CabbyRam’s Profile
Recent Comments
See more comments by CabbyRam ยป
Recent Posts
CabbyRam hasn't written a post yet.
Recent Favorites
CabbyRam hasn't favorited a post yet.
Recent Polls
CabbyRam hasn't answered any polls yet.
Recent Quizzes
CabbyRam hasn't taken any quizzes yet.
Recent Comments | Response to Comments
LaRosa's: A Tradition Cincinnatians Should Not Be Proud Of
Okay, I'll do my best to defend LaRosa's. I'm originally from Cincinnati, but I went to college a skip away from Arthur Ave. in the Bronx, so I've been jaded by some darn good pizza from Full Moon and other NYC institutions the past few years. That being said, letting LaRosa's sit for fifteen minutes before eating it completely changes the consistency of the pie in a way which I've yet to experience with other pizzas. Since they use a provolone-based blend, it quickly congeals into a dried glue unlike a stringy-mozzarella when not eaten immediately from the oven. When I order LaRosa's, I make an effort to either dine in at the parlor or pick it up asap and rush home. If a LaRosa's pizza is cooked right (warning: some restaurants in the chain are better than others) it can be an enjoyable experience.
Why do people love LaRosa's in Cincinnati? My best guess is that it does a fantastic job in marketing and advertising. From having one phone number you can dial anywhere in the city, to the fact that the company has been extremely philanthropic towards youth sports and charitable programs, they know how to get people to buy their product. Additionally, they sell "buy one pizza, get one free" cards that can be used up to 10 times for only $10 making it a great deal for groups or large families. If you're going to a birthday party or a get together where pizza is being served in Cincinnati, chances are that you're going to be eating LaRosa's. Of course, since people associate the food they eat with the fond memories they have of events, LaRosa's practically creates a Pavlovian response for Cincinnatians.
I eat LaRosa's when I'm in Cincinnati for no better reason than I enjoy the sauce and I can't really get it anywhere else. The crust isn't always consistent and the toppings are skimpy, but they can turn out a good pie most of the time.
As for the other parlors in Cincinnati, it's a mixed bag. Donato's has it's own unique qualities, the most significant of which is a spicy sauce and a crust that is thinner than matzah. Dewey's is more of a traditional pie, but nothing that sets it apart from anyplace else in the country. If someone wants a pie that actually resembles NYC pizza, the closest is a place called Fratelli's out in the suburbs near West Chester.
@Chris: Now, when it comes to chili, I agree that Skyline's 3-ways are better than GoldStar. However, I think both chains pale in comparison to Camp Washington Chili.
LaRosa's: A Tradition Cincinnatians Should Not Be Proud Of
Re: LaRosa's marketing--is it still 347-1111? I only lived in Cincy for 4 years and moved away 15 years ago! La Rosa's was our go to, but last time I had it, I was 15.
I will admit though that I was very close to ordering LaRosa's pizza kit online when the order form came with my box of Montgomery Inn sauce. I think I may just buy a whole slew of Mett's. Can't go wrong there, can ya?
Oh..and Goldstar over Skyline any day.
LaRosa's: A Tradition Cincinnatians Should Not Be Proud Of
La Rosas sucks.
Romundo's in Mt. Lookout square is the best in Cincinnasti
Ramundo's Pizzeria
3166 Linwood AveCincinnati,OH45208-2955
Local: 513-321-0978
LaRosa's: A Tradition Cincinnatians Should Not Be Proud Of
But there sure is a lot of big city snobbery in this thread. I guess people living in New York, L.A. and Chicago have access to great food, but the rest of us (you know, all us little people down here in fly-over country), will be content with Cheese-Whiz on Ritz crackers and Hamburger Helper. And when *we* drink Pabst Blue Ribbon, we're not being ironic hipsters.
LaRosa's: A Tradition Cincinnatians Should Not Be Proud Of
I think a lot of the loyalty you see for LaRosa's is just based on tradition. It's always been their family's favorite, so there you go. But the quality has gone seriously downhill in recent years. Someone needs to come in and revive the brand.
LaRosa's: A Tradition Cincinnatians Should Not Be Proud Of
lol @ archie45
I lived in Cincinnati for 5 years and was never really impressed with most food from there. I will say though, I've had La Rosa's a few times that it was actually really good. If they would stop serving it at Kings Island and The Zoo where it sucks royally, it might not gross me out as much now. Either way, I learned to except mediocrity out of most things from Cincinnati. Sorry guys, I still love you but Louisville is so much better. haha ;)
LaRosa's: A Tradition Cincinnatians Should Not Be Proud Of
The pretentious snobbery is downright commical. Who, honestly, eats pizza and critiques it like its a fine wine??? (and I'm referring to the comments not the review)...
