I’ve said in prior posts that I wasn’t going to review Basilico’s because it’s one of my favorite pizzerias, however I think I’ve rated enough pizzas that I’m experienced enough to be objective in my review, plus I was really in the mood for a Basilico’s pie!  If you are not familiar with the place, it’s a New York style walk-up restaurant that specializes in gourmet pizzas by the slice.  I ordered 2 large pies to go knowing that this is not the best way to eat a Basilico’s pizza, but I thought they’d be up to the test.

I walked into the very nice, very clean, very well decorated storefront and ordered my 2 pies, and was told they would be ready in 15 minutes.  I ran next door to Dick’s Sporting Goods, for approximately 15, and promptly returned to find that my pizzas were ready right on time.  As I walked to my car, knowing that these pies were going to degrade as I drove them  home to my weekly gathering, I decided to start this taste test on the fly.  I went right for the NY style cheese pizza, and had a little trouble picking up the first slice cleanly, but once I removed it from the box, I executed the “new yorker fold” and it was business as usual from there.

NEW YORK STYLE PIZZA
Obviously, if I had to go right for “the fold” this pie wasn’t all that crispy, but the flavors coming from the pie were amazing.  The cheese is very high quality and flavorful.  It’s not sprinkled on too lightly or too heavily, making it the perfect amount.  The crust was very tasty, but I noticed some inconsistencies in the thickness of the dough.  I didn’t recognize the pizza guy from my past visits, maybe he was newer, so that might explain the imperfections here.  The sauce just knocked my socks off as the tomatoes were vibrant, fresh, and tasty coupled with the absolute perfect seasoning blend.  This is by far the best NY style pizza sauce I’ve ever encountered.  The best thing about this pizza was the balance of it all.  No one component really stuck out, but the whole pizza just worked perfectly together. 

Restaurant: Basilico’s Pizzeria
Location: Dickson City, PA
Date: September 2012
Pizza Ordered: Large NY Stye; Large Buffalo
Price: $12.50; 18.00
Eat In/Take Out: Take Out

Crust: 3/5
Sauce: 5/5
Cheese: 5/5
Overall Taste: 4.5/5
Crispy/Cooked Properly: 4/5
Overall Value: 3.75/5
OVERALL RATING: 4.5/5

BUFFALO PIZZA
After I finished my ride home savoring the delicious slice I had just finished, it was time to introduce the buffalo pizza to my group of salivating friends.  At first glance, this pizza is a thing of beauty with the bright red/orange buffalo sauce contrasting with the white mozzarella and complemented by a few sprinkles of fresh parsley.  You will notice in the photo that there is a VERY generous amount of grilled and fried chicken on this pizza.  This is a serious gourmet pizza, not just a plain pizza with a hint of chicken and wing sauce plopped on top under the guise of a gourmet pie.  I always appreciate when a place reformulates the entire gourmet pizza rather than just topping off their cheese pizza and calling it gourmet.

The taste test was hampered a bit by the amount of heat that the buffalo sauce delivered.  I myself enjoy spicy foods, but my friends are all quickly offended by foods that turn up the heat.  Normally, when you order buffalo pizza by the slice, it’s not nearly as hot as this was.  Since there is no option for hot or mild buffalo pizza, I have to side with my friends on this one and say that the pizza should play to the middle in terms of spiciness.  Normally, I don’t have to even bat an eye while eating the buffalo, but this had my eyes watering and nose running, and I needed to drink a lot of water!  In any case, I did think the pizza was quite good overall, as the consistency of the sauce was perfect, the pie was not greasy at all, and the quantity and blend of the chicken was fantastic.  I can pretty much guarantee you won’t have the heat turned up on you if you order by the slice, as I’ve had it at least 25 times and I’ve never experienced it this spicy.

Crust: 3/5
Sauce: 2.5/5
Cheese: 5/5
Overall Taste: 3/5
Crispy/Cooked Properly: 5/5
Overall Value: 4/5
OVERALL RATING: 3.75/5

THE BOTTOM LINE:
Basilico’s is my favorite pizzeria in NEPA, but the best way to eat their pizza is by the slice while eating in.  They have authentic NY style pizza, and a plethora of gourmet pies.  I’d encourage everyone to get to Basilico’s because they set the standard for pizza in NEPA (excluding Old Forge Style).