I finally switched it up and ordered a calzone, something I’ve considered doing for ages.  I was not disappointed with the pepperoni and cheese one that I ordered – it was very tasty, and MASSIVE!  It could have easily served as two meals, although I went crazy and devoured the whole thing.  Calzones often come in generous portions, but this one could have blocked out the sun had I held it in the right position.

Lonnie also got adventurous, and ordered a Philly Cheesesteak with onions.  I previously made a big deal elsewhere on this blog about eating cheesesteaks and other treats in Philly, which was great fun.  But Lonnie said that this one beat all the ones she tried there!  Oh boy, that’s an argument waiting to happen!

The broccoli was cooked just right, the garlic was just the right amount, and there was a generous portion of ricotta.  We both thought it was another winner.  Best of all, it was a beautiful day, so we were able to have it for one of our first front porch meals of the season.

And wait, that’s not all!  Gianni had been touting his Dart Wings on our previous visit, and I was in a fairly gluttonous mood, so I decided to augment our order with some of these.  He had described them as spicy, and they were, but not like the level of really hot wings, just a nice little snap of heat.  The flavor was round, quite savory, and a bit sweet.  I really went for it.  Lonnie liked the flavor, too, but is not quite as fond of sweetness in wing sauce as I am.  In any case, they will go into our short list of local excellent wings; these are the first ones in awhile that I think can compete in tastiness with OIP’s char-grilled ones.

I should point out that for me, places get bonus points for varying from the classic Buffalo Wing formula, lots of butter, Frank’s Hot Sauce, etc.  I like that type of wings, too, and there are a number of places near here that do them very well, such as the Change of Pace.  Come to think of it, I have no idea what Dart Wings are, exactly, except that they taste great!  I’ll have to ask Gianni for details next time I’m there.  Go visit Gianni’s here on Burnet Ave.

I called Gianni’s after looking at their website and asked if I could place an order by phone but eat it there. The very friendly fellow on the other end of the line said, of course! and wanted to know how soon we’d be there. “Seven minutes” I said. “It will be done in twelve. Come on down!” Sure enough, it was hot and ready when we got there, a short drive down Burnet Ave from our Eastwood home.

And what a warm welcome we got, too. Gianni and his lovely wife and mom (or so we believe, having been too famished to politely get this information) were so sweet; they made us feel genuinely at home. The place is tiny, mostly for take-out, but the little room where there are four small tables was very nicely decorated, there was pleasant music playing, and there was no danged TV blinking away to distract us from what we came for: great food. Gianni pointed out that they have  wi-fi and so anyone is welcome to come with a laptop and play their own TV.

So how was the pizza?  Mamma mia! Ecco una pizza come Dio la vuole! Everything hand-made and fresh, the “Grand Concourse” (meat lover’s) pizza was indeed grand, loaded with cheese and almost overpopulated with ham, bacon, pepperoni, ground beef, all on a thin hand-tossed crust just thick enough to hold up to eating from the hand.

I really do not like mediocre pizza. There’s so much of it around these parts. I will even drive all the way up to Marshall St. and put up with rudeness to get a good pizza. Thank goodness, that won’t be necessary any more. Dave and I will be going back to Gianni’s repeatedly – there’s quite a menu to work our way through.

By the way, Gianni has worked for years at some of your other favorite pizza joints. I won’t say where – go on in and ask him yourself. While you’re there, try ordering in Spanish, the other language of this bi-lingual couple. When Gianni found out I’m a Spanish teacher, he said I should have my students come down and order their meal all in Spanish.  I think I’ll make that a very strong suggestion! They’ll be well rewarded for their efforts.

Gianni’s Pizza is located at 1428 Burnet Ave., not far from the corner of Teall and Burnet. It shares space with the Liberty Bakery, so you’ll likely go home with a half dozen cookies, including Central New York’s famous half-moons. They’re open Monday through Thursday 11-9 and Friday through Saturday 11-10.  Alas, they are closed on Sunday. If you go in, please tell them the Chus sent you.

We made our way over to Michael Angelo’s on a very cold night recently.  As some already know, the owner was previously a very longstanding chef at Antonio’s, and some favorite recipes from that former hotspot came along with him.  I went for the Riggies to cut the winter chill.  This Utica-styled pasta favorite was appropriately spicy, the sauce was good, and the portion was quite massive.  Lonnie opted for the fish sandwich, and we were both impressed with the flavor and how refined and delicate the breaded coating was.  Our server was very pleasant and friendly.

It’s a small, modest place, not comparable to somewhere like Antonio’s, a fairly fancy restaurant.  The new decor is tasteful, though.  It’s almost surreal to have seen such a long sequence of decor changes in that building.  We’ll see how they make out – they don’t appear to be doing a lot of advertising, so I’m guessing that their success will depend on whether they can attract former fans of Antonio’s who might enjoy a somewhat more modest meal price.

• Their coal-fired oven makes awesome pizza. It’s got a very thin crust that becomes nearly crispy. The flavors of the toppings are the star because they’re not being swallowed up in a inch of bread dough.
• The ambiance is fun, warm, friendly. The place is small, so we found ourselves sitting close to other humans (horrors!). If you don’t like feeling as though you’re in Europe, you’ll probably want to go back to Pizza Hut.
• The location at 288 Exchange Blvd. is great, on the Genesee river, right at the edge of the Corn Hill district, so nice for a stroll before or after stuffing yourself.  (This is only about three blocks from the Rochester Dinosaur Barbecue. Eat at Tony D’s, go dancing at the Dino – you can eat at the Syracuse Dino any time!)
• They have great wine and beer selections.
• You can get a seat at the counter overlooking the chefs’ station. Now that’s fun.
• The prices can’t be beat.
• Oh, and did I say the pizza was awesome? Don’t miss it. And for God’s sake, don’t complain about the bit of charring that makes this pizza unique. It’s part of the flavor profile. If you don’t like that, try a different dish. You will not be disappointed.

Now the last thing Syracuse needs is one more pizza joint. But I want to know if anyone in Syracuse can duplicate this pizza. I don’t require that you have a view of a river. Just get that oven incredibly hot and the crust thin and really crispy. For God’s sake, know what you’re doing with a pizza. Be from Brooklyn. 

A glass of good chianti or even a shiraz would make me happy, too.  Can anyone in Syracuse do this?