Round 2: Troy
Red Front vs. I Love NY
The pepperoni round rolls into Troy for a big, big showdown between Red Front and I Love NY. Both places are coming off convincing 3-0 wins in Round 1: Red Front over the famed DeFazio's and I Love NY over Knotty Pine.
It's a matchup not for the faint of heart -- or the small of stomach. These are pizzas that demand to be eaten. Who will prevail!
Let's eat!
| Red Front | 1 |
| I Love NY | 2 |
|
Post game: This was one of, if not the, tightest competition of the tournament so far. Red Front's pie drew much praise from the judges. One described it as having "an excellent first bite" and being "hard not to finish." Another said RF was "very good" with "crispy, spicy pepperoni." But I Love was able to just pull out the win on the strength of its "real pizza texture," "spicy pepperoni" and sauce the judges decided was just a bit better. |
|
Red Front should be commended for a great effort, but I Love NY advances after being a just little bit better.
Tomorrow in the TOP: Pasquale's and Inferno face off in the Albany Bracket.
Earlier Round 2 results: Saratoga | Schenectady
Say Something!
We'd really like you to take part in the conversation here at All Over Albany. But we do have a few rules here. Don't worry, they're easy. The first: be kind. The second: treat everyone else with the same respect you'd like to see in return. Cool? Great, post away. Comments are moderated so it might take a little while for your comment to show up. Thanks for being patient.
Comments
RPI has an annual pizza poll and it's usually held sometime in November. It will be interesting to see how their results compare to the AOA poll. Last year Big Apple came in first and DeFazio's came in second.
... said Amy on Oct 30, 2008 at 1:20 PM | link
Yes but they take a lot more factors into their survey (location, price, etc). I'm sure if they went on taste alone, Red Front and I Love would be at the top.
... said Andy on Oct 30, 2008 at 1:50 PM | link
I-Love is not the closest pizza restaurant to my house, but it's the one I always go to. Glad to see they pulled it out, though I might have to give Red Front a try sometime.
... said James Cronen on Oct 30, 2008 at 3:02 PM | link
I'd barely even heard of Red Front before this tasting, but now I can't stop thinking about that pizza. Mmmm.
... said Albany Jane on Oct 30, 2008 at 3:45 PM | link
I live about halfway between these two joints (don't judge me). I consider myself to be a man who knows his pizza, having spent a couple of my college years at Raffaels on Quail St. (Smitty's rule anyone?) and later for a fine Peruvian pizza joint.. The COB (Cheese On Bottom) pizza from Red Front is HANDS DOWN the best pizza I have ever had in my life. If you guys had known aboot the COB, and judged that, there would have been no contest.
... said Erik on Oct 30, 2008 at 9:56 PM | link
Does the I Love NY in Troy have anything to do with the ones in Albany? I have had the Albany version and it is not that great. I think this was a great idea and I now have a few more places to try.
... said kevin b. on Oct 30, 2008 at 11:30 PM | link
For me, living on 4th Street, I-Love is a no-brainer, It's there, consistent, diverse, good, and colorful: a known quantity and clear asset. Note that they make a larger pie for their street slices than you can get by delivery or take-out. The value calculation is complicated cuz, dollar-for-dollar, taking-out slices can be a better fit than ordering a pie: often best to walk over there and get what you want. Still, a ~$20 Buffalo chicken at the door ain't exactly a failure, either.
Haven't had the Red Front pizza and am prepared to respect it, but have gone there to sit down for other stuff, and you don't want to get too enthused about that prospect. Barring personal nostalgia, not a good room.
Last, there's this "thing" that happens with DeFazio's pizza. Somebody takes you there who really likes it -- or it's somebody who's never been but really wants to like it, because of something they've heard. And, sure enough, they really like it! But you don't. And they secretly don't, either. Know what I mean? It poses better than it eats.
LQ
... said Lou Quillio on Nov 1, 2008 at 12:59 AM | link