Having eaten at Rome’s in the past, I decided to take advice from some of my readers who left comments on a previous post that encouraged me to get out of my pepperoni comfort zone and try something more exotic.  I was glad that I did.

The restaurant has a classic pizzeria feel that is open with red and white checkered floors that I really love.  There are tons of different pieces of Italian ephemera that add to the environment.  It has a nice feel that accommodates larger groups (one time I ate there with a big group after we had helped move a friend).  The only thing about the atmosphere that didn’t work for me was that there was a sitcom on the television with the volume loud enough to be a distraction but soft enough to not make out the words.

I really love this salad and that is saying a lot coming from a guy who never eats salad.

I started with their Greek salad, which is one of my favorite salads in town.  They have a good amount of feta cheese mixed with red pepper that compliments the oil and vinegar dressing.  The tomatoes were super red and looked liked they were fresh picked.

I split a couple of personal pizzas with my girlfriend so that we could try two of their more exotic creations.  We ordered The Sauté, which was one of their white pizza selections alongside the Rome’s Deluxe pizza.  While I decided to get out of my comfort zone with The Sauté, I wanted to make sure that I had something more grounded to what I was used to with the Rome’s Deluxe.

Upon seeing the white pizza, I was glad that I decided to try something new.  The Sauté is made with mozzarella and Parmesan sauce and is toped with caramelized peppers and onions.  This alone would have made for a good pizza, but what kicked it up was that it had chunks of bacon on it.  Not like the soggy bacon, but the crispy bacon that had the right amount of gristle to make it salty when you bit in.  Delicious.

This white pizza was really good; the little pieces of bacon were the best part!

The Rome’s Deluxe came with Italian sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, red onions, and I subbed in jalapeños for the green bell peppers.  The sauce was pretty solid and I really enjoyed the crust – it was soft but had that crunch right around it.

For folks who like more traditional pizzas, you'll like the Rome's Deluxe. Sub in the jalapeños for the bell peppers to kick it up!

Yes, Rome’s can do a the typical pepperoni pizza well.  However, go out on a limb and try something different.  You’ll sure be glad you did.

Taste: Their specialty pizzas were really solid; thanks to all you guys who commented on the previous blog article who suggested that I get out of my comfort zone and try something more exotic.
Value: Dinner prices are more than you would pay at a chain pizzeria ($18 for a large specialty pizza); if you are really value conscience, check them out for their lunch specials to make your dollar go farther.
Atmosphere: Love the red and white checkered floor and the random things on the wall; the TV playing the sitcom just loud enough to be distracting was my only complaint.
Service: Straight to the point; the bus boy was on it getting our plates removed when we finished the salad.

Website: http://romespizza.com
Facebook: Like Rome’s Pizza

Juice in the City, a popular daily deal site for parents with kids in the “juice box” phase of life, reached out to me to see if I would stop by and grab some grub.  They sponsored the following meal that I reviewed. Get $20 worth of Rome’s Pizza for $10 (newest location at Stone Oak only)! You can purchase this deal from Juice in the City through July 4^th.

Daily Deals on Juice in the City

At any rate, I had some left over pizza and this triggered something in my mind: sometimes I have these quick and dirty ways to prepare food to make it quicker, tastier, or spicier.  They don’t take up any time really at all and you reap great rewards.  These are not necessarily recipes but more like “hacks” where you just throw stuff together and it is awesome.  I thought since you didn’t get any restaurant reviews this past week, I would give you my Reheating Pizza Hack.

Now, I’m like anyone else in the fact that I love cold pizza.  Next to honey on Cocoa Pebbles, it is probably the second best breakfast of champions.  However, sometimes you might want to recreate the magic when you first got that pizza delivered and have it hot and delicious.  You can throw it in the microwave (but it will be hot and soggy) or put it in the oven (but you have to wait forever and then do the dishes).  I came up with this hack a couple of months ago, asked myself why I never thought of it before!

The best way to get pizza hot and fresh like it was just delivered is to throw it on the grill.  Yes, the grill.  It is best if you have a raised rack, but it will work even if you don’t.  Fire up the grill and put one of the burners on medium to medium low and the others on high.  Throw your pizza on the grill and close the lid.  This indirect way of cooking will melt the cheese and warm up the sauce and will also yield you a crispy crust.  It takes about 5 minutes and is worth it.

Place the slices on a raised rack on an indirect heat and enjoy five minutes later!

Got another hack that is awesome? Be sure to drop a note in the comments and maybe I’ll feature it!

I’m a West Texas boy through and through; you probably have noticed it from my colloquial style of writing, and if you ever heard me open up my mouth, you would know immediately that I am not from South Texas.  I know that West Texas is incredibly flat and treeless, but to me, there is a charm in that desolate landscape.

To paraphrase a comment that I once heard Joe Ely say (and this is not verbatim): West Texas is strange because if you sit in the middle of a cotton field and look up you feel two diametrically opposed things.  At one time, you feel like you are the center of the world and everything kind of is centered on you.  At another time you realize how small and insignificant you are and how big the universe truly is.  Go stand in the middle of a cotton field and you’ll know what he’s saying.

