Mmmm … Pizza …

Any Rhode Island resident knows that our little state is home to some of the best pizza on the planet. Sicilian, thin crust, pan style or even just on flatbread, Rhode Islanders know what it takes to make a good pie. Local organization RI Food Fights puts on a series of events celebrating the many Ocean State restaurants throughout the year and this past November was Lord Of The Pies. Nineteen pizzerias and restaurants participated in the event, and I decided to take it upon myself to judge and review each establishment, with the help of a few friends. Rating each place on a scale of 1 to 8 slices (With 1 being the worst and 8 being the best). Here’s what I thought of each contestant along with my own winner of Lord Of The Pies.

Napolitano’s Brooklyn Pizza (380 Atwells Ave, Providence) — Cheese
 — Straight cheese, that’s what I got at Napolitano’s on Federal Hill. On a street filled with pizza royalty such as Sicilia’s, this place often gets overlooked. I can kind of understand based on the slice. The crust was burned, which left flakes of char on the pizza. One positive was that it wasn’t greasy, but I’ve had better cheese pizza slices in my life. –  3 slices

Blaze Village Kitchen (999 Main Street, Pawtucket) — Kimchi
 — 
Newly opened within The Hope Artiste Village, this swanky joint is located right across from The Met (where you’ve probably seen at least one live music show). The atmosphere was elegant and the orange and mahogany colors all over the place melded well. I got a slice of flatbread pizza here and it was the Kimchi, a take on the Korean specialty. With a Korean chili sauce known as Gochujang along with smoked tofu, picked cabbage, scallions and mozzarella cheese, among numerous other ingredients, it was fairly tasty. The way it was cut ruined it for me though. It was incredibly hard to handle with the toppings continuously falling on my plate. I have no problem with flatbread pizza, but cut it so I can actually eat it without making a mess. –  4 slices

Casa Pizza (855 Point Judith Road, Narragansett) — Buffalo Chicken — 

Located near the beaches of Narragansett, Casa Pizza is a tiny little place with big slices. I decided to try a slice of their buffalo chicken pizza. It’s different than others I’ve had with shredded buffalo chicken and a good layer of cheese topped with a light amount of carrots and celery. Obviously the tiny carrots and celery are more for decoration. The buffalo flavor was a little less spicy than I would have liked, but I did enjoy the consistency of the melted cheese and the thin crust. Overall it was average, but you can’t turn down the size of Casa Pizza’s slices no matter what it is. – 5 slices

Elmwood Diner (777 Elmwood Avenue, Providence) — The Breakfast — 

An old place that’s been around since the ’40s and recently brought back to life, The Elmwood Diner has a vintage decor. Kind of hard to believe you can get a pizza from here, but it’s true. I decided to get The Breakfast, a pizza that has scrambled eggs, home fries, bacon and green onions. They were generous with the toppings, and the pizza was very filling. I didn’t like how the crust was the consistency of something that was pre-made. It tasted like something out of a Pillsbury can. Everything else was great, but the crust was a downer. – 5 slices

K&S Pizza (469 Carolina Back Road, Charlestown) — Pepperoni — 

Nestled in rural Charlestown, K&S Pizza has become one of the most celebrated pizza joints in South County. A friend and I shared a large pepperoni pie. The curled up pepperoni slices on a thick and hearty crust made this pizza great. And for a pepperoni pizza, it wasn’t overly greasy, which I was surprised by. I wish the sauce had a little more of a kick, but it was pretty solid. – 5 slices

Providence Pizza Company (767 Westminster Street, Providence) – Margherita — It’s hard to believe that I’ve lived in Rhode Island for nearly a decade and haven’t been to Providence Pizza Company before now. When I ordered I decided to stick with a slice of a classic. A pizza holy trinity of tomatoes, mozzarella and basil is a delicious combo. On a thin crust that was soft and not dry at all, Providence Pizza Company had a pretty good slice. My only criticism is that they could be a little heavier on the toppings (the tomatoes were pretty thin) but overall I enjoyed it. – 5 slices

Andrews Commons (211 Bowen Street, Providence) — Caprese — 

Within the depths of Brown University is the cafeteria known as Andrews Commons. I got a slice of Caprese featuring tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, pesto and a balsamic drizzle. The thin crust was tender and not dry, and the pesto  gave the slice body. Like the Margherita and Providence Pizza Company, I wish the slices of tomato were bigger. It wasn’t anything special, but I can see how a college kid couldn’t live without a slice of pizza from this place. – 5 slices

Luigi’s Restaurant & Gourmet Express (1359 Hartford Avenue, Johnston) – Cheese — Luigi’s is one of the best places to pick up food on the go. Chock full of Italian specialties like lasagna, chicken marsala and baked ziti along with BBQ pulled pork, you’re bound to have an amazing meal when you head to Luigi’s. I got a slice of cheese from here; the cheese was thick, the crust was just right and the sauce was solid. Overall, not a bad slice of cheese and it was way better than Napolitano’s. – 5 slices

