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| - During a recent visit to the Old Scottsdale area I was hit with my usual pizza craving. This is always a good thing, one of my favorite pizza joints, Gimaldi's, is located just down the street from my hotel. Only this time I decided to give someone else's pizza a shot. I had seen Oregano's a number of times but had never stopped in. That was until now; I made a left instead of a right and hit Oregano's. It was a bit chilly but chose to sit outside since there were patio heaters. The outdoor seating area was quite nice, but a little close to the road making it a bit noisy.
Looking at the menu I saw Oregano's offered numerous dishes, they all look very tasty. They also offer thick crust Chicago style pizza, in addition thin crust is also offered. That's good because I'm a thin crust guy. Since this was my first visit I ordered thin crust cheese, in my view the basic cheese pizza is the true test for any pizzeria. After a short wait my pizza arrived. It looked very good, very thin crust but over dressed with cheese. Interestingly while it was the traditional round pie, it was cut into squares verse the usual wedges. However the real test is how it tastes. It was very good, better than most pizzerias. That said it wasn't perfect. It was over dressed with cheese, which in turn made it just a bit greasy. Still make no mistake, this is very good pizza, maybe even bordering on excellent. Yet there is on huge problem. Oregano's is located only about a mile from Gimaldi's. In my view Gimaldi's doesn't serve very good or even excellent pizza, they serve extraordinary pizza. Prices are virtually identical. For me it's a no brainer if in the area, its Gimaldi's for pizza. Maybe the only way I would choose Oregano's over Gimaldi's would be if I wanted something other than pizza. Oregano's also seems a bit more on the casual fun side.
At Oregano's you'll find a very good pie, just keep in mind if pizza is what you crave it isn't the best. The best lies only lies about a mile away.
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