Aviano's

Date: 8-23-07

Web Address: N/A

Address: 3100 Meridian Park Drive (135 and Fairview)

Where Eaten: In Restaurant

Type of Pizza: Pepperoni

DAVE SAYS

Hey, good lookin'. Watcha got cookin'? Pizza! Seriously, this is a good looking pizza. Waiting for our pizza pie to come, I became more excited every time I saw someone else's pizza. It looked so good.

Aviano's is one of those places that does everything right, but doesn't truly excel at any one thing. The crust is good. The cause is good. The cheese is good. The pepperoni is good. It's all good. The best description I can give you for Aviano's is that it is somewhere between Papa Johns and Pizza Hut in style. If you like either of those places, try Aviano's. You will like it.

I wish I had more to say about this place, because I haven't really sold it that well. They have some decent deals on pizza. They apparently have a pizza buffet or something. I think it's only available on the weekends.

We didn't get breadsticks, but I really really wish we had. I saw some from other tables and they look amazing.

My final score is 8 out of 10.

Antonio & Maria's Old-World Pizzeria

Address: 2930 Shelby Street
Web Address: N/A
Date: 08-17-07
Where: In Restaurant
Type of Pizza: Maria's Traditional Thin Pepperoni

DAVE SAYS:
Until recently, Antonio and Maria's was called Maria's. We hadn't been there since the change and I was personally worried about the change. Would they ruin Maria's? Would they improve it? They ultimately chose to keep Maria's and simply add Antonio as an option. So, we didn't lose Maria's. The main difference is that Maria is thin crust and Antonio is pan.

Maria's has thankfully stayed the same and you must try it. Seriously. It is pizza, but this taste nothing like pizza you've had before. I've heard rumors that they have special ovens or something, but I think it's the sauce.

I really want to know the secret to the sauce. While the whole pizza is good, there is something about that sauce. I'm not sure what it is, but it is unique. I can see some people being turned off of the sauce at first because it's so different. It's good though. Trust me. The sauce is what really elevates Antonio & Maria's.

Maria's crust is really good too. The crust is flaky without being like a breakfast pastry. The pizza is still solid and not some crappy foldable New York slice of pizza. It's good stuff.

The cheese is genuinely good. I'm not huge on cheese, but they do it well. There isn't too much, but it's not underwhelming either. They really brown the cheese which I think has something to do with those special ovens or something.

If you want seriously good pizza, try Antonio & Maria's. Here's an idea of how good it is: While there, a guy from Chicago was there and I overheard that soemone came from Ohio for the pizza. People don't drive from out of state to get bad pizza. The only problem I have with the place is that it's really small (three tables in the whole place). I'd plan on getting it to go, but I've never seen anyone except us eat at the restaurant.

My final score is 9 out of 10.

MATT SAYS:

Antonio & Maria's Old-World Pizzeria

Address: 2930 Shelby Street

Web Address: N/A
Date: 08-17-07
Where: In Restaurant
Type of Pizza: Antonio's Colossis 2" Pan Crust Pepperoni
DAVE SAYS:
Until recently, Antonio and Maria's was called Maria's. We hadn't been there since the change and I was personally worried about the change. Would they ruin Maria's? Would they improve it? AARRRGHHH! I must know. They ultimately chose to keep Maria's and simply add Antonio to it. So, we didn't lose Maria's. Phew, for a minute there, I lost myself.

That's right. We ate two pizzas at the same time.

I wanted to have a separate entry for the Antonio's because the pizza is different from Maria's. If you've had Maria's and liked it, you should try Antonio's as well. The main difference between the two is that Antonio's is deep dish while Maria's is not. Most of the stuff I've said about Maria's applies here. I'll only cover the differences.

If you read this regularly, you know that I'm not a cheese person. It's okay, but too much is too much. While a deep dish pizza generally has more cheese than a thinner crust pizza , it didn't bother me at Antonio's. They don't skimp on the cheese, but it doesn't bother me. The cheese isn't brown nearly as much as with Maria's pizza though.

