We went to Johnny Rad’s on September 13, 2010. We ordered a couple of small pizzas as opposed to large ones because this was actually more cost effective and allowed us to have more variety. Usually it is cheaper the other way around. The small offered more slices that other small pizzas we have encountered. These were not personal pan pizza smalls. The small is 11” and the large is 15”. The owner came over to us and explained the difference between the small and large pizzas. The larger pizza allows (obviously) a larger canvas for the toppings. 10 oz versus 8.5 oz. Also he explained that the crust dynamics was very different between the sizes. I think an important quote from the evening should be brought to everyone’s attention now:
“The crust is really good. I want to eat it.”
This is fantastic! Some people never seem to get down with the crust of pizza and their plates inevitably become a crust wasteland. We’re not going to talk about those people now, we are going to talk about Johnny Rad’s crust. It is really good. It really is crust you want to eat.
I am going to give a personal tip on how to ensure crust enjoyment. The trick is to save about an inch of actual pizza and fold that over the crust. Say goodbye to eating only bread and say hello to being able to savour the texture and flavor of the dough.
We ordered:
-The El Gato, a white pizza with garlic olive oil, fresh basil, mozzarella, ricotta cheese, and sea salt.
-The Pesto Vitello, fresh pesto sauce with sliced tomato, fresh mozzarella and sea salt.
-The Tilt Mode, tomato sauce, mozzarella and ricotta, sliced red onion, baby spinach and arugula, and olive oil.
-The Templeton (with vegan cheese), a classic Marinara style pizza with tomato sauce, fresh garlic, oregano, olive oil and basil.
The El Gato was not just salad put on pizza, it provides a nice balance of vegetables to pizza.
Some concerns were on the pepperiness of the pizza, more specifically on the size of the peppercorns which some people found to be still whole and were hard to eat. I didn’t really experience this and could chalk it up to a non-functioning pepper grinder. If this is intentional, then this is a warning to future patrons: The pepper corns will be whole, so just be prepared. Ultimately it’s going to be ok.
The atmosphere was alright. We did happen to go during a televised Ravens game, so it was loud, but it emptied out by 9:40. Johnny Rad’s has a semi-punk/skateboarding theme going on, but not to the point that you wouldn’t want to go there if you were over the age of 22. Overall the employees were very nice and the pizza was in fact pretty “rad”. I definitely would go back to Johnny Rad’s and would recommend it.
If you’re looking to eat some good pizza and try some place new, check out Johnny Rad’s. It’s also across the street from the Patterson Bowling Center! (Hint: That would make a really good date).
7 out of 8 slices.
2 comments:
Thanks for coming to check us out! Sorry about the pepper. You hit the culprit on the head... Our electric peppermill broke a blade (the day before) and was only grinding partially. We didn't realize it until the guy who tops the pizzas with salt, cheese and pepper, mentioned how big they were (whole peppercorns...). New peppermill in the works. Also, our small crusts are aprox 8.5-9oz while the larges are aprox 15.5-16oz making the entire structure of the larges more traditional and less condensed. The corncione (end crust) is much more pronounced and developed on the larges so try those next time too :)
Thanks for the comments, compliments and criticisms! We sincerely appreciate it!
p.s., We don't usually put much (or any) emphasis on sports in our bar but it was the Ravens first season game so everyone who walked in the bar asked to make sure we were showing it... Kinda had to fold to demand lol. Sorry it was so loud. I can assure you every other Monday (unless it's a Ravens Monday Night game) will be mild :)
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