Sampling cheese pizza uncovers the good, the bad and the indigestible
Frederick Kalil reviews
Once the token vegetable of school lunch programs, the pizza slice has gained acceptance as a reasonable meal substitute when time is scarce. To my way of thinking, that’s all the more reason to slow down and have a look before unceremoniously wolfing it down. Whether or not pizzas have feelings, too, we owe the desperately consumed cheese slice a minimum of consideration. Let’s be human! After all, it might have just narrowly saved your job, your relationship, even your life.
There exist infinite gradations of pleasure-pain between the cheese slice that rocks you to paeans of hyperbolic praise and one that leaves you muttering profanities and oaths of “never again.” Most, of course, fall well in-between, and so it is in our fair town. Among the daunting number of specimens to record and gauge, few would warrant going up a belt size. In compensation for gaining several unnecessary pounds, I can state I managed to complete a crawl through the pizza-slice establishments of Arlington for you, dear readers.
We all have our predilections and peeves. For my part, I’m inclined to sanction a demerit for the widespread practice of underdoneness. Even if we’ve now become accustomed to wood-fired pies blistered with charred beauty marks, surely any crust worth its salt ought to be appealing enough to polish off without resorting to a false sense of duty. And I learned not to assume anymore that a shaker of grated cheese will be within easy reach when you feel pressed to take matters into your own hands.
Andrina’s Pizzeria
A generous slice from a pie fresh out of the oven ($3.70). Blanket of bouncy cheese just salty enough to skirt blandness. Sauce is appreciably well-seasoned (“like pizza sauce is expected to taste”), with Italian herbs visibly present. Outer crust edge has crunch, airholes observed within but middle not quite cooked enough. Surprised myself by finishing it, then felt thirsty. Grated cheese and crushed red pepper on request. Gluten-free? Not by the slice.
Arlington Café
Quotidian in appearance. Agreeably dry layer of cheese recognizably tasted as such. A few promising areas of brown bubbling. Noted some garlic in the scarcely detectable film of sauce. Unsubstantially thin crust was chewy at the perimeter but without crispiness despite a browned bottom. Help yourself to crushed reds, garlic and oregano. ($3.25)
Arlington House of Pizza
Nicely bruléed cheese and sauce with perceptible flavor let down by a pallid, rubbery crust that’s barely a cut above frozen pizza. Salt and pepper are on the table. My $3 slice was served at room temperature.
Brickstone Café/Pizzeria
Gas-fired, brick-oven portion is a hearty size ($3.25). Chewy cheese low on character (“I don’t taste the cheese; I taste the salt from the cheese”), sauce taste reminiscent of tomato soup. Thin crust with a doughy taste. (“Am I frowning?” “A little bit.”) Just sauce and mozzarella, subsistence fare to insert in the pie hole to keep things running. On a hunch, I tried a slice of the AC Milan — ricotta, basil, prosciutto, grated cheese, tomato — and, as expected, it was exponentially better ($4.50), indeed impressive. Leads me to deduce that cheese pizza might not be getting the same love and attention as the sexier alternatives.
Butternut Bakehouse
No cheese-slice option when I stopped in just past noon. The closest I found here was topped with broccoli, onion and mozzarella. No sauce that I could discern, striking in appearance, but disappointingly short on taste with a thick, heavy crust. An oven warming barely offset the air-conditioning. Showing as focaccia pizza on my receipt ($7), it would be a stretch to recognize this unpalatable object as a slice. Not strictly comparable but felt obligated to investigate.
Maria’s Pizzeria and Grille
I’d rate this a decent slice ($3.49). Nice chew to the cheese and a flavorful sauce. Floppy crust scored marks in the taste department, less impressive in texture and consistency. Can find no legitimate complaints here. Still, left wondering: Where is the crust that makes me want to finish every bite? Reds, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper all close by.
Master Pies Artisan Pizza
Shares a storefront and ordering counter with fusion-joint Ginger Exchange. I don’t care; show me results. The slice ($3.50) was heated somewhere in the back and dished up thoughtfully sliced in half; folders, take note. Fresh-tasting tomato sauce came off as underseasoned yet contributed more flavor than the stretchy, oozy cheese. Very slight char on edge but little substance to the soft crust. Could feel it gathering into a ball in my stomach so had to demur finishing it, even though a sushi pizza offering from the alternative menu made my unassuming slice seem relatively appetizing.