If I want something local I eat LaRosas.
If I want something cheap and quick I order Papa John's
If I want to go out and eat a pie I get the family together and we go to Dewey's...
I eat them all, they all taste good...to sit here and complain about the amount of seasoning in a piece of sausage that's swimming in cheese and sauce is, well, typical east side cincinnati d-bag mentallity.
LaRosa's: A Tradition Cincinnatians Should Not Be Proud Of
it's a shame you never got a chance to hit flying pizza. uber-nice NYC style - not in in the same park as larosas. talking major league vs class a
LaRosa's: A Tradition Cincinnatians Should Not Be Proud Of
@christin: Thanks for the inside info! As I said in the review, I thought the cappocola was the best meat I had at LaRosa's. Very interesting that it comes from a different supplier than the rest. As for your comments on the pan crust, you might be right that they did not give me the correct crust - that would explain a lot.
@everyone who suggested other foods: this is a pizza blog so that's all I wrote about here. My quick thoughts on other food in Cincinnati: I am a big fan of the chili and think the differences between Skyline and Goldstar are overblown; I can't comment on Camp Washington because their failure to open on Sundays has stopped me from trying it both times it would have been possible. Montgomery Inn does not smoke their ribs and the sauce is really sweet and overpowers the meat. They're not bad, but they're not worth the hefty price tag nor worthy of their reputation. Graeter's remains one of the best ice creams I've ever had.
@CabbyRam: Thanks for sticking up for LaRosa's. I do wonder how they deal with the congealing cheese problem with their deliveries. Or do you think some people don't mind it?
LaRosa's: A Tradition Cincinnatians Should Not Be Proud Of
i think if you're born in a place you are more disposed to love the food from that place. up here in dayton, ohio, there is a chain called Marion's pizza. people from dayton are just as loyal to Marion's as most cincinnatians are to larosa's. being from toledo, i used to think Gino's was the best. we live in little old germantown, ohio, now (pop. 5K) and are lucky to have three hometown, non-chain pizza places.
LaRosa's: A Tradition Cincinnatians Should Not Be Proud Of
I lived in Hamilton, a suburb of Cincinnati for almost 5 years. In my time there I tried LaRosa's not really impressed. BUT Hamilton had 3 local family run shops Chester's, Mililo's (SP?), and Richard's. Richard's was borderline OK. Chester's and Mililo's you could tell were family run and delicious. I believe Chester's had won the AOL Cincinnati CitySearch Award. All three of Hamilton's homegrown shops have been there for 50+ years.
LaRosa's: A Tradition Cincinnatians Should Not Be Proud Of
I'll go hungry before I'll eat a LaRosa's pizza. The Cincinnati area abounds in "resting on our laurels" restaurants, which I don't think could stay in business in many other cities. People patronize them because it's where they ate 30 years ago when they were in high school. I agree with others who've said Dewey's is the best pizza in the area. And sometimes my hubby and I drive all the way out to Fairfield to eat at an indy joint called Richard's. NYPD in Northside isn't bad, and it's cheap. But LaRosa's is so bad I'll even eat Papa Johns first.
LaRosa's: A Tradition Cincinnatians Should Not Be Proud Of
Love the Skline chili. Hate LaRosa's. It really sucks. They sell it at Kings Island and it is terrible.
LaRosa's: A Tradition Cincinnatians Should Not Be Proud Of
LaRosa's isn't the best stuff ever but you really didn't order very well. It also doesn't help that each location can have a huge variation in quality.
@CabbyRam Camp Washington Chili might be my favorite thing about Cincinnati. I didn't grow up here, so Cincinnati chili was a huge hurdle for me. But I absolutely love that place. No boil in a bag chili at Skyline/Goldstar for me!
LaRosa's: A Tradition Cincinnatians Should Not Be Proud Of
I, too, worked at Larosa's in college. It is definitely subpar. Skyline, however...dreamy.
LaRosa's: A Tradition Cincinnatians Should Not Be Proud Of
i used to work at larosas.
