A Good Beginning for Dino's Pizza in East Norwalk

Located in 101 1^st Street in the space formerly occupied by Beach Burger, Dino Sforza is creating very good pizza after only a few weeks. The interior still includes the familiar beach blue counter, tables and chairs and my first order was a half-pepperoni and half-sausage/ pepper.

The crust of the pie was charred in some spots and still dark blonde in others and a quick peak underneath indicated a large variability so the ovens were still going through their normal calibration. The toppings were very generous, plenty of cheese, pepperoni, sausage and green peppers. Almost completely hidden was the sauce.

A family of eight sat behind me and the father told his six-year old son, who had just received his first slice, to wait a little so he did not burn his mouth. Eavesdropping was fortuitous and I heeded the warning as well. After my pie cooled a bit, I looked and knew that the cheese on the slices had re-attached so I used a knife to separate the first pepperoni slice from mother ship. Sliding it away it became evident that the toppings had overwhelmed the crust, there was no chance to bring the full slice to my mouth so I slid it onto my plate. The knife and fork method was a necessity.

My first impressions…

• The crust had very good flavor and the texture along the rim was excellent, unfortunately the crust at the center of the pie was soggy, losing all of its flavor and texture;
• The cheese was good pizza cheese; just way too much on the pie. It created a sloppy adventure;
• The sauce had very good flavor with little pieces of tomato;
• The pepperoni had a good level of spice, but was too salty. It also released a lot of oil and napkins were needed to dab away the oil slick before eating;
• The green peppers were very flavorful and had a good crisp;
• The sausage was the highlight of the pie, great flavor and good fennel accents. I wish they made the sausage on premises versus buying and slicing.

Overall the sausage and pepper half was very good and the pepperoni side was good.

In addition to the pizzas, the menu includes pastas, entrées, strombolis, calzones, grinders and wraps.

With 15 seats and delivery service already available, Dino’s should continue to improve and become an excellent choice in the area.