Rock-It Pizza Discovered

I love pizza. I don't know a lot of people who don't share the same sentiment. It is a universally loved food that is easy to eat and is extremely versatile.

I had the opportunity to compare the U.S. pizza to the original Italian one last year in Italy. We had lots of it, but the best one was on the highway right outside of Rome driving towards Umbria. We stopped for lunch and I ordered a piece of mushroom and truffle pizza. It was, hands down, the best pizza I've ever eaten. The mushroom and truffle flavor was unmistaken and the texture was amazing. For the rest of our trip, I couldn't get that pizza out of my mind. I guess you can't judge the food by the establishment.

Back home, we frequent a brick oven pizzeria.

After last week's review, I received some emails from Patch readers recommending some local restaurants. One of them was Rock-It Pizza, 560 Valley Road. They said it was a take-out place only and served really good pizza.

The outside is extremely unassuming and so is the inside. We walked into a warm room with a counter and the pizza oven in the back. Three gentlemen were working back there and one of them came up to take my order. I explained it was my first time and I would like to eat their special pizza — the one they make the best. He said they make all of them well. The menu consisted of some appetizers, salads, pastas, hot and cold subs and some entrees, as well. The pizza list had quite a few topping choices. He explained they only make a 16" pie. I asked if he recommended traditional or thin crust. He was not willing to commit to either. I then asked his personal choice and he chose thin crust.

In order to taste the pizza ($12), I decided to keep it simple and order a plain pie. My daughter likes mushrooms, but only if they are fresh, not canned. In this case, they used canned, so we went with half plain and half olives (her second favorite topping).

I also ordered garlic bread ($2.95) and a Caesar salad ($4.95).

We brought the food home and opened the bags. The pizza smelled amazing. The garlic bread looked and felt like it had been assembled yesterday and baked a few times. The garlic flavor was adequate but I felt it had too much butter.

The salad had chunks of Romaine lettuce and a few croutons and was doused with salad dressing. I had one bite and was able to taste bottled dressing instead of fresh. There was no trace of Caesar dressing at all — what I mean is, there was no anchovy flavor. To me, that is what makes a good Caesar dressing.

In terms of looks, the pizza was satisfactory. I was a bit disappointed with the oil floating on top. The pie was super thin and the crust was crunchy — just the way I like it. When I ordered the thin crust pie, I wasn't sure if it would be enough for three adults and a child. I was satisfied after one slice, but had another half because it was delicious. It was the kind where you have to fold the slice in half in order to eat.

Rating: OO (two oranges)

In the next few weeks, I will be trying all pizza places in West Orange. If you know of any hidden gems, send me an e-mail.