-a lot of the meat comes from jtm, which i think is patently disgusting. i've been told by some others who have worked there for a lot longer that it never used to be this way-- the beef products used for the meatball and steak hoagies were true sirloin and quite tasty. nowadays, the meatball will fall off your sandwich and bounce from your kitchen table. this happened to me, i've never eaten it since. as far as meat goes, i think the turkey and cappocola are safe choices (a.k.a. not jtm products) but stay away from the sausage, beef, pepperoni, link sausage, and "steak" as they're essentially filler, salt and a small amount of actual meat. that's probably true for a lot of places though.
-the crust can also be hit or miss when you're dealing with pan style. it's supposed to be kept a certain way and it needs to be poked several times while in the pan (we used a barbeque fork) to keep from getting bubbles, before sauce and toppings are applied. there is an ungodly amount of oil used in the pans, which also detracts from the crust imho. the taste of vegetable oil is distracting once you notice it. it also seems to vary a lot in thickness. from the cross section it looks like you got a really disappointing pan crust... maybe even a hand tossed crust on accident.
-whoever said it smells like feet is right. after a short shift, my clothes reek of hot sauce. i personally really dislike the sauce when it's hot. much better served cold or lukewarm. it is relatively sweet which is also a turn off to many. the cheese is a rather unremarkable variety of provolone and does turn pretty rubbery if it's been sitting out for more than about 5 minutes. three cheese blend used to be my favorite thing about larosas but the ratio has been altered and it has a lot less ricotta.
all in all, the best best is to order a three cheese calzone--three pizza toppings and a side of (cold) pizza sauce to dip it in.
LaRosa's: A Tradition Cincinnatians Should Not Be Proud Of
I can only remember eating a La Rosa's pizza at King's Island, and that was La Rosa's recipe (what the different is, I have no clue...)
It works as something to eat at the amusement park.
If I'm in Cinci wanting pizza, I go for Donato's, which is still technically a factory/chain pizza, but tastes so much better. But then, I could get Donato's in Columbus (when I lived there, which also meant more time in Cinci!).
Now when my wife graduated college, we were eating at a bunch of German restaurants that I know I can't remember (I'm sure she still does...), and those were absolute heaven.
Last time I was in the area (CVG), I had the choice of Gold Star or Max and Erma's. I went to M&Es for the burger and tortilla soup for my craving, my wife had Gold Star, which was good for getting that craving fixed for her. We don't get back up north often enough.
Recent Posts
CabbyRam hasn't written a post yet.
Recent Favorites
CabbyRam hasn't favorited a post yet.
Polls
CabbyRam hasn't answered any polls yet.
Quizzes
CabbyRam hasn't taken any quizzes yet.
Okay, I'll do my best to defend LaRosa's. I'm originally from Cincinnati, but I went to college a skip away from Arthur Ave. in the Bronx, so I've been jaded by some darn good pizza from Full Moon and other NYC institutions the past few years. That being said, letting LaRosa's sit for fifteen minutes before eating it completely changes the consistency of the pie in a way which I've yet to experience with other pizzas. Since they use a provolone-based blend, it quickly congeals into a dried glue unlike a stringy-mozzarella when not eaten immediately from the oven. When I order LaRosa's, I make an effort to either dine in at the parlor or pick it up asap and rush home. If a LaRosa's pizza is cooked right (warning: some restaurants in the chain are better than others) it can be an enjoyable experience.
Why do people love LaRosa's in Cincinnati? My best guess is that it does a fantastic job in marketing and advertising. From having one phone number you can dial anywhere in the city, to the fact that the company has been extremely philanthropic towards youth sports and charitable programs, they know how to get people to buy their product. Additionally, they sell "buy one pizza, get one free" cards that can be used up to 10 times for only $10 making it a great deal for groups or large families. If you're going to a birthday party or a get together where pizza is being served in Cincinnati, chances are that you're going to be eating LaRosa's. Of course, since people associate the food they eat with the fond memories they have of events, LaRosa's practically creates a Pavlovian response for Cincinnatians.
I eat LaRosa's when I'm in Cincinnati for no better reason than I enjoy the sauce and I can't really get it anywhere else. The crust isn't always consistent and the toppings are skimpy, but they can turn out a good pie most of the time.
As for the other parlors in Cincinnati, it's a mixed bag. Donato's has it's own unique qualities, the most significant of which is a spicy sauce and a crust that is thinner than matzah. Dewey's is more of a traditional pie, but nothing that sets it apart from anyplace else in the country. If someone wants a pie that actually resembles NYC pizza, the closest is a place called Fratelli's out in the suburbs near West Chester.
@Chris: Now, when it comes to chili, I agree that Skyline's 3-ways are better than GoldStar. However, I think both chains pale in comparison to Camp Washington Chili.