On July 6, for the Great Pizza Search (GPS) #8, I decided to do the Durty Bikes Gravel Series #2 – Bennington, NY Race (Strava Link). It was a very hot, hilly, and grueling bike race for me. Riding virtual races on real courses without other competitors is very mentally taxing. And as the first series’ race, I rewarded myself with pizza. However, I did not bike to Main Street Pizza Company in Batavia, NY as my GPS “rules” state.
Although Main Street Pizza’s website lacked an “About Me” area, I liked that the Google reviews were high (4.5 is high for Google), and that there was a picture of a guy flipping dough on the website homepage who looked like he could be a relative! So, I thought “let’s give it a try.”
We had driven past Main Street Pizza on the way to the race site and noticed it’s cool exterior; brick, narrow, and long and in a city!
Frankly, I was pretty excited to see what was in store because this could be the first pizza “joint” that we’ve had the pleasure to visit (I promise more of a description, and pictures, of what my mind’s eye sees when I say pizza joint in another post.
Given the exterior’s promise, walking inside was a real treat! IT WAS A JOINT. The key term is WAS.
The interior had rows of booths along one side and tables along the other and in the center. Unfortunately, the counter was on the side and not in the back as my mind’s eye pictures.
But that was not the problem! The person that waited on us sneezed several times while taking our order, then grabbing my credit card! Granted, he had on a paper mask (not as good as cloth) and the store had smartly installed plexiglass between the cash register and customers. BUT STILL – MULTIPLE SNEEZES!
Given my review of the pizza, this sneezing has prevented this pizza from being GREAT.
We ordered two slices. Only salame (pepperoni in the US) was available in slices even though we prefer Margarita.
The slices were ample, but they were also the most expensive on our journey at $3 each (as opposed to $2 or so at others). It cost us $8.50 for the slices and a Cherry Pepsi (no sugar).
The slices really looked good with only slight greasing on the box. I couldn’t wait to taste!
The crust was thin”ish” – not as thin as a Neapolitan, but not thick like a Sicilian.
The dough was also a little wet & heavy with little puff or bubbles entrapped in it. It might have been a little under cooked in the center due to the wetness.
But, the crust taste was very good! It also had a nice crisp to it especially near the cornicione (the perimeter crust). I learned that term from watching YouTube videos of a new pizza hero, Scott Weiner. I’d gone 60+ years of American-Italian living without knowing that word!
And the sauce – OH MY, THE SAUCE! Rich and tangy with a little bit of sweetness. There was an ample amount of sauce without it dripping off.
Now the final verdict, “was it great?” The pizza tastes great; but it takes more than great tasting pizza to make a great experience…sneeze, sneeze, cough, cough! Also, “would I go here again?” YES!
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