All Over Albany

TOP 2009: Round 2: Saratoga

The 2009 Tournament of Pizza, sponsored by Sunmark Federal Credit Union, moves on to Round 2 (AKA, the Sausage Round) this week. And Saratoga is the first bracket. Here's the match-up:

Nunzio's vs. Venezia

First, a quick recap of how we got here. Nunzio's topped its fellow west sider West Ave 67-52 on the strength of its crust. Venezia, out of Clifton Park, upset D'Andrea's, last year's bracket winner, in a stunning 51-18 victory.

Can Venezia keep up the momentum? Will Nunzio's post another strong showing?

Let's eat some pizza.

(There's a new scoring system this year.)

Nunzio's vs. Venezia

	Nunzio's	Venezia
Crust	15	8
Sauce	12	9
Toppings	17	7
Overall taste	30	14
Totals	74	38

Post game:

And Nunzio's brings it. That 74 is highest score of the tournament so far. The judges again praised the pink store's "sweet and crunchy" and "yeasty" crust. But it was the sausage the really made the difference. Nunzio's crumbling topping got high marks for its "great, rough-hewn" texture. One judge said it was even "delicate." And another commented: "very nice... tasted like meat."

Venezia just didn't have it in this round. The judges weren't fans of its sliced sausage, which one judges likened to breakfast sausage. And another said the sausage overwhelmed the other elements of the pizza.

Up next

Tomorrow: The Sausage Round rolls on to Schenectady, where Marino's takes on Nico's.