Takeout Pie of the Month: Borgata Pizza Cafe

Business in the Northland area of Columbus by brought me
into contact with this still under-the-radar pizzeria in Borgata

With my spouse out with friends and I cruising the north area of Columbus visiting places along State Route 161 in the late afternoon, I was thinking of what I should be having for dinner. While there are quite a few ethnic options (many yet to be explored) found along this stretch of road between I-71 and the eastern edge of I-270, nothing was particularly hitting me in the culinary sweet spot at the time. After finishing up my last bit of shopping for the day, I sat in my car and pondered this conundrum for a bit and finally resorted to a rule that's generally worked well for me:

"When all else fails, pizza."

For me, pizza almost always works as a fallback option for me, and secondly, I'm still in the midst of my Columbus-area pizza discovery quest. Thus, I took a quick look for promising candidates in the area using my mobile device and one nearby contender shot immediately to the top of my radar in the form of Borgata Pizza Cafe.

Atmosphere: With the service road setup of Route 161, there's just no way you can spot the family-owned Borgata while driving by on that main thoroughfare, or even suspect that any other businesses of any sort lie behind the Taco Bell/Dunkin' Donuts combo that fronts the road right next to the intersection with Parkville Street.

You just simply wouldn't suspect Borgata has been plugging away at its
spot behind the Dunkin' Donuts at Parkville and Route 161

While Borgata's exterior may reflect the 1970s/1980s strip mall vibe that many of the businesses in the area sport, its interior is a completely different story with its brick-lined walls, chalkboard style overhead menu, decent amount of available in-house seating, and wide-open view into the kitchen area. You can simply watch Borgata's crew work on those pizzas, or perhaps stare into the dessert case and tempt yourself with their brownies, ricotta cakes or cannoli. Other staples like calzones, wings, housemade pasta dishes and salads fill out Borgata's regular menu.

A neat little touch was provided by the staff when they brought my pizza to me. Many places will just hand you the box; here at Borgata, they opened up the box to let you view the pie. While the gesture I'm sure was done to make sure the pizza met my satisfaction, the mere sight of as well as the scent rising from this fresh from the oven pie had the added pleasurable effect of whetting my appetite that much more.

Pizza (Hot): Borgata advertises its pizza as New York styled, and indeed the pie's crust is appropriately thin without being Columbus-styled thin. On this pizza (the small supreme) the crust was definitely a bonus here, with a nice thicker outer ring, a lightly airy and chewy texture, and a crust that flopped closer to the center. If you're into folding your pizza, these slices easily fit that bill. The sauce itself was a sweeter sauce; while I prefer a more spicier sauce, the spice from the proteins on top put enough zest in each bite to make this overall a very enjoyable pie.

Pizza (Cold): I kind of wondered how this pizza would hold up to refrigeration, considering it was a supreme pizza and naturally floppy to start with. To my mild surprise, the crust actually firmed up to a more chewy consistency and held the weight of the toppings pretty well. Definitely doable as a straight-out-of-the-refrigerator slice, but I can easily see this being great reheated as well.

After having my pie, I found some more positives about Borgata from various folks who would be in the know like the CMH Gourmand, Pizza Slayer and Pie Are Round. Let me add my voice to the chorus here - Borgata is definitely worth seeking out for a good slice or two.

Borgata Pizza Cafe
5701 Parkville St (Northland - Google Maps)
Columbus, OH 43229
(614) 891-2345
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Takeout Pizza of the Month: Dante's Pizza

The plain white box containing our pizza in many ways represents
Dante Pizza's functional and no-frills approach to producing their pies

Keeping with my intention to do a takeout pie/cold pizza test from a previously untried Columbus-area pizza place roughly once a month, this month's candidate is a Clintonville institution on the Indianola Avenue side of the neighborhood: Dante's Pizza.

Atmosphere: In many ways, the plain white box which our takeout pizza came in perfectly reflects the functional, no-frills operation that is Dante's. Located in a smallish space near Weiland's Market, Dante's matches a simple exterior with a functional interior. A central hallway (stacked with supply boxes along the wall as you progress farther into the space) divides the pickup/kitchen area and a wood-paneled, straight from the 1980s eat-in space. Customers who are there for takeout pies can easily catch Dante's staff members plying their pizza-making skills behind the counter.

