Last night, I had the privilege of visiting the highly acclaimed Berkshire Dining Commons for dinner. While it can be incredibly crowded at times, the general consensus amongst students is that it is the best place to eat on campus (for students with a meal plan, anyway). The layout is nice, complete with large televisions and comfortable chairs, booths, and high tops. The pizza selection was vast, as an array of six different pizzas lay awaiting me--all of which were oven-fired and looked delicious. While I chose cheese (as always) for review purposes, other pizza options included pepperoni, chicken bacon ranch and BBQ, white garlic, caesar salad, and vegetarian.
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Crust: 5
I enjoyed the perfect thinness of the crust. It was complimentary to the sauce and cheese, without being overpowering. Unfortunately, it was too crispy and the outside edge was stale to the point that I could not bite through it comfortably. I liked the fact that it was not overly thin and flimsy, but it was too crunchy for my taste.
Sauce: 8
The sauce was very tasty, with tiny chunks of tomato and a touch of basil and garlic. I really enjoyed the fact that it was light and fresh, which made me crave more. Sometimes it is nice to have a dark, dense sauce that really takes command. Other times I appreciate one that provides a nice compliment to the rest of the pizza, but does not overpower the entire slice.
Cheese: 8
My taste buds deciphered that there was a taste of cheddar, in addition to the mozzarella. This is evident based on the additional oils on top of the cheese. Cheddar is much more greasy than mozzarella, and that is evident here. However, this is pizza that we're talking about -- greasy isn't always bad! I'm a big cheddar guy, so I actually enjoyed the savory flavor of the mixture quite a lot.
The Golden Ratio: 9
I really enjoy a summery, thin crust pizza that will not fill me up to the point where I can hardly breathe. It seemed like that's the approach that Berk was going for here, but the crust was actually too thin for my liking--to the point where it was crunchy. I'd put the golden ratio of crust:sauce:cheese at 1:2:2. A little bit thicker crust might have saved it from being overly crispy.
Texture/Consistency: 7
The main portion of the pizza (the part covered in sauce and cheese) was supported by a slightly crunchy crust and a tasty sauce and cheese blend that made for an enjoyable texture. The slightly crispy (but not overly crispy, like the outside of the slice) crust smoothly contrasted the toppings above it. However, the fact that the crust was stale really turned me off in terms of texture. I do realize that it may have not just come out of the oven, and I have had good (but not great) crust at Berk many times before, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt with a score of 7 here.
Overall: 7.4
In the end, this oven-fired slice of cheese pizza was light and tasty. While it certainly was not the freshest slice that I've eaten, there is something to be said for the fact that it provided a great compliment to my salad. This is a good lunch pizza that won't fill you up too much to the point where you need a nap at 2:30pm.
The Golden Ratio: 9
I really enjoy a summery, thin crust pizza that will not fill me up to the point where I can hardly breathe. It seemed like that's the approach that Berk was going for here, but the crust was actually too thin for my liking--to the point where it was crunchy. I'd put the golden ratio of crust:sauce:cheese at 1:2:2. A little bit thicker crust might have saved it from being overly crispy.
Texture/Consistency: 7
The main portion of the pizza (the part covered in sauce and cheese) was supported by a slightly crunchy crust and a tasty sauce and cheese blend that made for an enjoyable texture. The slightly crispy (but not overly crispy, like the outside of the slice) crust smoothly contrasted the toppings above it. However, the fact that the crust was stale really turned me off in terms of texture. I do realize that it may have not just come out of the oven, and I have had good (but not great) crust at Berk many times before, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt with a score of 7 here.
Overall: 7.4
In the end, this oven-fired slice of cheese pizza was light and tasty. While it certainly was not the freshest slice that I've eaten, there is something to be said for the fact that it provided a great compliment to my salad. This is a good lunch pizza that won't fill you up too much to the point where you need a nap at 2:30pm.
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