Picture of the Month: December 2023

Boothbay Harbor Botanical Gardens
Gardens Aglow 2023

 

Pizza from Village Pizzeria in Mechanic Falls

First, we had a hard time concentrating as someone from the kitchen was yelling virtually the entire time we were there; zero awareness from the kitchen, LOL. Wi-Fi is unavailable, and they're in some cell dead-zone, so we had to resort to the good ol' fashioned conversation thing. :) Wait service was good, our server was pleasant. Also weird was the fact that there were about 20 tables, yet they chose to sit three parties next to each other instead of spacing them out - was okay to hear about our neighbor's struggles in life, but I could also tell they had the fish since I was close enough to smell it. :) 

Bern (white pizza): 2.5 out of 5. Average, boring. Boring stands out about this pizza. Actually, nothing stands out.

Casey (roni): 2.5 out of 5. Pizza was pretty basic, although with a sprinkle of parmesan and red pepper, it tasted good. Didn't seem like fresh dough. Would eat it again, but wouldn't go out of my way for it. 

Pizza from Georgio's Pizza and Donut Shop

Medium roni pizza and two donuts ($20).

Bern's take: 1.25 out of 5 stars. Too much dough, not enough cheese, no seasoning. 

Casey's take: 1.5 out of 5 stars. So. Much. Dough. I guess I shouldn't be surprised to have lots of dough on a pizza from a donut shop, but it was like eating a loaf of bread. Not enough cheese. Not enough sauce. Not enough roni. Not a piece of oregano to be found. If they had loaded the toppings to counteract all the dough, maybe it would be worthy. You're better off buying a pizza kit from any grocery store and making it at home. 

Picture of the Month: November 2023

 

Pizza from The Cabin in Bath

14" Roni ($15)

Bern: ( 3 out of 5) It was hot and that's the best thing I can say about the pizza.

Casey: (2 out of 5) How could a pepperoni pizza be... flavorless? I dunno. Nothing stood out. I've had the "loaded" version before and loved it. Roni by itself, 2/5. At the very least, it needs oregano. A spicier pepperoni would also help. Added parmesan and salt to help save it, but that didn't work. Not horrible, but also unremarkable. 

Pizza from Cushnoc Brewing in Augusta

Custom pizza. Roni, goat cheese, and caramelized onions (16" or so for $20).

Bern:9.5 out of 10. Close to perfect. 

Casey: 8.5 out of 10. Thin crust, plenty of toppings, nearly flawless (no center-loading, like many others). Would have liked more red sauce, but I asked for a side of marinara to compensate.

Picture of the Month: October 2023

 

Pizza from Flight Deck Brewing in Brunswick, ME

Today we tried two pies. One was dubbed the "Barrel Roll," which was touted as garlic breadstick pizza; garlic olive oil, garlic, mozzarella and a sprinkle of brown sugar ($16). The other was "Flying Dirty," and was pepperoni with hot honey and red sauce with parmesan on top ($20).

Bern: Barrel Roll (9.5/10). Perfect amount of brown sugar, different taste palette. Loved it! Flying Dirty (9/10). Perfect grease level with large parmesan pieces. 

Casey: Barrel Roll (1 out of 5). Possibly the worst flavor in a pizza and the "sprinkle of brown sugar" felt like the only thing I could taste. Yuck. Flying Dirty (3 out of 5). Nothing wrong with the taste, but would have liked more toppings and my pet peeve of "center loading" a pizza to find too much naked crust was realized. Overall, would not visit FDB regularly for the pizza.

Bekah: Barrel Roll (2/10). Let's take delicious garlic bread and put a flavor that does not complement it on any level. Flying Dirty (5/10). The honey would have worked if it was spiced honey, but not that well. Good grease level. 

Pizza from Maine Beer Company in Freeport

Pepperoni, 12" ($16)

Bern's Take: 4.2/5: Good crust, good amount of cheese and ingredients. Could have used more cheese. Pretty solid pizza.

Casey's Take: 4/5: Solid pizza. Only fatal flaw is that all of the ingredients are "center-loaded," so nearly 1/3 or 1/2 of the slice is just crust with sauce (see pic below). Nice touch of oregano. 

Pizza from Burano's in Bath

Large (12") The Burano "Specktackular," $18 (Greek olive oil base, Gruyere and mozzarella blend, thin slices of smoked prosciutto (Speck), fire roasted cremini mushrooms, red onions, truffle oil, salt, pepper, oregano and arugula).

Bern's take: 3.7 out of 5 stars. Loved the wood-fired grill, but not enough toppings. Too much arugula. 

Casey's take: 3.5 out of 5 stars: For $18, would have expected full coverage on the pie. See the pic below and how naked it was around the edges (large sections with just crust). Not my favorite flavor profile - next time (there will be a next time) I will order a basic pepperoni. Crust was great, albeit a slight flop in the middle. 

Picture of the Month: September 2023

Sea Dogs "Taylor Swift Thursday"

 

Pizza from Durham Get & Go

Small Loaded Pizza, $19.50, approx. 12" (Ground beef, Italian sausage, pepperoni, bacon, ham, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, black olives, cheese and red sauce).

Bern's take: Enjoyed the amount of ingredients, the heavy spices, and enjoyed the crust. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Casey's take: Nearly perfect. Center was a bit wobbly, probably due to the TONS of toppings. Would have liked it slightly more crispy. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Pizza from Luiggi's in Lewiston

 We tried this place after reading an article about the "30 best pizzas in Maine."

Bern's take on a small (10") White #1 pizza (Olive Oil, Basil, Garlic, Cheese and she added parmesan), $8.25: Solid, a bit bland for being in Downeast's top 30 pizzas in Maine. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Casey's take on a small (10") pepperoni, $9.10:  It was a tale of two pizzas - left half versus the right half (see the pic below). For some reason, most of the cheese and toppings were loaded to the left. The left side was very good, with cheese oozing and pepperoni in every bite. The pepperoni was just the right amount of spicy. The sauce wasn't overly sweet or loaded with sugar like a lot of other pizza sauces. For the left side, it was a solid 4 out of 5 stars. The right side, much more scant in toppings, was still pretty decent. The crust was a bit floppy in the middle (kind of like me) and got crispier toward the edge. The right side of the pizza was still average, or about 2.5 out of 5 stars. I would definitely revisit Luiggi's! 

Picture of the Month: August 2023

 

Picture of the Month: July 2023

 

Picture of the Month: June 2023

Sea Dogs!

Olive Pit Brewing... Musingo~

 

Picture of the Month: May 2023

At Frank's....

 

Picture of the Month: April 2023

 Portland Sea Dogs!