Being a humbly tenured pizza snob brings with it a certain degree of respect, admiration and most importantly, cooperation. Such was the case when my brother suggested that he, myself and my son, The Philosopher, meet for pizza during our quick visit to his home turf of Edison in the Pizza State. Knowing that the Snob is always wanting to try something new, he steered us to Gianni’s Pizzarama just down the road in Piscataway.
We three met up at the noon hour at G’s free-standing building in a commercial shopping district just off Route 287. If I were giving out advertising awards, I’d certainly nominate this place for their great name and their attractively colorful storefront with a beautifully-managed landscape. If I had to guess, I’d say that they tricked out the bricks and mortar of a former Dairy Queen location.
The inside was likewise neat, comfy and cozy and our trio approached the remarkable display of assorted slices at the counter where I ordered an unmatched pair—a regular cheese ($2.25) and a cool-looking Grandma that I couldn’t resist since it was lunchtime and I was hungry. We also joined in on a big Caesar salad to divvy up.
While the Grandma looked smokin’, the PC (plain cheese) looked slightly suspect as a result of an undesired paleness. Otherwise, it was pretty standard New York style with what presented itself to be a decent crispness. I would soon find however that it was in fact a little too soft and too cheesy.
The taste was adequate but lacked the pizazz to knock it out of the park. I suspect more from a joint in Jersey. I also found it too be rather lukewarm. There was potential, but G’s slice fell short in terms of its execution and delivery. I fell into rating this one with a passing grade but a certainly subpar one.
Although it also was lukewarm, I did dig the taste and crunchy crispness of the Grandma. Not a bad pizza joint, just not one of Jersey’s best.
PIZZA SNOB RATING ***1/2 Working on a Good Thing
Gianni’s Pizzarama
1006 Stelton Road
Piscataway, NJ 08854
732-981-9507
www.giannispizzaramamenu.com