Italian Carry Out — Restaurant in Town of Ithaca

Review: Italian Carry Out, Ithaca NY

First things first; I ordered my standard “review” pizza, a pizza with extra cheese, and the pizza showed up with much of the cheese pooled to one side. That is a major negative, as it showed a lack of attention to the product showing up to your door in reasonable condition. So, putting the cheese-slide aside, this pizza was overall tasty. Ithaca NY has a pizza problem, in that much of the pizza is horrible. There are a handful of worthy places, and a good slice in Ithaca will certainly stand out; especially if you have had the bad. This pizza did not disappoint in the way of flavor, and is worthy of your taste buds. The sauce was saucy, not thick, not thin; good flavor that complemented the cheese and dough. Speaking of the dough, it was fairly good, weakish, an ok texture, not over the top, but not scraping the bottom. I would buy this pizza again.

The Next Day: I love my pizza the next day (or later on that night), cold out of the fridge, and this slice holds up with the next day maturation of flavors. We all know that many foods taste better the next day after the flavors have a chance to mingle; Pizza especially!

The Pizza Guys 0-10 scale of Pizza excellence:

Dough: I give the dough a (4). The texture was kind of weak, and the flavor could have been more involved. The dough needs to support the slice. It is the foundation of the pie, and must be able to support the sauce and cheese. We all know that a weak slice will cause a cheese slide, and get you a nice cleaning bill..

Sauce: I give the sauce a (8). because it was fruity and flavorful. It was not sugary, or acidic. You can tell that the sauce is made with love! I was raised in an Italian family, we had tomatoes growing everywhere, even the driveway at our house on Long Island. The whole block was Italian and we would all get together to make sauce, which we called gravy! This sauce reminds me of those days. The sauce brought everything together, and it was perfect on every bite; it totally complimented the whole slice. I loved that it was loose, but not runny.

Cheese: I give the cheese a solid (7). The cheese is a good grade mozzarella, and tastes freshly grated. Just enough salt to bring out the milky flavors, and melts nicely into the bed of sauce and dough. The better the grade mozzarella, the better the melt, and overall flavor; especially if it's whole milk. In my view, you should never skimp out on cheese, less fat will cost you in flavor. Save your calories somewhere else, and don’t sacrifice your cheesy pizza experience!

Total Pizza Guy score for, Italian Carry Out in Ithaca NY: Score: “6.3!”

The score may be 6.3, but you can add 2 more points since it’s Ithaca. Although, there is no doubt that this pie would do well if it was sold in NYC! Cheers!

Thepizzaguyreview.com...

What is good food? It brings comfort. It makes your face smile, your eyes crinkle with joy. Your tongue looks all over the inside of your mouth for that last morsel, and licks those lips to savor every drop. Your nose delights in the scent. That’s what Italian Carryout gave me, and delivers to me every time I order – whether in person or by phone. In person, I can close my eyes, hear the bustle of family folks working to do their best for you. That rhythm, clacking of utensils against metal pans. People sitting, talking, laughing. It reminds you of what home should bring – and reflects that atmosphere of a family tradition honored with each new day. A tradition maintained by Christine, Tyler & Michael. That is what I get from Italian Carryout – ICO. Good food. Warmth. Great Customer service, and a feeling of satisfaction from the...

Simply put - everything is great! My favorite meal in town is the Flying Squirrel sub. First - all subs are made with Ithaca bakery bread and they're frankly the best sub rolls I've ever had. The Squirrel specifically is a a Philly cheese sub and a Buffalo chicken sub on one roll. (I also recommend adding bacon). They have several wing sauce options to pick from, but I love their traditional 'hot'.

They also make some really great pizzas and they have a ton of options for them. Wings are fantastic and lots of options. Employees are always friendly and helpful. To boot, they have free delivery to the Ithaca area!

Oh yeah - the I in ICO, they have fantastic Italian options and easily the best sauce in town. Highly recommend the raviolis' and an order of the...