Other than Otto's
I won’t be returning to Otto’s Pizza anytime soon, unless I really cared about the prevailing hype and happenstance that has made it the Portland darling of the thin crust crowd.
I admit that I do like chunky, chewy, junk-food delicious, thick crust pies topped with commercial grade mozzarella and mystery marinara from places like Bill’s Pizza on Commercial Street, about as much as the coveted crisp-thin crust variety that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed at Bonobo or Flatbread. But that slice I had at Otto's should have been better.
In the realm of pizzerias, Otto’s tries to be off-beat. In contrast, I don’t mind the typical décor of American pizzerias whose only stab at modernity might be an ATM machine on premises. And those Formica topped tables, multi-generational Italians throwing the dough around, and the citrusy scent of lemon Fantastik are like wands of the genre’s seasoning palate.
When I went to Otto’s the other day on a cold, chilly noontime, I was surprised that it's just a mere slip of a retail space. They should have kept the door closed, however, instead of allowing a stiff west wind to waft through its tiny space not only chilling my heels, but wreaking havoc on the 20 or so whole pies on display on the counter above. It fostered a stale patina rather than something fresh out of the oven.
I ordered a slice with potato, bacon and scallions, the one that I heard so much about from Otto fans. I asked the counter girl what there was to drink and she pointed to a cooler on the shelf, which held cup sized cans of Coke and Ginger Ale, which are barely enough to wash the stuff down.
In a few short minutes my pizza slice was removed from the oven and put on the typical paper plate. One problem that I have with all pizzas by the slice is that they’re reheated to the sizzling hot stage, singing your upper palate for days. I always order mine a mouth-ready medium hot.
The offending wedge that I got was tepid and tired. There wasn’t much bacon or scallion flavor but the lumpy addition of potatoes (which sounds like a really bad pairing anyway) stayed with me all day like a chunk stuck somewhere in my digestive tract.
If you read the internet chatter on Portland pizza in general you see a lot of spurious praise for Otto’s by revelers who like to stop in late at night after heavy drinking: Nothing like a sloppy slab of pizza to make sensory perception sober and keen. For my money I’d stumble in to Leonardo’s for their choice of either thick or thin crust made with organic King Arthur flour.
Maybe it’s unfair to judge Otto’s on one slice of pizza at one visit. But, like I said, that slice should have been better.
John Golden makes no bones about sharing his opinion. If you'd like to share yours, email him at jgmaine@aol.com.
The views expressed on this Web site are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily represent the views of Down East Enterprise or its employees.
- John Golden
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what?
I don't think the issue is an honest, less than glowing review. This guy wrote about a typical paper plate beneath his take-out slice. He had one slice. One time. And wrote a [expletive deleted] article that a lot of people read. Its good pizza and its a cheap place to get a slice. It's not exactly possible to have a piping slab straight from the oven at exactly the moment you order it. Actually you can if you're there and its busy...which it often is because a lot of people line up...because it's good. I like a good review...positive or negative...but it should have been better.
bravo
Finally, an honest review. Regardless of ones views of otto, at the very least we have a reviewer who doesn't mind giving their "true" opinion. For years I have suffered through the pathetic portland press garbage. Can you get anything less than 4 stars??? Now we have the amateur bloggers on portlandfoomap, who quite frankly should stick to their day jobs instead of opining about something they know little about.
Thank you John for being refreshing and honest with your reviews. You will take critcism but keep up the good work.. we need you.
As for otto, i think their pizza is ok. I also think maine still lacks a standout pizza place. One person commented it is as good as lobardi's and grimaldi's in nyc... what?? not close. I know pizza is an opinion but if you've been to either of those places you know what im talking about. The best town for pizza in the northeast is not nyc however. That title belongs to New haven conn. YOU know the town where Yale Universtiy is. In a small radius you have frank pepe's pizza, sally's and modern pizza. All pizza's far superior to anything maine.
finally, lets stop with the negative comments. A review is only the opinion of the person writing it. The reasons we never get honest review here is because people often berate the reveiwer if its not 100% positive. Instead, we should welcome opinions good and bad and sort thru them yourself to form YOUR own opinon. This is the only way we will get reviews that have integrity and most importantly honesty.
Pizza ratings
Though,I have never been to Otto's and cannot judge, we do love stopping at non-chain pizza places. We love Pepe's in New Haven (can't wait to try Sally's) & love Flatbread Pizza. We have dined and enjoyed several pizza places in Portland, Camden & Boothbay. Each trip to Maine brings a new memory and a new pizza adventure.
I enjoy reading the blogs and am new as of today to DownEast.com. Please be honest when blogging, this is how folks know where to stop and eat while vacationing by reading blogs and talking to locals for food tips. We look forward to our Maine vacation every year and the serenity it brings.
otto's
Others have been more specific in their criticisms but I will just say: you're dead wrong. I have no idea why a food critic would write a review of a pizza place based on a single visit for a takeout slice but let me suggest that you order a pie and reconsider. Or maybe just stop writing about food in Portland if you're so lazy that you can't give them an opportunity to do what they do before you trash them. This is a disgraceful embarrassment for you and the publication you work for.
