Thursday, January 9, 2014

Fiori's Pizza



 We are back. After 3 years of writing Pittsburgh Eats, it was time for a short break. In the meantime I have been scouting out new places to review around Pittsburgh and hopefully you will enjoy some of the upcoming locations I will be reviewing.

 As long as I have lived in Pittsburgh, it seems the debate between who has the best pizza has come down to two places. Mineo's in Squirrel Hill, or Fiori's in the South Hills. A while ago I ate at Mineo's and was not all that impressed. So I thought it was about time I tried Fiori's and see what all the fuss was about. My friends in the South Hills seem to absolutely love the place. Being from the North Hills I have not found a whole lot to like about the South Hills. Its overly crowded, traffic is a nightmare, and you have to slowly creep through a tunnel to get into Pittsburgh. Maybe Fiori's could let me see the good of the South Hills.

 We called in our order on Saturday evening for carryout. They said it would be about an hour.  It actually wound up being around an hour and twenty minutes. It was not a surprise. Fiori's is known for its long waits, especially on Friday and Saturday evenings.


Half Italian Hoagie $5.00

Italian Hoagie
  The Italian hoagie was typical of that found throughout Western Pennsylvania. Ham, Capicola, Salami,provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, baked on Italian bread. It was dressed with Italian seasoning, oil and vinegar.  All around a solid hoagie. It had a good amount of meat, and was well balanced with the crunchy on the outside, and soft on the inside bread.


Half Steak Hoagie $5.30
  The steak hoagie was a little different than others I have tried. First off it had a good portion of chopped sirloin and fried onions with your typical fixings on top, provolone, lettuce, and tomato. What I found unique was the red sauce that Fiori's put on it. It was kind of sweet and tangy, and added a little kick to the savoriness of the steak. Its almost like a Russian or French style dressing. My eating partner and I were both impressed with the taste.


Large Sausage Pizza $15.30

Sausage Pizza
    But we are here for the pizza aren't we?  The pizza had an extremely thin crust. Very much like a New York style slice. It was slightly crisp and the outside crust had a nice chew to it. The thing was loaded with cheese which was cooked perfectly, being slightly browned and bubbly. The sausage was not typical of the type a lot of pizza shops use. It was chunky with a very mild Italian spice flavor. Not overly seasoned with fennel like a lot of places sausage is. The sauce I really enjoyed. It was sweet and not overly applied. So is this one of the best pizzas in the Burgh? Yes it is. This is one of the best pizzas I have ever eaten period. Despite being loaded with cheese and toppings, it was not overly greasy. Just a total delight to eat. Its not often that when I go and try something, that it actually lives up to the hype.

 So do yourself a favor and head over to Fiori's one night. Its worth the ride and the long wait time to give it a try.

Fioris's Pizza 
RATING:   9/10
 

  Fiori's Pizzaria on Urbanspoon