The crust is really good. It's thick and chewy. The crust is similar to WB's Pizza. The only problem with the crust is that it is advertised as being two inches, but there is no way it was that tall. I'd say it was more like an inch and a half. This is a minor quibble, but it is advertised as a 2" Colossi.

Overall, I give Antonio's a 9. I give a slight edge to Maria's, but not enough to say make a different score.

MATT SAYS:

New Bethel Ordinary

Address: 8838 Southeastern Ave, Wanamaker
Web Address: N/A
Date: 08-04-07
Where: In Restaurant
Type of Pizza: Pepperoni and Sausage.

DAVE SAYS:
You will not find a place that puts more toppings on a pizza than New Bethel Ordinary (AKA The Ordinary). I know how bold of a statement that is, but I'm not kidding. We should have gotten a picture to prove this, but I swear it's true. I want to point out that the pepperoni was four pieces thick in at least one spot. I kind of hate to slam this place because they are so generous with the toppings, but slam them I must.

The pepperoni was decent. It was pretty flavorful and kind of spicy. As I said, it was stacked pretty thick so it had some great texture. The pepperoni had the best flavor of anything on the pizza, but I couldn't taste it. The sausage and cheese overpowered the pepperoni even though both were kind of flavorless.

How? The ridiculous amount of toppings. The sausage, with a normal amount, would have added texture, but nothing else. It was bland. I don't know how that much saudage could be that boring, but New Bethel Ordinary did it.

My biggest problem was the cheese. I'm not big on cheese in general, but this was terrible. I thought it didn't taste that good. I could have overlooked the cheese but there was so much of it. It made me kind of sick just looking at it. Since every other topping was over used, the cheese was needed to hold everything onto the crust.

The only thing New Bethel Ordinary didn't overdo was the sauce. There wasn't much on there. They might have used a normal amount, but it seemed really small in comparison.

The crust was really good though. I thought it was cruncy and well done. It wasn't as greasy as you would expect such an extravagantly topped pizza to be.

I'll never eat there again, but I recommend New Bethel Ordinary. No one uses more toppings, but extra toppings don't mean extra flavor here.

My final score for the New Bethel Ordinary is a 6.5 out of 10.

MATT SAYS:

Donatos Pizza

Address: 5835 Madison Ave. (Madison and Edgewood)
Web Address: http://www.donatos.com/
Date of Visit: 08-02-07
Eaten: In Restaurant
Type of Pizza: Thick Crust

Donatos is a predominantly midwest franchise chain known mostly for their Edge to Edge® toppings. They also cut their pizzas with rectangular pieces. A large pizza will always come with 100 pepperoni slices supposing you order a pepperoni pizza. They were also owned by McDonald's at one point, but were bought back by original founder Jim Grote.

This sign greets you upon entering this particular Donatos. The validity of this sign is questionable as is the grammar.

I assume they will not actually cut your pizza this way. I seriously considered asking.

Another sign above the table. Presumably pizza will not be made this way either.

DAVE SAYS:
Though Donatos is a moderately large chain throughout Indianapolis, I've only had them once approximately 10 years ago. I thought it was okay, but wasn't gaga over it. I don't know why I hadn't had it until now because I could tell I would like it more if I tried it again. My assumption was correct. I did like the pizza a lot.

The biggest difference between Donatos and any other pizza place is the toppings covering the entire pizza. There is no outer ring of crust (AKA free breadsticks). I personally love having that outer crust. I don't necessarily miss it here, because Donatos crust is thinner than the average chain crust.

The toppings were entirely above the cheese so you could see every single pepperoni. You can also taste the pepperoni more with no cheese in the way of your taste buds.

Other than the visual appeal of every inch of pizza being covered, this pizza had nothing that stands out about it. Every ingredient is good, but nothing is better than anything else. Everything about the pizza is well done. As far as chains go, this is one of the best.

My final score is 8 out of 10.

My belly is full of pizza...delicious pizza.

