BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Dave Portnoy, pizza reviewer and owner of Barstool Sports, took a break from promoting his new memoir to review pizzas at two Bergen County restaurants this week.
Two weeks ago, Portnoy had stopped into Crispy Crust Pizza in Englewood, giving the decades-old establishment a rating of 6.8.
He returned to Bergen County for reviews in Ridgewood and Fair Lawn.
Portnoy typically delivers a "One Bite" pizza review after trying just one taste of a fresh, hot pie.
Pizzerias with high ratings often see a swell of business.
Newest Ratings
On Wednesday, Portnoy posted his review of Zevy's in Fair Lawn.
Zevy's, in a strip mall on River Road, serves up kosher pizza. So how did Portnoy like the twist?
"Very traditional New York-looking pie to me," he said, displaying a classic round pie. "On the doughy side, gotta let go. I don't want to burn my face off. I'd say this is a very traditional New York-style pizza."
He added, "a little goopy. That's going to happen when it's on the doughy side. It's very traditional, good. Almost after a couple beers. It's good stuff. Everything's fresh, tastes good."
He gave it a 7.5 on a scale of 1-10, placing it in the upper half of more than a thousand pizzerias he's reviewed.
The next day, he posted his review of Best of Everything, a deli in Ridgewood.
Portnoy said everything looked "great" at the deli.
But he was there for the pizza. The owner said the deli had served up small bar pies since 1988. The deli is 40 years old.
"Pizza's like a bar pie, looks really good," Portnoy says. "It's almost like a tomato bar pie-looking thing. The sandwiches, everything looks spectacular. The pasta, the penne, the sandwiches, everything looks [expletive] great. This could be up my alley."
After tasting the pie, he said, "I love pizza like this is light, easy, bar style. The cracker-y crust...Really, really good. This is excellent. I think the lunches and the sandwiches and the entire vibe is probably as good at the pizza. I could eat a hundred of these."
He gave the pie a 7.9 rating.
The owner said the pizza "put us on the map" and that he has sold them in bars in Hoboken too, including the Eighth Street Tavern.
Recent Reviews
Read past coverage of Portnoy's pizza reviews in Bergen County here:
Know of a restaurant opening or closing in Bergen County? Let Patch know so we can do a story. Reach us here.
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