Another BS List
As we finished our state park trip (where we ran into a bear while trail hiking), we drove east to visit a Medici art exhibit at the Rollins College Museum of Art which is just northeast of Orlando (where we didn’t see a bear, nor a funky eared mouse, nor Wally World).
After the exhibit, as per normal, I wanted pizza and consulted “The 25 Best Pizzas in Florida” list once again. Even though this list failed us in Mt. Dora, I hoped that the list might help us find a pizza on the north side of Orlando. I zeroed in on Pizza Bruno. We chose the Curry Ford Road location since it advertised Neapolitan pizza.
Incidentally, Pizza Bruno is also listed on the “The 101 Best Pizzas in America” listing. This is another BS list, there is a “Methodology” section which includes more BS but no true detail on their selection process!
At least if you consult my list (click here) you will know that I purchased, tasted, and wrote about each one myself (119 in total in 4 years, 38 in 2023!).
Nebalatan Word of the Day – Schiatta/schiat
Another word that would frequent the lips of my mother (Grandma Joanne) is schiat (pronounced – ski-ott) or schiatta (pronounced – ski-ott-taa).
Once again, referring to the Neapolitan Curse and Swear Words and Phrases (English Version) video from YouTube:
At minute 6:26: you’ll see and hear, “This is a curse word [Schiatta, is} said to tell someone to go and die in a cruel and violent way.”
Most of the time, Ma used “schiat” as a way to say “you go” in a similar way that others might say andiamo which Ma didn’t use. Or, sometimes, when in the proper mood, it would mean “go to hell” although she had much more colorful and strong ways to say that!
Pizza Review – Pizza Bruno, Orlando, FL
| Date | December 5, 2023 |
| Pizzeria | Pizza Bruno |
| City/Neighborhood | Orlando, FL (Curry Ford Road, northeast Orlando) |
| Website | https://www.pizzabrunofl.com/ |
| About Us | https://www.pizzabrunofl.com/about-us/ Good story – makes me believe that this guy is in it for the long haul and wants to do it right. |
| Style | Neapolitan – ish, Crispy style so also a little Jersey style |
| Ambiance | Restaurant – Bar in Strip Mall Store Front with an eclectic mix of music ranging from country to oldies, and rock music. Does not scream great Neapolitan pizza! Service prompt and friendly. Delivering a nice free olive salad when seated with extra hot Calabrian chili. She explained how Pizza Bruno’s style of Neapolitan was different including using less sauce. We ordered a draft, a red wine, kale salad, and a Margarita with Pepperoni. Great kale salad, fresh chopped, raisins and walnuts and a tremendous Ceasar style dressing. Great start! Adding to the ambiance, after our meal, I was permitted to talk with the pizzaiolo for a long while. |
| Rating Criteria | |
| Dough | Good taste but doesn’t have the flavor profile or airiness of long fermentation, alternately it could be over-proofed. (After talking to the pizzaiolo, he confirmed that the dough was fresh and made that morning. They prefer 1 to 2 days of cold fermentation, but business had been good using up their dough stash). The dough taste grew on me as the pizza cooled (per the pizzaiolo, they use sourdough starter and not yeast, so even a short ferment will yield some flavor). The bake was outstanding, with an excellent char and crispy bottom. The cornicione had some air but wasn’t puffy Given the crispy bottom and lack of a puffy cornicione, the pizza was not truly Neapolitan (per the pizzaiolo, their goal is not to make a true Neapolitan) |
| Sauce | Plain, fresh, and bright tomato taste, maybe a little salt added, nice hint of basil. The “plainness” is in a good way allowing the tang and flavor of the tomato to shine though. Later confirmed by the pizzaiolo, they use 4 large cans of Saporito – Filetto di Pomodoro (website) tomato with a cup of salt, and a hand blender. The basil is in the can with the tomatoes not fresh. Although I really enjoyed the taste, I was disappointed when I later learned about the tomato (not being San Marzano and grown in North America) and that the basil wasn’t fresh. But obviously, there’s more than one way to skin a cat…err, tomato! |
| Cheese | Nice splotches of buttery moozedell. Pizza was finished with a nice covering of freshly grated parmagian, excellent. Nice attention to detail! |
| Cheese to Sauce Ratio | Cheese = a little to medium Sauce = a little Balance = well-balanced. Goes to show that you don’t need extra sauce or cheese for a good pizza. On the contrary, too much sauce and cheese hides the flavor and texture of the dough. |
| Value | Friggin’ OUTSTANDING! $14 for a 12″ Margherita! Might be the least expensive that I’ve found the North America. See, it can be done! |
| Overall | Good, not great, but oh so close! Their attention to detail is fabulous (cheeses, olive salad, tomato sauce…). I’m truly splitting hair (and that’s coming from a bald guy), BUT, my blog, my rules. |
| Would I Go Back? | Absolutely! |
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