MATT SAYS:

Barlo's Pizza

Date: 7-26-07

Address: 1345 W. Southport Rd., Indianapolis, IN

Web Address: N/A

Where: In Restaurant

Type: Hand Tossed

Barlo's claim to fame is the Big 29, a 29 inch pizza. They also house a challenge where, if you can eat the entire Big 29 in under two hours with only 1 bathroom break, you get some sort of cash prize.

They offer hand tossed pizza only

DAVE SAYS:
Neither of us had ever heard of Barlo's before, but our intended stop, Aviano's, was closed. We were going to try someplace called Gallagher's, but it was take out only. We looked at a phone book and saw Barlo's was nearby. So, with absolutely no information other than their phone book ad, we decided on Barlo's. Consider that a plug for the Yellow Pages.

I was somewhat worried at first because they had misspelled "pizzeria" on the exterior sign as "pizzaria." I assume the sign originally said "pizza" and they added "ria" later. My fears subsided once we got inside. It's set up like a typical sandwich shop with a big board behind the counter. The pictures on the menu looked good. They were actually tossing the dough right there instead of using frozen "hand tossed" crusts.

They make hand tossed exclusively which is fine by me. I would describe the pizza as closer to New York style than typical chain hand tossed pizza. The inner crust is fairly thin and folding is required for eating by hand.

The outer crust is pretty good. It's light and puffy. If you don't want their breadsticks, which I recommend, you essentially have some quality ones in the crust.

The highlight of the pizza is the sauce to cheese ratio. Some people may say that Barlo's skimped on the cheese. On a thinner crust such as this, huge amounts of cheese are distracting and unwanted. Sauce is an underrated ingrediant in pizza in my opinion and Barlo's has flavorful, spicy without heat, sauce.

Overall, the pizza is good. It's nothing spectacular. I wouldn't drive too far to get it again, but check it out if you're in the neighborhood. (Bluff and Southport).

My final score is 8 out of 10.

MATT SAYS:

WB Pizza

Address: 6165 Allisonville Rd.
Web Address: http://www.wbpizza.com/
Date: 7-25-07
Where: In Restaurant/Home
Pizza type: Upside-Down/Chicago Style

WB Pizza is across the street from Indianapolis pizza icon, Some Guys Pizza. Neither of us had heard of it, but we thought it was strange to open right across the street from a much more "famous" pizzeria.

The only reason we stopped was because Some Guys Pizza was so disappointing. Also, it would make a humorous story if a lesser known restaurant upstages an icon of sorts. We theorized that the WB stood for Way Better, but it stands for Will Barnes, proprietor of WB Pizza.
DAVE SAYS:
I'll admit the place isn't the best to look at. It looks like a strip mall restaurant. Don't let that stop you. This place is fantastic and more than made up for the mediocre pizza from Some Guys 10 minutes earlier.

I have never had service this nice in any restaurant in my life. We were the only dine in customers at the time and our waiter/cook was the owner. We didn't deserve such great service though. We talked about pizza the whole time. He's from the Chicago area and makes a real Chicago style pizza.

The pizza was really good. I mean really good. There wasn't a single ingredient lacking. The two best things were the crust and the sauce. Both are obviously made in house from fresh ingredients. You can taste the freshness of the ingredients.

So many deep dish pizzas have crust that I consider too chewy. From the edge to the center, the crust was perfectly crisp. It wasn't overcooked and crunchy. This is what a deep dish pizza crust should be like.

Will Barnes told us how he made the sauce, but I don't remember. It's stewed, or something, with onions, but they aren't overpowering. The onions add a crisp texture to the sauce that compliments the crust.

Maybe it was the fact that we just ate crappy pizza 10 minutes earlier. Maybe it was really that good. Maybe I didn't expect much. All I know is that I can't say enough good things about the place. I bought a t-shirt. That's how good WB Pizza is.

My final score is a 9 out of 10.

