crosby’s/K&K’s “Family Size Calzone” ($8.99) is the size of a large pizza, folded over.

If you are a fan of traditional calzones or thin-crust pizza, this may not exactly satisfy your cravings, but if you’re a fan of doughy pizza and crust, like me, this is right up your alley.

The traditional pepperoni calzone from this location isn’t too heavy on the cheese, and actually includes about an equal sauce to cheese ratio, which I much prefer. It’s a bit greasy, but the crust and sauce, along with a fairly liberal amount of pepperoni, make this calzone satisfying.
They also offer ham & cheese, sausage, roast beef and meatball, and perhaps more at other locations, but the one we keep going back for is the bossy chicken.

The bossy chicken calzone includes chunks of chicken tenders covered in Boss Sauce and a steady (though thankfully not overwhelming) supply of mozzarella. The sweetness on the sauce covering the chicken is the perfect complement to the doughy crust, in our opinion.

K&K and Crosby’s have over 30 locations throughout upstate New York and northwestern Pennsylvania, including ones in Hamlin, Brockport, Clarkson, Kendall and Holley, among others. We haven’t been to any other locations, so we aren’t sure if the calzones are the same at each one, though we imagine they are quite similar.

This may not be more than folded pizza or gas station food to some – some might not even consider it a real calzone – but it’s a calzone as we know it, and it’s a rather frequent meal for us.