Atlanta Pizza Days #14 – Baby Tommy’s Taste of New York

First the bad news – I clearly haven’t been producing the quantity of pizza posts that I’d hoped to in the last week. The good news is, we’ve reached the 14th post in the Atlanta Pizza Days, what was to be the last post in the series, but it looks like the end is nowhere in sight.

The sheer quantity of “places you have to try” are adding up, and many of them are intriguing. Today’s post falls into that category: Baby Tommy’s Taste of New York up in Marietta. While I wasn’t excited about driving all the way up into Tasty China territory for pizza (I seriously considered getting some TC on the way home), I was looking forward to the prospect of good pie. One of the many byproducts of this series has been my growing displeasure with pizza that just doesn’t measure up. It makes me wonder if the age of my being able to happily eat any old pie has gone and past. Is it true? Am I a pizza snob?

Contemplating this point during my drive to Baby Tommy’s, and realizing that I’m halfway to Tennessee, I think I may have my answer.

First of all, when trying to find Baby Tommy’s, do not trust Google Maps. They will direct you somewhere near the Wal-Mart. Instead as you come off the interstate onto 120, make a left onto Cobb Parkway, not a right as the all-wise-and-powerful Google will tell you. Baby Tommy’s is almost immediately on the left.

The inside of Baby Tommy’s is what I expect in a New York style pizzeria. No frills, a few TV’s displaying ESPN, and a large quantity of slices on display near the ovens, waiting to be heated to order. But what have we learned? Single slices are for suckers. I ordered up a whole large cheese, much to the surprise of my order taker (“you must be hungry!”), and waited the 15 minutes or so it took for the pie to arrive. This gave me some time scope out the scene and the clientele. There was a good sized lunch contingency – those on their lunch break, some students, and even a few Air Force soldiers, all enjoying large, foldable slices. I was definitely hungry and excited about the potential of what appeared to be a well-made New York style pie. When it arrived I couldn’t bring myself to wait a minute or two for the cheese to cool down, so I dug right in. Official notes and comments from the two blind tasters are below.

Dough (average score – 4.2/5) 

• “Good NY style thickness with above average endcrust, slightly sweet, crunchy/not too doughy, with a bitter, charred upskirt”
• Blind Taste – “crispy, thin, nice crunch to it”
• Blind Taste – “crispy and delicious”

Sauce (average score – 2.5/5)

• “Could barely taste it, not enough sauce, with an unmemorable flavor”
• Blind Taste – “good amount, tastes average”
• Blind Taste – “good flavor, right amount of sauce”

Cheese (average score – 3.4/5)

• “Nicely browned, slightly greasy, standard flavor, good amount…no complaints”
• Blind Taste – “good amount, not too greasy”
• Blind Taste – “good but not too much flavor”

Overall (average score – 3.8/5)

• “ Worthy NY slice, but the lack of sauce and bitter/burned dough was a turn-off”
• Blind Taste – “really like this pizza”
• Blind Taste – “crust is the best part, crispy all through the slice″

Pictured above: Well done upskirt

Tearing the cheese away to reveal the (lack of) sauce

Final Thoughts: As you can see, the comments are rather positive for Baby Tommy’s pizza. I was the largest critic – the blind tasters thought the pizza was exceptional. The charred/bitter taste of the bottom of the pie, and the lack of sauce are the only thing keeping me from giving this a glowing review. I liked the taste of the endcrust, there was a good amount of cheese, and it was the perfect size and thickness that you expect from a foldable NY slice of pizza. I actually liked the dough better than Rosa’s. 

While I am not eager to make the 25 minute drive back up there right away, I think Baby Tommy’s is a worthy spot and I recommend you give it a try if you’re in the area (or make the drive if you are a slice hound and want to see for yourself). 

[nggallery id=18]

Tagged as: atlanta pizza days, new york style pizza, pizza