Grimaldi's Pizzeria

I love pizza.  That is no secret.  I could eat pizza every day and never get sick of it.  Although I have a preference for Chicago style stuffed pizza, I actually like all kinds of pies.  Then crust, thick crust, lots of toppings, single toppings, whatever.  I love it all.  Locally, I have three pizza palaces I prefer:

• Queen’s Pizza
• Post Corner Pizza
• Country Pizza Inn

And although it’s a little farther away, I do love the Chicago style stuffed crust pizza at Giordano’s.  However, even though I have four favorites that I frequent I am always on the lookout for new and delicious places to enjoy pizza.  So when a new pizza place opens I am often one of the first in line. 

So when Grimaldi’s Pizzeria opened recently in Clearwater I knew I had to give it a try.  Their menu is very simple: pizza, calzones and salads.  Naturally they have a selection of desserts as well, but that should never be one’s priority when checking out pizza. 

Now, New York style pizza is probably my least favorite.  I am not into that whole folding up the crust thing and shove it in my mouth.  I eat my pizza with a knife and a fork.  That’s just how I ride.  In addition, sometimes NY style pizza is just way too thin for a guy that prefers a thick crust.  Despite this, I still wanted to try Grimaldi’s.  To date, I have made two trips there and I will tell you that I was impressed. 

On my first visit I went for lunch.  The lovely Lady Gianna was supposed to join me, but at the last minute she was unable to make it so I dined alone.  I was offered a seat at the bar, but sitting at the bar has never been my preference.  I’ll do it in a pinch, but when there are several tables open I want one of them.  Oddly enough I was offered wine as I was seated, but as a non drinker I declined.  The hostess seemed less than pleased that I did not wine, but whatever.  She took the wine glasses off the table and left me to peruse the menu. 

I should tell you that the first thing you notice is that the place is somewhat small.  I can imagine that on the weekends or when a movie lets out the place could certainly have a long wait.  The décor is very Italian.  The red and white checked tablecloths, cloth napkins, wine bottles hanging from the ceiling, NY photos on the walls and an open kitchen.  The aromas were overwhelming. 

Armed with a $5.00 off coupon I ordered the calzone for one and added Italian sausage.  The calzone was larger than I

expected, but knowing my own voracious appetite I had no doubt that I’d be able to finish it off.  It had been baked in the coal fired oven and was doused with parmesan cheese.  The crust was flavorful and the blend of cheeses and sausage dipped into the side of marinara sauce was a thing of beauty.  It was an explosion of flavor.  I ate slowly and savored every bite.  My waitress asked if I wanted a box to take some home and I declined.  I was not putting any of this away for later.  I wanted it now.  As I sat there reading I occasionally glanced at the cute waitresses and more than once a pizza caught my eye.  The pizzas were thin crust, of course, but looked delicious.  I knew that I’d return.

So last night Lady Gianna said she had had a rough day and wanted to go out for dinner.  We looked at a couple of different places, but as we walked past Grimaldi’s the aroma was overwhelming and the little prince got wide eyed and insisted we go.  We went in and found the place about half full, which I suppose is pretty good for a Wednesday night.  As we were seated I was again confronted by the hostess asking if we wanted wine, again told her no and again got the look of disgust.  Again, the wine glasses were removed, which must be what pisses her off so much.  This makes no sense to me.

One thing you should know is that Lady Gianna has gone (mostly) vegetarian in 2012.  She has been doing very well and she decided that it would best if she ordered her own pizza while the little prince and myself had one of our own to share.  No problem, except for the fact that it makes dinner just that much more expensive. 

We started with the small Mediterranean salad, which was more than enough for two to share.  The vinaigrette dressing was delicious, the lettuce crisp and though a bit overpriced it was quite tasty. 

Lady Gianna ordered the (again overpriced) personal White Pizza with Garlic and added sun dried tomatoes.  It was fairly large for a personal pie and it came out before the other pie, which I will get to in a moment.  Lady Gianna cut a bite off for both me and the little prince to sample and I was impressed.  The garlic was strong, but not overwhelming and the crust was like buttah.  I could hardly wait for the other pizza to arrive. 

The little prince and I had ordered a traditional large pie with pepperoni.  One thing that is key with New York style pizza is not to add a lot of toppings.  One topping is best and two is acceptable, but any more than that and you have a mess.  The crust is just too thin to handle a lot of toppings, thus the invention of the thick crust pie.  Having this knowledge in me we tantamount to choosing just the one topping.  When it was brought to our table a few moments after the garlic pie it was piping hot and a thing of beauty.  I noticed almost immediately that the pepperoni they used was of the old world style.  I love the little pepperonis as they have a thicker cut and are generally a little spicier and decidedly more flavorful.  At the first bite I was in love.  As a longtime pizza connoisseur and being very pizza literate I instantly felt like I discovered a new world.  It could only be comparable to finding a lost island or a new planet.  (And for what it’s worth I don’t care what anyone says, Pluto is a planet.  It was a good enough to be a planet when I was a kid and it’s good enough now.  One must wonder what the Plutonian people think of this degradation) The pizza slices were very large and despite this fact the little prince was able to take down two slices while I was able to tackle four.  He said it was one of the best pizzas he has ever had.  With the last of the pizza boxed up for later it was time for dessert. 

I do not order dessert a lot in restaurants, but the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Vanilla Cheesecake caught my eye and there was no way I could leave without trying it.  This was a big mistake because it was absolutely decadent and amazing.  I am going to want this dessert over and over.  The cheesecake was smooth and went had a melt in your mouth effect.  It had an Oreo crust which only added to the delight.  The plate was drizzled with

chocolate, which is nice I guess, but that’s all just decorative.  Give me a cup of that chocolate on the side and allow me to decide where it should be poured.  And yes, I would have dumped it right on top of the cheesecake. 

At the end of the night we were met with an alarmingly high check, but it was well wroth it.  The food was all delicious and we were all stuffed.  That, my friends, is what it is really all about.