George's Pizza Restaurant (D+)

It has been a year since I posted in the Barbecue Chicken Pizza blog!  Why did I take an extended hiatus from reviewing the world's favorite pizza--was it because I stopped eating barbecue chicken pizza?  Not at all.  After a lot of exploring and reviewing, I finally admitted to myself that Fred's Brick House Cafe made the best pizzas I have ever had in my life.  I've eaten a LOT of there wood-fired treats over the past year.  While  I did occasionally order chicken pizzas from other restaurants, it seemed silly to keep reviewing them since I had already found the best.

But I am back now.  Why?  Because I don't live near Fred's Brick House Cafe anymore!  I moved to Hartford, a full 30 minutes away from Fred's.  I'm in the middle of a city and I have no idea where to go for good pizza.  I asked around and nobody could point me to a good pizza joint, or hole-in-the-wall take-out or a beloved mom-and-pop institution.  Nobody seems to know anything about good pizza in Hartford.  

So I'm back on the case...and I'm bringing you all with me.

I found George's Pizza Restaurant on Yelp.  It had five glowing reviews and a five star rating and was just a couple miles from my house.  George's seemed like a great place to start, so I put in a call for...take-out.  George's doesn't deliver, but it was ok because getting there turned out to be half the fun.  George's Pizza Restaurant is located on Park Street in Hartford which, for those of you that don't know the local geography, is a colorful area.  It's a poor neighborhood, predominantly Puerto Rican, and has a reputation for being dangerous.  I think there are some annoying things about Park Street, where people yell at each other from a block away and step into traffic without looking, but I have to say that it seems like a warm, vibrant community.  George's Pizza Restaurant is located right where Park Street starts to turn from urban (ethnic) to suburban (white).  It's a cute joint that looks like it has been serving the community solidly for decades.

The Cheese Pizza

George's makes deep dish pizzas that have a yummy, flaky crust.  The cheese on top was slightly overcooked an chewy--something that I actually enjoy a lot.  Unfortunately, the cheese pizza I ordered was bland and tasteless.  There was no seasoning in the sauce, the cheese or the crust.

The Barbecue Chicken Pizza

The menu promised a pizza with chicken, BBQ sauce, ricotta cheese and bacon, a description that excited my mouth and my belly.  When I got home and opened the box, I found that the pizza was constructed using the Envelope Method.  All the toppings were tucked in the space between the cheese and the crust.

What are you hiding?!

The Chicken

The chicken was leftover dark meat with an unpleasant texture.

The Sauce

The BBQ sauce was a bit sour and unappealing.

The Overall Taste
This pizza was bland.  Remember how I said that the cheese pizza was bland?  Yeah, this pizza was bland, too.  I was excited by the promise of bacon and ricotta but I was disappointed.   The bacon?  Bland, fatty chunks.  The ricotta?  Bland, fatty mush.  Three blands do not make a bright.

Rating

I was very disappointed by this pizza.  The description sounded delicious and the pizza looked delicious.  When I put it in my mouth, though, there was no delicious anywhere to be seen.  The pizza's saving grace was a tasty crust with a great texture.  George's Pizza Restaurant gets a D+. 

Your mother and I are very disappointed in you.