My Brother’s Place
Conveyed an immediate impression that this is a handsome slice ($2.50). Attractively browned cheese with a discreet amount of sauce, a drier rendition but exemplary of its kind. Crust had the right kind of chewy bite, and no excuses had to be made for the cheese. Not only finished it but was held back from a second slice only by my responsibility to soldier on to the next stop. In case you want to try improving it, crushed peppers and garlic are around.
Northender Italian Kitchen
A good-sized slice that tastes better than it looks ($3). Component ratio favors the well-above-average cheese. Nicely seasoned, robust sauce with garlic and herbs apparent. Crust is crispy on the outside, chewy inside. Each bite is pleasing. You’ll find crushed reds, garlic, even grated cheese on the counter.
Olympic Pizza
Even coating of cheese with a welcome note of sharpness. Sauce evidences oregano as befits Greek-style pizza along with the biscuity-edge crust. May be utilitarian in appearance but satisfying inside the mouth. Unexpectedly almost finished it, soggy bottom notwithstanding. Oregano, crushed reds, garlic are all nearby should you feel the need ($3).
Otto
Spaced dollops of tangy, fresh tomato sauce rather than an evenly coated base. Thin, chewy, enticingly bubbled crust tasted fine nibbled on its own. Bendy yet retains its tooth, some crisp underneath. Savory cheese vulcanized to solidity, but not in a bad way. My $3.75 slice was consumed in its entirety. Multiple varieties by the slice rotate every few months, gluten-free option if ordering an entire pizza. The estimable dough is available for purchase. Chain originates in Portland, Maine, with more than a dozen locations in Massachusetts.
Venice Italian Kitchen
Expert dough spinning observed behind the counter. Hefty slice wins size contest, exceeding the size of a paper plate ($3). Excellent sauce ticks off all the boxes: herb-flecked, garlic present, deeply flavored, a sauce you could eat by itself. Chewy crust even on a dog day of summer. Salty cheese and slightly oily surface, but indulgently so — when it tastes this good it’s all part of the experience. Changed hands in 2020, owners also operate Alfredo’s Italian Kitchen in Somerville.
Disclaimer
The above 12 constitute the places this reviewer found offering individual slices in Arlington. As ever, the arbiter in matters of individual taste must ultimately remain your own palate. Undertaken in the line of duty under hazard of excess avoirdupois, these tasting notes are offered as an informational guide only.
Andrina’s
1060 Mass. Ave.
Monday through Wednesday 4 – 10 p.m., Thursday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Sunday noon – 9 p.m.
781-648-4800
Arlington Café
475 Summer St.
Monday through Wednesday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Sunday noon to 9 p.m.
781-483-3020
Arlington House of Pizza
797 Mass. Ave.
Monday through Friday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday noon – 10 p.m.
781-646-5016
Brickstone Café/Pizzeria
309 Broadway
Monday through Thursday 10:30 a.m. – 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10:30 p.m. – 11 p.m., Sunday noon – 9 p.m.
781-777-2551
Butternut Bakehouse
787 Mass. Ave.
Tuesday through Friday 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
781-829-2899
Maria’s Pizzeria and Grille
86 Mass. Ave.
Open seven days 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
781-648-8011
Master Pies Artisan Pizza
1181 Mass. Ave.
Open seven days 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.
781-316-8898
My Brother’s Place
181 Broadway
Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m. – 8:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 3 – 8:30 p.m.
781-646-0110
mybrothersplacearlingtonma.com
Northender Italian Kitchen
1345 Mass. Ave.
Sunday through Thursday 11 – 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
781-859-5353
Olympic Pizza
173 Mass. Ave.
Monday through Saturday 10:30 – 9 p.m., Sunday 11:30 – 9 p.m.
781-643-6131
Otto
202 Mass. Ave.
Sunday through Thursday 11- 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
781-859-5378
Venice Italian Kitchen
242 Mass. Ave.
Open seven days 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
781-777-1719
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This review by YourArlington freelancer Frederick Kalil was published Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.
A resident of Arlington, Kalil has been eating food since birth. Starting from a home in which family cuisine ranged from kibbeh to cretons, he has sought high standards and a world of flavor at his own table and when dining out. After years of writing about dining options for the neighboring Tufts community, he now explores local kitchens for his fellow Arlingtonians.