Have some respect
You deign to judge what is quite simply the best pizza in Portland by a single solitary slice? In a ideal world, yes, every one of the thousand slices or so that Otto's serves every day would be perfect. Yet, this world is not perfect, and for $3 flat, no one serves a better slice. No restaurant anywhere hits 100%. I've eaten at the meccas of pizzadom many times: Lombardi's, Patsy's, Grimaldi's, John's, etc. and Otto's can go crust to crust with them any day of the week. Hell, none of those places even serve a slice! Otto's may not have history on their side, but their consistency and service have been a light in the darkness of Portland pizza. Sadly, your review rings with condescending preconceptions. It's a "slip of a retail space" where pizza is served on "typical" paper plates? Did you expect bone china? "I always order mine a mouth-ready medium hot." What kind of foppish jackass are you? Do you go to Norm's and ask to speak to the sommelier? Slice jockey's reheat your slice, and they do not give a crap about your fine delineation between temperatures, nor should they. I would not want to live in a world where people can successfully order their slices medium hot anymore than I want to stand in line behind some tool micromanaging a barista through a half-caff soy mochachino with just a fine dusting of cinnamon.
Otto's raised pizza in Portland to the level that it has been in other exponentially larger towns for decades. Try it again, or not, it doesn't matter. Otto's doesn't need you or a good review in Downeast to thrive and survive. I have eaten there 100+ times and always been pleased, and I am not easy to please. They doubled in size within 2 years and opened a new outpost at the base of Munjoy Hill which by all signs is doing well, so methinks it's not just drunken late night revelers lined up at the counter. Have some respect for what the crew at Otto's has done. Bonobo? Flatbread? Otto's does it better, faster, cheaper. The pie is better. The crust is crustier, the toppings more inspired. Also, have some respect for Down East and the platform it represents. You have the bully pulpit here, sonny, and these words travel far and wide. The five minutes that you put into this review could actually discourage some flatlanders from going to Otto's. I suppose I should thank you for that. Still, what a tool.
John Golden has written
John Golden has written about food and dining for Gourmet Magazine, Cuisine Magazine, the New York Times, New York Post, and, most recently, wrote the blog Food for Thought on the Portland Press Herald’s MaineToday.com. He was also the NY editor of Cuisine Magazine and Publisher/editor Great Foods Magazine. In his highly opinionated blog, John reports on his experiences dining out all over Maine and on his visits to the many farmers’ markets throughout the state.
An informed opinion
Kathleen,
I'm not sure what they put in your wine that could leave you so enamored with such an average "pizza-product". Growing up in the Bronx and being a lifelong fan of many types of pizza, let me reassure you that John's assessment could not be more accurate. Pizza is supposed to be served fresh. If your slice needs reheating you are getting inferior pizza from the start. Give Otto's/Enzo's credit for attempting to be creative, but unfortunately its not about trying, it's about doing and they do not do pizza well. In fact, there is not a single place in Maine to get genuinely good tasting pizza.
Newsflash: The vacancy for a delicious slice of pizza in Maine has still not been filled.
A Contrary Opinion
John, I must respectfully disagree with your assessment. In my opinion, Otto's pizza is quite delicious. I particularly enjoy the pepperoni pizza. I have spent several evenings chowing on pizza and sipping red wine in the bay area of the dining room next door called Enzo. Not only do I find the atmosphere compellingly causal and bustling, but it is a prime spot for people watching as well.
You do have a point that perhaps your one slice should have been better. I'll give you that. (I had a slice of that potato, scallion, bacon one and it was far better than your description, so maybe you hit at an off time.) But I'd implore you to return, have a glass of wine next door, and sample a freshly-ordered pie. If you are still unimpressed, well, then, we'll have to agree to disagree. Pizza, after all, is a supremely personal matter of palate.
Kathleen Fleury
Features/Food Editor, Down East Magazine
Otto's
Yes indeed I had one slice of pizza, and as I concluded the post it's not necessarily a fair critique to judge the entire operation on that one slice. Yet, if it is so fabulous then any slice that I might try should be as good as the next. I had what I had and wasn't that impressed. The crust was thin but not ethereal. It's had a lot of hype and praise and I'm sure there's a decent slice to get there on a regular basis, but it was nothing special. in my experience. Also mashed potatoes on a pizza--one of their most popular choices that I hear about from others--seem like an awful combination like serving baked beans over mac and cheese. Probably pizza by the slice poses its own problems of hanging around on display only to be reheated. But I'm generally a buy-by-the slice sort of pizza eater and I've had good slices of pizza that have been reheated and thoroughly enjoyable. I'm sure my lone dig won't hurt their steady clientele.
Otto's
At some point you should go to Enzo's (next door same ovens), sit down and get an entire pizza. The slice method doesn't provide the same experience. When real tomatoes return try the Margerita(sp?), the only version I've had that comes close to the real thing (and Naples is not at hand). This traditionalist finds the mashed potato and several other combos weird, but they have all been tasty.
The other extreme for slice people is at Micucci's by Steve L. Plump classic Sicilian slices that make my mouth water when ever I see them on the rack.But you may have tried them...
The ottophenom
I must agree with the venerable Mr. G, (as I almost always do) but my comments are less about the temperature of the topping than the notion that a town like Portland can support a slice trade at all. Truth is, th best moment for pizza is sometime between the first moment it leaves the oven, freshly baked for the first time and the instant it's cool enough to take the first bite. In order to make and serve sufficient volume to insure non-reheated freshness and tip top variety and quality of pies is volume. Lots of volume. And no matter how popular, ain't nobody in Portland going to sell enough slices to insure top quality. Stand and thee shall seep. Crust gets soggy and toppings get mushy. Fact of pizza life.
Otto at its best is made to order and consumed on premise or damned close to it. And, in my humble opinion, mucking up genius with distractions like mashed potato is just asking for trouble. Stick to tomato, pork and cheese. Add veg or, for perverse thrill, pineapple, but none of this haut root veg. Distraction. Pure, fresh, hot equals delicious.
You've hit it right. But
You've hit it right. But let's not give the slice short shrift altogether. I like those gooey reheated slices without provenance or pretention but the high-end stuff should always be in a whole pie piping hot out of the oven