Lubbock is my hometown, and I had the fortune of getting to return for a family member’s graduation in the middle of May.  Being recently unemployed, I had a lot of time to spend with my family and decided to go up in the middle of the week.  By doing this, I was able to visit a good friend and one of my favorite places to eat, Giorgio’s.

Giorgio’s is a pizza joint in downtown Lubbock on Broadway and it is owned and run by George, one of the most friendly and smart people that you will ever meet.  George has a diverse background and speaks something on the order of six different languages, has a mechanical engineering degree, and has a ton of experience in a wide array of businesses.

The front of Giorgio's Pizza off the brick street Broadway in Lubbock, TX.

I have been going to Giorgio’s since I was a sophomore in high school back in 1998.  From that time until I graduated Tech with my Master’s Degree in 2005, I ate at Giorgio’s at least once a week (if not more).  The restaurant became more than just a place to eat, it because a place to congregate, celebrate, and just have a lot of fun.  There were many good memories (and good meals) that happened at Giorgio’s in high school and college.

When I went to Tech, I started getting a group to go there every Friday; being further away from campus and in a part of town most students don’t venture out to, it was a tough sell at first.  But after the first bite, people became hooked and many made the pilgrimage every Friday for some good food.  I particularly enjoyed going in college because there was no “time limit” on how long we had for lunch.  Often times, meals would turn into events full of lively conversation, storytelling, and full on clowning around.

George has his doors open Monday through Friday from 11:00AM – 6:00PM, so it was always difficult for me to get up to Lubbock to eat there when I entered the corporate world.  In fact, I don’t think I have been there in some two and half years.  I was thrilled to get the chance to finally get to catch up with a good friend and eat some really good food.

I was greeted by the familiar awning, window paintings having the prices (from 1998 to 2010, George only went up a buck and a quarter to $5.50 on his famous two slices of pizza and drink combo (tax included)), and the red and white checkered floor.  Walking in, George hollered at me, “Hey my friend, long time no see!” It seemed like only a week had gone by since my last visit.

Since this blog primarily focuses on food, I will write a little bit about it here. I always favored the two slices of pepperoni pizza as my meal of choice; it will definitely fill you up as it is pretty much a quarter of a pizza! What really makes it is the crust, it is the perfect thickness and a little chewy.  The sauce also busts out with fresh flavor and that combination just makes it awesome!

Recently (and by recently, I mean probably since 2003), I started ordering the meat calzones (particularly on cloudy days); they are gigantic and filled with sausage, pepperoni, cheese, and sauce.  You can ask for a specialty made one stuffed just with pepperoni (quite the gut buster) or one that is vegetarian.  I always opt for a side of sauce to pour a little extra in the calzone and have to dip the  crust in.  My mouth is watering right now thinking of it.

This calzone will fill you up for sure! I like to get mine with a side of sauce.

As you have read my blog you probably realized that food and eating out is, to me, as much about the experience and the people preparing the food as it is about the food itself.  George really delivers on this by really making you feel glad that you chose his restaurant to dine.

He greets everyone with the cordial, “How are you doing my friend,” and for anyone who has been in more than a couple of times, he already knows something about that person to carry on a casual conversation and will ask, “Do you want the usual?” In fact, Andrew, one of the guys who would always go every Friday with me in college, was in Lubbock on a recruiting trip recently and George not only remembered his name, but also enough about him to ask what he was up to in Houston, how the other folks were doing who used to come in with us, and also if he wanted the usual.  This had been something like 3 years since he had seen him last!

I value George as good friend and mentor; he is one of those entrepreneurs who has inspired me in my life and made me realize that I want to start my own business.  Many days around closing, I would go into Giorgio’s just to talk with him about business, life, and pick his brain about how to make it on your own.  These conversations left an imprint on me to this day and I try to adopt many of his philosophies and ideas.

Giorgio’s has experienced its fare share of changes as well.  Neighboring business has come and gone around his storefront.  Prices have gone up slightly.  Students who eat their religiously graduate and move on and new ones fill their chairs.  Employees turn over and new ones come in to help out; this was kind of a sad point for me as one of the guys I really enjoyed talking with left for another opportunity.

Yet the food, friendliness, and red and white checkered floor remains constant.  I might not be able to go home, but at least for now I can go to Giorgio’s, and that is close enough.

Value: 10/10 (At $5.50 for a full plate of pizza and a drink (includes tax), how can you go wrong?)
Atmosphere: 9.5/10 (In downtown Lubbock, this joint feels like a throwback with red and white checkered floors)
Service: 10/10 (Can’t beat it; everyone is greeted with a “How are you doin’ my friend!”; go there a handful of times and the owner will know your “usual”)
Taste: 10/10 (Some of the best tasting pizza, calzones, and lasagna in the world!)
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So what should you surmise from this review? Give ole Rome’s Pizza a try instead of ordering Pizza Hut or Domino’s one evening to spend your money at a local business or swing by to get a $4.50 lunch combo of two slices of pizza with a drink instead of your #5 combo at McDonald’s.  It is definitely at least worth a try.