Like its pizza boxes, Dante's exterior and interior is simple and
functional, offering a cozy wood-paneled space for those who choose
to dine in and eat and a chance to watch pizza-making in action

Dante's is a cash and check-only outfit, which helps explain the relatively inexpensive prices they charge for their pies. With that said, they do have coupons on their website, which sadly for our pocketbooks we neglected to check for before we put in and picked up our order.

Pizza (hot): Some very quick research mentioned that Dante's homemade sausage was the way to go, so we opted for a large sausage and onions pie.

The stars for us on this pie were the sausage and sauce. We prefer spicier red sauces, and Dante's provides a decent zing with theirs. The sausage sports a nice chew and pleasantly savory taste profile. Together with the plentiful but not overbearing amount of cheese and just enough onions to provide a textural contrast, it turned out to be a winning combination for us.

The pie was cut Columbus-style, but the crust wasn't as cracker-thin as others you might find. In a way, it acts as the functional part of the pie - while it may be a touch on the bland side by itself (we thought it could use a little bit of salt ourselves), the crust forms a firm base that won't easily sag into a greasy mess.

Although bland, the strong crust in Dante's pizzas allows the zesty sauce
and tasty sausage to please your taste buds unencumbered

Pizza (cold): I'm starting to think the more simpler the pizza, the better a candidate it is to eat cold. Unlike previous month's Pizza House's "All The Way" loaded pizza, this Dante's pizza made for a far better cold pizza. A great contributor to that is that crust - while the chill doesn't bring out any extra flavor in it, its solid structure still held the gathered toppings well and allowed their flavors to take front stage.

Future Visits: Dante's sausage-based pie offers a good deal of taste for a relatively inexpensive price. Overall, their pizza ranks just a bit below some of the others we've had for takeout based on initial impressions, but it's good enough for us to give it another shot or two in the future.

Dante's Pizza
3586 Indianola Ave (Clintonville)
Columbus, OH 43214
614-268-5090
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Takeout Pizza of the Month: Pizza House

Opened up in 1961, Columbus institution Pizza House keeps chugging
along in the somewhat hidden Salem Village neighborhood

Keeping with my intention to do a takeout pie/cold pizza test from a previously untried Columbus-area pizza place roughly once a month, my attention turned to a Columbus institution in the Salem Village-located Pizza House on East Lincoln Avenue.

Atmosphere: Established in 1961, Pizza House is considered a Columbus institution with its Columbus-styled thin-crusted, square-cut pizza. As I pulled in and tried to get a gander of the place, I quickly saw many people walking out of the carry out door with pizzas-to-go. Considering that this was later in the evening on a day I wouldn't expect a brisk takeout pizza business, I took this as a very good sign we would be getting something tasty soon.

Pizza House has two separate doors for carry out and for the main dining area. A quick glance at the main dining area in the carry out area showed this main dining space in all its 1960-era glass-block glory. The carry out area itself is visually interesting, with numerous media clippings touting Pizza House's great tasting pies as well as governmental proclamations congratulating the business on reaching their 50th anniversary. Other than pizza, Pizza House offers a variety of subs and sandwiches as well as Italian standards such as lasagna and ravioli. Gluten-free versions of their baked ravioli and small-sized (10") pizzas are also now available.

A peek at the glass-block nirvana that is Pizza House's dining room
plus some of the sights you'll see in their carryout area

Pizza (hot): We decided on our first visit here, we should go with the "pizza that started it all" and go with their "All The Way", basically a piled-high everything pizza with an option to use substitute their "old-world pepperoni" for their regular version (of course, we took this option.)

I noticed a good heft to the box when I carried it out of the restaurant, and we we got it home, we found that Pizza House wasn't kidding when they said "piled high." The old-world pepperoni provided a slightly different a slightly saltier and chewier profile than the typical variety.

The "All The Way" lived up to the name, full of delicious toppings

The pizza was plain and simply scrumptious, and the large size meant plenty of leftovers for the next day's lunch.

Pizza (cold): Pizza House's pizza isn't quite as enjoyable in its cold form compared to others I have had, I discovered. Nothing specific really (it wasn't like it was inedible) - perhaps it was the sheer level of toppings that hindered its cold pizza potential. Whatever the case, I think leftover slices of this pie are best popped in the oven for a good reheating.

Future Visits: Pizza House has definitely made our select consideration takeout pizza list, especially when we're not in the mood to think about it too hard, and definitely look forward to sampling their other pies.

