Casa Bianca Pizza

11/25/09

Friendly folks, mediocre pizza, so-so-food

by Foodie Jones at Citysearch

We were so disappointed, that we thought it might be a mistake, or an off night-- so we went back a second time. The staff were pleasant, as were the other customers. Should other customers matter? In the case of Casa Bianca, they are a major factor, since the place is always full (in fact--swarming)! This means a long wait, which may help spark appetites and form the impression that the food is actually good. The atmosphere is warm, kitschy and very cozy, like a "red" (sauce) American-Italian joint you remember from childhood. Maybe its naive charm is the attraction, or neighborhood loyalty, or the late owner's family and staff. Because the food is not great. Freshly cooked, maybe. Retro, sure. But the kind of retro where the eggplant slices are breaded with Progresso-type pre-seasoned, overly fine, overly dry breadcrumbs, with fake-tasting seasoning and way too much metallic-tasting cheap table salt. The eggplant finally tasted like fake, corporate Big Food, pre-packaged stuff from a shortcut taken somewhere in the ingredients (in this case, bread and spices). Other dishes, too were disappointing and forgettable, though served in large portions and well-priced. The "parmesan" cheese at table was the dry, poor-quality stuff that seems made for such 'retro" restaurants. The pizza crust was even more disappointing, bland, tasting flat from either low-quality or old flour (or both), with no interesting taste of quality yeast at all, and a poor texture--like stale, salt-free bread. I know they make it fresh, and there is obviously a constant turnover, so, again, it must be the ingredients... bulk, cheap, or stored too long. There's a reason why pizzas like the ones at Mozza, Spark, the old Alessi, etc, require real effort to acquire special flour, yeast, salt and oil-- it's called taste. Ingredients do make a difference, though apparently not to everyone, or even the majority . The sauce wasn't actually bad-- but while tangy (not always a great thing), it also tasted of bulk, pre-ground spices, like so much commercial frozen pizza. The cheese was also ordinary corporate bulk. But for us, the eggplant on the pizza ruined it beyond salvage.

• Pros: friendly atmosphere, lively, trust-inspiring retro look
• Cons: Mediocre food, disappointing pizza, bland, tasteless crust

07/13/09

Not the best

by CSMobileUser4 at Citysearch

This is no more than a neighbor pizza joint with a lot of charm. Don't expect great food.

06/04/09

not so much...

by josen at Citysearch

we waited forever. ordered standard pepperoni. it was not worth the wait. i did go back a second time just to make sure. it takes too long and not that great for my taste.

• Pros: checkered table cloths
• Cons: looooong wait, greasy.