Maybe not a spectacular piece of pizza, but it is a good deal.

Value: 9/10 (how can you hate on $4.50 for a lunch of two pieces of pizza and a drink?)
Atmosphere: 8.5/10 (cool atmosphere with checkered floors on the inside; amongst all the Italian decorations there was a picture of the Eiffel Tower that made me go, “What the Hell?”)
Service: 6/10 (above average, not bad, but not memorable nor did it leave me with a WOW feeling)
Taste: 6.5/10 (tasted better than Pizza Hut)
Website: www.romespizza.com
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A friend and I went over one day during lunch.  We sat outside and it was nice to be in a European café feel.  The waitress was incredibly nice and took time to inform us all about their restaurant and the ingredients they used.  I only wish the prices were as nice… for lunch without a drink I ended up spending $10 with tip.

The pizza tastes just like the ones in Italy. . . I promise.

One of the things I particularly like was the water; they must serve the same filtered water used to make the dough (or maybe I was just imagining it).  The pizza came out and was about the size of a normal plate.  If you have ever been to Italy, you know that the pizzas taste very different than they do over here in the US.  They aren’t as greasy and I never felt weighted down like I do over here.  The sauce is also different and the pizza isn’t just covered with cheese like the pizza over here.

The pizza at Dough was spot on to those that I had abroad; I don’t how but they recreated the flavor perfectly and the crust was spot on too.  It was a little crunchy on the bottom but still had some doughiness to it.

This would be a fun place to take a date (their wine list is pretty comprehensive) because it has a nice atmosphere without being too ostentatious.  As far as an everyday pizzeria goes, the price would fall out of the range of an average Joe.  Sometimes you want something different and are willing to pay for it.  Dough is a perfect place for those days.

Value: 8/10 ($10 for lunch with water, but given the exotic nature of the ingredients, this doesn’t seem too ridiculous)
Atmosphere: 9/10 (cool outdoor café with a European feel)
Service: 9.5/10 (very friendly staff who talked about the history of the restaurant and the standards they must adhere to)
Taste: 9.5/10 (tastes like an old world authentic pizza)
Website: www.doughpizzeria.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/DoughPizzeria
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Located on the corner of Lockhill Selma and Blanco right north of 410 is a pizzeria with an Italian feel.  You walk in the restaurant and you immediately feel the vibe of being serenaded by Frank, Dean, and the likes.  You can order at the counter and they have daily lunch specials of two pieces of pizza and a coke, or one slice of pizza, side salad, and a coke both being under $5 with tax!  You can also try the pasta del giorno, but trust me, this is a joint to get some pizza.

While the line moves incredibly fast to place your order, the actual time it takes to get your food can take forever.  Full disclosure, this is one of those places I had been before.  I will tell you right now I love their food (more on that in a moment); actually, I really really really like their food.  It reminds me of Giorgio’s, my pizza joint that I frequented once a week through high school and college in Lubbock.  The problem with Goomba’s is that it can take a LONG time to get your food.  Like a really really really long time.  The last time I went there was 8 months ago and I swore it off after it took me 30+ min to get my two slices of pizza.  Everyone was getting their food ahead of me, and I got all kinds of attitude when I asked what the deal was.  I had vowed to never return.

Well, I wanted to see if I could let bygones be bygones so I decided to review them for the site (not to mention the fact that I really wanted some of their pizza).  Low and behold, I get the same delay all over again!  It was awful; I was number 291 with two pepperoni pizzas.  The girl behind the counter called out 290 over and over again which were also two pepperoni pizzas, but no one claimed it.  I told her that I think it might be my order, but she assured me it wasn’t and wouldn’t let me claim it.  She then left from behind the bar and cleaned tables while the pizza was sitting there.  I waited like 5 minutes, no one got it, so I asked again.  She was aggravated and took my receipt and talked with the cook.  I had two new fresh pepperoni pizzas all the while the other two were just sitting there.  This ordeal took me 15 minutes longer than my coworker who ordered right before me.

Taking my bounty to the booth, I remembered why I came here.  The slices are ENORMOUS (literally you have one slice of pizza per plate) and the crust is just near perfect.  My aggravation seemed to melt away with each bite I took.  After only eating a slice and a half, I vowed that I would only get one slice and a side salad if I ever chose to visit the restaurant again.

The flavor of the food, the economical price, and Frank on the speakers probably means that I will return in spite of the bad service, and when I do, I am sure I will forget that side salad and go directly for two slices of pepperoni pizza.

Value: 10/10 (for five bucks you get plenty of food and a drink)
Atmosphere: 9/10 (you have to love the music and it feels like a pizza joint)
Service: 4/10 (disastrous; either don’t be in a hurry or don’t expect much; if that is the case you might be pleasantly surprised)
Taste: 10/10 (that’s amore…enough to make me put up with the bad service)
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