My wife and I found need to be at the intersection of 1604 and Culebra (or near there) this evening to make a run into our local Home Depot. As we had not engaged in a proper meal in hours, we decided to call into the newly opened Rome's Pizza, and order up some to-go snackage.Before I get to the vittles, I need to report a serious issue at this newly swamped intersection and the approaches thereto; San Antonio still does not know how to synchronize a traffic light, or, there is probably an off-duty police officer in front of the Wells Fargo bank, screwing things up.
My friends (in my best John McCain voice), it is only going to get worse. The reason my wife and I hate Bandera Pointe (the intersection of 1604 and, well, Bandera), is that there are too many vehicles trying to be there at once. Well, welcome to Alamo Ranch. Same problem.But enough of my traffic whining. Let's talk about pizza. Rome's Pizza.
We ordered a 12 inch pepperoni and just for good measure, a Calzone with pineapple and ham. In case you aren't familiar with the nomenclature, a Calzone is an oven baked half moon turnover stuffed with pizza sauce, mozzarella and the pizza toppings you order. When we lived in Italy, we would have a similar thing called a fritilli which was fried instead of baked. Good times.As soon as I walked in to pick up the order, I was pleased to see an very clean and seemingly well organized operation. I will confess that the prices seemed a bit spendy, but you have to pay for quality. Anyway, the place looks nice inside but not anything boothy like a Pizza Hut. More of a Subway or Jasons Deli.When we got the food and headed home, I have to confess that both my wife and I were not immediately impressed. Mostly because of the size of the pizza compared to the price. Keep in mind, we were literally 100 yards from Papa Murphy's - easily the best value of any person seeking to gorge themsleves into a new pants size for under $15.00. The pizza looked thin and the Calzone looked small in the box it came in.
But when you are stuck in traffic, things don't always appear to be as they really are. Oh sure, with my wife driving, I could have easily just grabbed a slice and started tossing pizza down my gullet, but I opted to wait the short drive until we got home. And once there, we could really smell the goodness and start to dig in - and only then did it become apparent that Rome's is a winner.Like many of you, I suffer pains from most of the pizza sauces found in contemporary pizza today. That is one of the reasons I like Papa Murphy. The dipping sauce that came with Rome's Calzone and the sauce that grazed our pepperoni was purely excellent - not acidy at all. Kudos! and of course, the pizza crust was thin and excellent.The Calzone had a nice crust and was soft, not disturbingly hard or burnt like the one we had at House of Pizza on our last (and I do mean, last) visit.So there you go. Bring money, bring an appetite and don't let the rush hour traffic get you down. Rome's Pizza gets a Tasty Treat.
I'm sure you've tried the new Rome's. How did you like it? How was the traffic. Leave a comment if you'd like...
I first tried the West/Bitters ROME's about 15 years ago, but now we're all about the DeZavala location whenever we want to treat ourselves.
ReplyDeleteThe crust and sauce are by far the winning combo of pizza base in SA.
Just crispy enough without ever being burnt, a hint of buttery goodness, tears and chews easily, fresh real mozz...
There are plenty of cheaper pies that are good enough, but Rome's is on our short list of "Best".
On the other hand, Papa Murphy's means way more leftovers for half as much money.
Ever tried Big Lou's on W.W. White?
Hey! That's a nice car parked out in front of Rome's! I wonder if they're regulars.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even notice the '57 Chevy (isn't it?) parked in front; I was too consumed by the pizza and food pics I guess.
ReplyDeleteRome's classic pizza and a classic automobile: Nice combination!
I'd like to try Big Lou's some day. Also, try Gumbas. They opened a second restaurant at the old EZ on Bandera.
ReplyDelete