by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
You might think of New York style pizza as the limp, foldable slices you can find on the street corners (and often in malls). Tommy’s Brick Oven Pizza begs to differ with that assumption, offering a golden crust with a thin, crisp bottom that will hold many toppings. The pizza is a little too crisp to fold, but the dough and the execution is top quality.
In a brick oven, the hot bricks draw out the moisture from the crust. This ensures a crispy outside, but the bread doesn’t dry out on the inside. Tommy’s slices have just the right amount of char on the outside, a light bitterness to contrast with the rich mozzarella and tomato sauce. You’re bound to be pleased with any pie they serve up at Tommy’s.
But pizza is just the beginning at Tommy’s. They serve an Eggplant Rollotini that’s a dream, probably because Tommy is very choosy about his produce. Entrées with eggplant often disappoint me because many chefs choose older and seedier eggplants rather than young and tender ones. Tommy chooses his carefully, thinly slicing them, rolling them up in a blended cheese filling with just a light coating of breading, topped with Tommy’s freshly made marinara.
Their lasagnettes are also worth coming back for. Fresh pasta makes a real difference in the flavor and texture of their lasagnettes. The meat lasagnette has ten layers of savory Italian goodness. Their freshly made tomato sauce accents the meat, but doesn’t overpower it, because each layer is carefully laid down individually. The meat is a refreshing blend of Italian sausage and ground beef, with herbed ricotta inside. It’s topped with mozzarella and Tommy’s own marinara. If you’re more into the veggie side of things, you can try their vegetable lasagnette, layered with thin slices of zucchini, tomato and spinach, stuffed with a blend of mostly mozzarella and a little ricotta.
There’s nothing quite like Italian sausage, and you’ll get your fill of it if you order their sausage and peppers dish. The fennel in it was a bit strong for me, but this stuff’s the real deal—and you can taste it.
You might not expect steak in a pizzeria, but Tommy’s has a decent rib-eye at a reasonable price, just $15.99. It’s not 8-ounces, as the menu claims, but a whopping 10-ounces, because Tommy changed beef providers after the menu was printed. The brick-oven grilled steak is topped with stewed tomatoes (a favorite of mine), sweet peppers, onions and garlic. The roasted potatoes on the side were a delight, their natural sweetness brought out by the roasting for an incredible flavor. It’s a simple preparation of olive oil, fresh rosemary and a barely discernable lemon flavor that once again brought my attention to Tommy’s use of excellent ingredients.
Bread lovers shouldn’t miss their ciabatta bread in the appetizer section. Also in the appetizer section, I’ve heard that the strawberry and tomato salsa foccacia has a tantalizing blend of flavors worthy of a gourmet restaurant. Their antipasto plate is piled with all sorts of goodies; it’s the real thing, not just a handful of stale mozzarella, few slices of salami and a couple of olives piled atop some iceberg nightmare as you’ll find in many places. Not at Tommy’s. Instead you’ll find prosciutto, salami, pepperoni, hot capicola ham, provolone, real mozzarella, chevre, mushrooms, roasted peppers, olives, sundried tomatoes and artichokes, placed on a bed of baby salad greens and dressed with extra virgin olive oil.
Fresh ingredients and an attention to detail have given Tommy’s a great name in the community, even though they are just a year old. They’ve garnered devoted regulars in the short time they’ve been in business. While I was there, I met a couple who had come all the way from Green Cove Springs just for a slice.
The Southside eatery now delivers to a five-mile radius. You can order their food online at tbopizza.com for pick-up or delivery. Also, if you know of someone at the office that you need to get a late Christmas gift for, Tommy’s gift cards are a great solution. They come in $5, $10, $20, $30 and $50 denominations. If you’re on the Southside and hungry for a meal before you take in a movie at Tinseltown, Tommy’s is the place for a casual but savory Italian feast.
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