Pizza House
747 E Lincoln Ave (North Side/Salem Village)
Columbus, OH 43229
(614) 885-3121
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Takeout Pie of the Month: Adriatico's

Pizza is one of those things that is hard to do badly. Sure, there are plenty of mediocre pizzas, but even those versions matched with solid liquid refreshment under the right circumstances (a birthday party, a hard day of moving, etc.) can sate hungry souls quite satisfactorily.

There's also something about pizzas that are quite appealing: leftovers, and more specifically cold pizza. I had personally been of the reheat-the-pizza camp all my life until my spouse had mentioned to me that cold pizza for breakfast was something she quite enjoyed. Despite her testimony, I remained a skeptic until we stopped by a pizza place in Klamath Falls, Oregon during one of our first big road trips together for dinner. The pizza fresh out of the oven here definitely fell into the mediocre category. However, a stint in the hotel fridge had transformed the remaining slices into a fairly satisfying breakfast the next morning. Since then, I've enjoyed many a leftover slice cold from the fridge.

One of the things we still have not done enough of since I've moved here is explore the pizzas of the Columbus metro. I've proposed to my spouse a pizza of the month idea to help correct this deficiency, and she seems to have gone along with the idea. It seems like with enough time, we ought to get through all of them eventually, right?

First off: a pizza that has been a favorite of my spouse's since she was a student at Ohio State University - Adriatico's.

Location: Adriatico's resides in the South Campus area of Columbus), providing its pies and other wares to students and other pizza lovers alike since 1986 (the original location of Adriatico's can be found next to the University of Cincinnati campus.)  My spouse has had the pleasure of numerous lunches consisting of their wares; however, I was only introduced to their pizza fairly recently.

Dining Experience: Most people get Adriatico's pizzas to go or for delivery, which isn't surprising as they are catering to the student and faculty population of nearby OSU. Unlike many other takeout places, you actually can dine in here at Adriatico's, but don't expect a lot of room, as the (unfortunately) blurry pic below shows. During the warmer months, a few umbrella-decked patio tables are available on the sidewalk in front of the building to provide more seating.

You can dine at Adriatico's, if you don't mind being
really close to your neighbors.

If you are not jonesing for pizza on your visit, Adriatico's also offers a line of subs, salads and calzones to prospective diners.

From the Takeout Box:  For me, Sicilian style pizzas were never quite anything I stumbled upon while I lived in the Bay Area, but it was available in a few select locations. Two such purveyors reside in the North Beach neighborhood: the long-standing Golden Boy Pizza as well as nationally renowned Tony's Pizza Napoletana, which has recently added this style to their menu. Due to this lack of experience with the style, and my spouse's familiarity with it, this what we've stuck with for takeout.

Adriatico's Sicilian-style pizza is a greasy but fulfilling creation,
bracketed with a quite satisfying buttery crust

The first thing I noticed about the pizza was, not surprisingly, its thick crust and its nicely golden-brown color. A glorious ring of browned (but not burnt) ringed the main topping area and had cascaded on top or just over the crust. This appetizing look was confirmed by my first bit of this crust, with a uniquely buttery taste and its nice combination of crunch and chew.

Another bonus is the slightly spicy sauce: both my spouse and I are not fans of the sweeter sauces, and Adriatico's fits the bill here.

My spouse jokes that Adriatico's pizza is a diet-killer, and she really wasn't kidding. Adriatico's tends to produce a greasier pizza than most, and this in combination with the thicker crust and non-skimpy amounts of toppings leads to a satisfyingly full belly after only a few pieces.

Cold Pizza Worthiness: due to the greasy nature of the pizza, the bottom crust had obtained a bit of a soggy texture; however, the outer crust was still quite good. I'd probably lean toward reheating leftover slices in the future if possible, but I could easily eat this cold if I were feeling like a lazy-butt or similar in the morning.

Verdict: Adriatico's is a good solid eating pizza, perfect for filling bellies. If this place had been around when I was a college student, I might be 20 pounds heavier than I am now. While I might venture to their thin-crust pizzas and other menu items just simply out of curiosity, my spouse has sold me on their buttery thick-crust Sicilian style as our de facto pie of choice.

Adriatico's New York Style Pizza
265 West 11th Ave (South Campus)
Columbus, OH 43201
614-421-2300
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