Nice Slice Pizzeria (267 Thayer Street, Providence) — Cranberry Picnic — 

Nice Slice has always been a longtime staple of mine with the BBQ Steak & Bacon being one of my all-time favorites. For the sake of fair journalism and an unbiased opinion, I decided to go with something different. The Cranberry Picnic has dried cranberries, spinach, feta cheese and almonds. I’m not the biggest fan of feta, but its tartness complemented the cranberries well. The spinach and almonds gave it some consistency too. – 6 slices

The Fire Brick Oven Pizza & Bar (1874 Mineral Spring Avenue Providence)  — Bacon
 — 
Over on Mineral Spring Ave in North Providence, The Fire is a classy establishment with fancy ambiance. A buddy of mine and I stopped by there and kept it simple by splitting a large bacon pie. A reasonable amount of bacon and a robust sauce highlighted the experience. The basil garnish was a nice touch, too. Could have been heavier on the cheese, but it was very tasty. – 6 slices

Uncle Tony’s Pizza & Pasta (141 Newport Avenue, East Providence) — Roasted Red Peppers, Onions & Hot Capicola — 

Uncle Tony’s Pizza & Pasta is a mini franchise in Rhode Island with locations in Cranston, East Providence and Johnston. They have a great reputation for pizza and their East Providence location was participating in this year’s competition. I could get a small pie of whatever I wanted so I decided to get a trifecta of roasted red peppers, onions and hot capicola. The crust was golden brown and not too thick, just the way I like it. They were generous with the toppings, too, and they rested on a bed of a robust and flavorful sauce. Two criticisms I had was that the cheese didn’t hold the toppings together that well — the peppers kept on falling to the plate. I also would have liked the capicola to be a little crispier. It stimulated my tastebuds just fine though. – 6 slices

Tomato City Pizza (1041 Douglas Avenue Providence) — Buffalo Chicken — 

In the North End of Providence, Tomato City has been a staple for hungry college kids craving a pie. I got a slice of the Buffalo Chicken and it was pretty good. The crust was crispy with a generous amount of cheese and chicken, as well. The complimentary slice of bakery pizza that came with it was nice, too. You can see why the PC and RIC students keep on coming back. – 6 slices

Pizza J (967 Westminster Street, Providence)  — Pale Moon Rider — 

A brand new pizza off shoot of the popular west end restaurant Julians, Pizza J has only been open for a little over a month and it’s already creating a buzz. I got a slice of the Pale Moon Rider, topped with seasoned ricotta, olive oil, marinated mushrooms, shaved sirloin and caramelized onions. The slice had a certain earthy flavor I really dug and the numerous pools of ricotta made each bite enjoyable. – 7 slices

Fat Boys Pizza (1426 Hartford Avenue, Johnston) — Loaded Baked Potato Pizza — 

Located right near the intersection of Atwood & Hartford Avenue in Johnston, Fat Boys Pizza has only been open for a little more than a year and they’ve  already gotten a big following for their pizza. With their loaded baked potato slice, I can see why. A generous amount of bacon and green onions on top of cheese and potato medallions brought a lot of flavor. The crust was tender and easy to fold as well. A sour cream drizzle completed the whole package. My only criticism is that they could have been a little lighter with the green onions, but that’s only because of preference. One of the best slices in the competition. – 7 slices

Van Gogh Pizza (12 Broadway, Newport) — Aquidneck BBQ Chicken
 — 
Down on Broadway in Newport, Van Gogh Pizza has a cool atmosphere with their menu written out on a couple of chalkboards and artistic photos framed on the walls. I got two slices of the Aquidneck BBQ Chicken and it was pretty good. Soft and tender crust, Honey BBQ sauce, chicken, red onion and bacon and plenty of it. There was a Honey BBQ drizzle as well, but it tasted like it just came out of the fridge. It was so good I almost asked for another slice. – 7 slices

Tomaselli’s at Rosario (17 Rosario Drive, Providence) – Honey Mustard Chicken — As a place that’s kind of a catering hall, I didn’t know what to expect from Tomaselli’s in Providence. I got the Honey Mustard Chicken and I was absolutely impressed. The crust was kind of thick, but not too hefty and they were generous with the cheese, chicken and honey mustard sauce. Very delicious indeed, the place threw me a curveball in a good way. I definitely want to come back. – 7 slices

The Big Cheese Pizza & Pub (606 Reservoir Avenue, Cranston) — BBQ Chicken — 

For over 40 years this longtime pizza haven has been serving up incredible pies. The Big Cheese & Pub is a pizza institution around these parts. I got small BBQ Chicken, a favorite kind of pizza from yours truly, but I hadn’t had it here before. It was flat out incredible. The crust was just right, not too big and not too soft. They were generous with the toppings too, perfect amount of cheese, chicken and BBQ sauce. To be honest, this was one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had in my life. Perfect score, you can definitely see why The Big Cheese has been around for so long. – 8 slices

And the winner is…..

Well as you can tell by the scores, The Big Cheese Pizza & Pub got the perfect score of 8 slices. Therefore, they are the winner. Why? Because it was absolutely perfect and I’m definitely going back. Hell, I might even head back to every pizza place that participated.

RI Food Fights’ next competition is the Spectacular Cookie Throwdown happening at the Hope Artiste Village located on 1005 Main Street in Pawtucket on Sunday December 6. It’ll be the perfect way to handle your sweet tooth.

RI Food Fights’ Website: http://www.rifoodfights.com