Saturday, July 13, 2013

Adriatico's Pizza

It's not just for college students anymore

The Open Terrace at Adriatico's
      When Lisa and I met there for dinner her first reaction was, "This used to be Shirley's Laundry where I deposited many a quarter".  It hasn't looked like a laundry since Adriatico's gutted
the interior and moved there in 2012.  Now it's dine in or take out, making it a well known location in the Clifton/UC campus area.  

      I was impressed by the gelato case at the entrance and asked if it was made in house.  The hostess explained that it was produced by Palazzolo's, a company out of Michigan.  We would have to save room for a sampling.  It seemed as though everything I had read about service at Adriatico's was proving to be a myth.  Our server couldn't have been more helpful and friendly explaining the menu to us newbies and touting the over 40 draught beers lining the bar. That was significant.  Lisa saw that they had Shandys made with beer and a choice of Sprite or lemonade.  That's been a favorite drink of mine since discovering it on a trip to Scotland in the mid-90s.

Meatball Zoni with (Oops) Sauce on the Side
      Our server suggested the Meatball Zoni (calzone).  The two of us decided to share one along with two individual 8" pizzas—the Garden and The Chicken Pesto.  Our order seemed to be taking long when we were told that the kitchen had misunderstood our zoni order and made it without the sauce.  A side serving of the sauce for dipping would suffice for us.  We had been warned that the zonis were a good size (the leftovers were great also).  The sauce was spicy, but on the sweet side.  Biting into the meatball zoni took me back to my college days of eating meatball subs.  

Garden Pizza
Chicken Pesto Pizza
      Both pizzas were made with the hand-tossed thin crust.  All the dough is made in-house with fresh ingredients for the toppings.  The crust was still on the thicker side, which may be why they offer an extra thin option also.  Both were layered with their particular toppings and the freshness was certainly obvious.  Lisa preferred the Garden one and I leaned toward the Chicken Pesto.  Both were exceptional and easily placed them as one of the top pizzas in the metropolitan area. 

      One would have thought that would have been more than adequate as a dinner, but we still had our thoughts on the gelato case.  Our server once again humored us with several samplings.  It all came down to the Roasted Pistachio and a small dish for both of us with so many whole and partial pieces of the nuts. 

Louis and Friends Eating and Watching Dexter on the Big Screen
      The next day I saw our friend Louis and he mentioned he had eaten at Adriatico's the night before with some friends.  Sure enough, they were eating at the bar in the picture I took.  He, like us, had not been to the new place.  No, Adriatico's is not just for pizza delivered to college dorms anymore.  It's for everyone wanting delicious, fresh pizza and calzones, a wide selection of draft beers, and quality gelato served in an inviting redone laundry mat.  Put that on your spin cycle!

Adriatico's Pizza on Urbanspoon

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