MATT SAYS:

Some Guys Pizza

Address: 6235 Allisonville Rd
Web Address: http://www.someguyspizza.com/
Date: 7-25-07
Where: In Restaurant
Type of pizza: Woodoven

Some Guys Pizza is an icon in Indianapolis. They regularly receive favorable reviews. In a Nuvo reader's poll, they were ranked second best pizza in Indianapolis. I guess their pizza selling point is their woodoven pizza.

DAVE SAYS:
Straight away this place loses huge points for atmosphere. Though I've never seen Sex In The City, this is what I imagine the bars looking like. Strike One. The cashier looks like a guy that's too old for a nightclub, but goes anyway. Strike Two. They sell shirts, but no employee has any discernable uniform. Strike Three. I'm here for the pizza though; not the atmosphere. It still has a chance to redeem itself. So what about the pizza?

Oh, Fortuna! Such is the downward spin you have placed on me that you shall undoubtedly ruin me! An assault on my senses such as this should certainly close my valve permanantly!

In all seriousness, this pizza is nothing spectacular. Since wood oven pizzas are only available in 10-inch, it's too small. It doesn't look good. The sauce is okay. The cheese is okay. The fresh basil leaves are flavorless and distract from the visual presentation. The inner crust is not cooked enough (a fault with wood oven pizzas in general). The outer crust is good, but nothing great. The only thing this pizza has going for it is the pepperoni which is thick, spicy and flavorful.

Had I never heard of this place, I would have thought it was a barely mediocre pizza. Since I was expecting a really good pizza from all of the critical acclaims and reviews pasted around the entrance, I was let down. Never has a pizza let me down like the pizza from Some Guys. The more I think about it, the more I get angry that this place gets lauded with praise that it does not deserve. This isn't necessarily bad pizza, it just isn't special.

It's frustrating because I can't imagine someone honestly recommending this pizza. They have plenty of exotic toppings, which might be the bomb diggity to use the parlance of our times, but they can't manage a decent pepperoni. How Some Guys Pizza became an icon of Indianapolis pizza is beyond me.

Also, the very first piece I get has not most, but all, of the toppings slide off before I can pick it up. AARRGGHH! Shall this downward spin never end?

My final score is 5 out of 10.

MATT SAYS:

Oh man, was I excited about this place! I had not heard anything firsthand about this place but had encountered several overwhelmingly positive reviews online and in local free newspapers (NUVO). I knew that this place would be worth the drive. We arrived and went inside prepared for some, how-you-say PETE-SAH! Ok, we didn'tactually say that. The place had a kind of douchebaggy feel right from the get go. It was nothing that I couldn't handle, but I knew that Dave would hate it instantly. I did notice a large amount of framed awards all over the walls which were covered with modern art pizza-themed paintings. We were seated about 5 feet from local hero Rupert Boneham of Survivor who was doing some sort of televised interview. I heard him raving about the pizza and my expectations grew. Dave and I opted for the house specialty, the 10-inch wood fired pie (pepperoni).

The pizza came and somehow seemed even smaller than 10 inches. The pizza looked generally unappealling at first glance. But there is more to pizza than meets the eye. After eating a whole slice I knew that this pizza was largely overrated. The crust was pretty boring. Even though the bottom of the crust had that blackened, wood-fired look, the taste didn't reflect it. The pizza had multiple kinds of cheeses. Mozzarella, obviously, and ricotta was spooned on top. The ricotta really killed this pizza for me. I felt like I was eating bites of lasagna without swallowing and then taking bites of pizza. I just didn't work. The pizza was also covered with basil leaves which made the pizza look pretentious and ugly. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate "gourmet pizza." However the pizza did have one excellent quality. The pepperoni was fantastic. Alsthough the slices were small they were very thick. They were hand-cut slices and had a ton of flavor and spice (which I love).

I honestly feel that this places extreme amount of hype hurt it's appeal. Had I not gone in expecting greateness I may have only thought it kind of sucked. But taking the hype into consideration I will say that this place is a waste of time and money.

My final score is 3 out of 10.