Mangia! Mangia!

It's been a week since my last post because of some internet issues and other things taking up my time. The local restaurants to review are adding up, but I wanted to get in another review from the Annapolis area.

For our last night in Annapolis, I was really craving some pizza. We had seen the typical pizza chains like Domino's and Papa John's, but I wanted to try something different if we could find it. As we were driving around and scoping out our possibilities, we stumbled upon Bertucci's, which was tucked away in a strip-mall parking lot. My dad said he'd been to a Bertucci's in Atlanta and was confident we could get some good pizza here, so we decided to give it a shot. As I've done with quite a few restaurants I've reviewed, I'll give Dad props on this choice.

The dining area was huge. One side of the restaurant seemed to be a bar, while the other side was a large dining area where most tables had views of the open kitchen and brick ovens. It's a step up from the local pizza/sports bar/pub, and had more of a P.F. Chang's/Macaroni Grill/Brio feel. Nice, but casual. Although the dining area was large, it was proportionate and most of the tables were being used. Also, the restaurant had an adequate staff to cover all the tables and provide quality service. Our waiter was prompt, friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful with our orders.  

The Ultimate Bertucci

I was hoping for some great food, especially pizza, and Bertucci's fit the bill. We ordered a couple different pizzas - a large Ultimate Bertucci and a small Stella. The Ultimate Bertucci is for meat lovers with the pie being divided into four corners, each of which is covered with a different meat topping - chicken, sausage, ham, and meatballs. It was delicious. The toppings were great (especially the meatballs & sausage) and the crust had excellent crispiness from being cooked in the brick oven. The Stella was our vegetarian pie, with toppings of mushrooms, eggplants, peppers, & basil. It was also good, but wasn't nearly as popular as the Ultimate Bertucci. The large was huge and could comfortably feed three people, if not four. If you're not in the mood for pizza, Bertucci's offers a number of other Italian dishes - pasta, salads, sandwiches, calzones, etc.

Along with the pizzas, Bertucci's also serves fresh rolls to your table before the meal. The rolls were hot and had a great crust and were served with a dish of olive oil and italian seasonings for dipping. If I hadn't had such a craving for pizza, I would have feasted on the rolls. Truth be told, I feasted on the rolls as well as the pizza. Shameless.

While the price was more than what you'd pay at Little Caesar's or the other major chains, it's not a bad deal. Most large pizzas are around $18, which isn't bad if it's feeding 3-4 people. And don't forget about the pre-meal rolls! The salads and other entrees appeared to range anywhere from $7-$16. I'd say the value is similar to Olive Garden, Macaroni Grill, and other similar Italian restaurants. Overall, I came away very impressed and know where I can get my pizza fix in Annapolis.