Stopped here at the rec of a fellow Yelper, while passing thru the area yesterday. I had a car load of people of varying ilks (gluten free, vegetarian, and me – garbage-atarian) (I eat anything), and the menu offered something for everyone. Three small pies and a Greek salad put me back $61, which was a little brutal, I thought.
Bortolami’s is an unassuming place in a small strip mall; the decor is “neo-bicycle”, with bikes, accessories, and racing shirts hung from the walls and ceiling. A flat screen plays sports channels. I cannot say whether or not the motif adds to “ambiance,” so let’s just call it a theme, that carries through to the menu, with specialty pies having bike-oriented names.
The crust is Boboli-like. Puffy, with a crusty bottom, chewy and doughy. It’s a quality crust, if your preference leans towards this type of thickness.
The red sauce leans towards the recipes that provide a sweet, rather than savory flavor, quantities of cheese and the flavor it imparts is good.
The toppings range from very fresh cut vegetables, to prepared, standard pizzeria variety. In the latter end, the Italian sausage is the medium, pre-cooked (I suspect) type, but with very good flavor, nice fennel and a bit of kick, and the pepperoni has a slightly higher fat content, resulting in two things on a pie – more flavor, but with slight cupping and charring, which is actually what I prefer out of my pepperoni.
All that said, the pie is VERY filling, and even the small size is too much for most diners to polish off in one sitting. I had two slices of the medium, and caved, having to polish it off in several settings at home, including this morning, and if you are a
regular reader, you know my own personal “ultimate” pizza test, is how good it
is the next morning cold, and Bortolamis shines in this category for me.
The Greek salad was very nice, greens with thin-sliced purple onion, black olives, and lots of feta, with a paper ramekin of Greek-type salad dressing on the side.
Would I go back? For certain, if I was spending time in the area, or passing through again.
If you live within spitting distance of this pie shop, I recommend you give it a try.
