After this weekend’s interlude I am ready to dive back into pizza with Day 4 of the Atlanta Pizza Days. Well, the weekend was really only a pizza pause for you readers, I continued to eat pizza all weekend. I’ve hit up 6 spots so far and really, I’m not tired of it yet. My slice count is now at 35, including the two slices I devoured along with some pastitisio at about 2AM after returning from Fox & Hounds on Friday night.
I did get to eat a little something other than pizza that is noteworthy. On Saturday before heading over to the Inman Park area, I briefly met up with Dirty and Lady Dirty at Eno in Midtown. They were getting some small plates that they were kind enough to let me sample, including a gnocchi/abalone dish that was fantastic. Even better, Eno’s awesome chef Eli brought out a little dessert for us – a yuzu meringue created with xantham gum, topped with crushed pistachio, served individually on wonton spoons. It was like a light wisp of fruity air, yet texturally interesting and dense enough to support the pistachio, with a slightly sweet finish that I tasted for at least five minutes.
Aight, back to pizza. Today’s featured pizza spot was a new one to me. A friend of mine who loves the pie told me that there was a spot near his office that had average service, good pizza, but could be hit or miss. Harry’s Pizza and Subs is located on Power’s Ferry near 285/75, but they also have a new location at the fabulous West End mall. Having tried a few places around ATL that have been less than exciting to me, I was stoked to try somewhere new. When I heard the service could be spotty, for some reason that peaked my interest even further. I sort of envisioned a soup nazi environment; curt staff, fast ordering, no nonsense, great food.
Was my totally unjustified assumption spot on? Let’s dig in…
Dough (average score – 2.13/5)
- “deflates on touch/spongy, too much cornmeal on bottom“
- “a lot of flop”
- Blind Taste - “fluffy crust, maybe a little too doughy”
- Blind Taste – “tastes frozen, whole wheat?, chewy”
Sauce (average score – 2.88/5)
- “a lot of flavor, very healthy amount of tomatoes”
- “I like the flavor, right amount of sauce”
- Blind Taste - “straight up tomato sauce”
- Blind Taste - “standard – nothing notable”
Cheese (average score – 2.88/5)
- “ good proportion of cheese to crust”
- “pretty standard but good amount – no complaints”
- Blind Taste - “plain jane”
- Blind Taste - “standard like the sauce”
Overall (average score – 2.63/5)
- “decent new york style, except dough, I liked it”
- “no notes – 3.5 overall”
- Blind Taste - “tastes like Pizza Hut”
- Blind Taste – “tastes like crappy once frozen pizza”
Final Thoughts: I thought the dough was almost exactly like Mellow Mushroom’s. My photos aren’t great (forgot the real camera) but they had a very similar texture, look, and they both used cornmeal on the bottom and a light dusting of parmesan on the endcrust. They had a similar feel – if you press the endcrust it is slightly spongy and will inflate to it’s initial form upon release. Harry’s definitely does not serve up an artisanal pie, but it was decent enough New York style. I liked the flavor of the sauce, the amount of sauce, and the cheese had good flavor with some nice light browning. It’s really just the dough that was not my thing.
If this is the style you are looking for, or if you are a Mellow Mushroom regular, I recommend giving Harry’s a shot. I think they do a better job of that particular style of pizza than MM. Is it my favorite ever? Nope, but I don’t have any regrets and man was the rest of this pizza good at 2AM.
Also, worth noting, the blind tasting scores came in waaaay lower than the live tasting. The pizza was only in my fridge for about 6-7 hours before the tasting, but I think this shows how much a fresh pie can dominate over reheated. I do reheat in the oven on a stone, but the dough is especially going to suffer, and I think that was definitely the case here.
Thanks for reading, and be sure to check in every day this week for the latest from the Atlanta Pizza Days!
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