| rev:text
| - This place has been tossing pies since 1970 so I'm pretty sure they know what they're doing. Our first visit to the little shop on Pearl Road only served to further prove the point.
We placed our order online and decided to pick it up. Not because we didn't trust their delivery but because we live 5 minutes away and we didn't wanna get socked with a $2 delivery charge. Their menu is expansive for a pizza place. They've got salads, wings, stromboli, sandwiches, and pressure-cooked chicken. I think I even saw pork chops on the menu. The space is larger than you think it'd be. You enter beneath the marinara-red awnings from the front, take a sharp right and another left. The counter is right there flanked by a couple of little pinball machines. Around the corner is a dining area if the eating there thing is more your style. Now on to the good stuff.
The pizza at Carmino's is old-school. You're not going to find truffle oil or Peking duck on any of their pies and this is a good thing. Sometimes you just want a pizza. You know the kind. Thick, crunchy-chewy crust, slightly sweet tomato sauce, fresh toppings. It's a neighborhood pizza joint that wears its heart on its sauce-stained sleeve. A large pizza is eight slices and plenty for two with room left for lunch the next day.
The breadsticks, lightly buttered, dusted with Italian seasoning and served with a small cup of marinara for dipping, were soft doughy and delicious. The turkey and bacon salad was not mind-blowing but definitely more than expected - iceberg lettuce, sliced tomato, red onion, a couple of olives, crispy bacon and a few strips of deli meat turkey. Macaroni salad like mom used to make, simple, no-frills. It'll take you to a 4th of July cookout in January.
Carminos does it right. While I can't vouch for the rest of the menu's offerings (I'm not sure I'd go to a place like this to order fried fish or chicken) the pizza won't disappoint. Don't waste your money on that sauced cardboard that Little Caesars is schlepping nowadays. Spend a couple more bucks, get the real deal and support local business.
|