Sausage & Pepperoni NY-style slice |
Some places have zero shame. Take Vittorio's Pizzeria, home to the pushiest, rudest "employee" I've had the displeasure to observe in years. Vittorio's (formerly or currently Mamma Illardo's... it's hard to tell) dominates the back wall of the Union Station food court, a notoriously tough sell for anyone with working taste buds. I fell across this disaster of an eatery earlier this afternoon, and decided to give it a go. After all, how bad can a $3.25 slice of pizza be?
Before ordering, I had to endure the hard-selling antics of Vittorio's obnoxious pest behind the counter. This guy yelled at each and every passerby "Hey you, get a sample... Hey you!" Hmm... underdone wedges of pizza handled by a guy you'd expect to find in a seedy Istanbul outdoor market. No thanks, I think I'll pass. I went instead to one of two relatively quiet female employees, and asked for one slice of Sausage & Pepperoni pizza (New York style.) While my pizza was heating up, I noticed the aforementioned shark peddling his samples to folks halfway up the nearest escalator... a good 30 feet away, at least. All the while, an even seedier-looking owner (arms folded, dour expression) kept a controlling eye on his sales force. It was like watching a scene from Goodfellas meets Midnight Express.
Thankfully, my pizza arrived sooner than later; and I grabbed a stool at a nearby high table. First impressions were OK size, proper temperature and few toppings. Not exactly mouth-watering jargon, is it? The pepperoni tasted of nothing; while the crumbs of sausage actually tasted pretty good (too bad there was so little of it.) I should have added crushed red peppers, as the cheese and sauce matched the pepperoni bite for bite in blandness. All the while, I had to watch that sales guy verbally molest every man, woman and child in the vicinity. You can cross lousy atmosphere off my pizza bucket list: I witnessed enough to last a lifetime. While you're at it, cross this wannabe slice off the same list.
Atmosphere: F (One of the worst food courts in town.)
Crust: B- (Best part of a below-average slice of pizza.)
Toppings: D (Sausage crumbles were good... That's it.)
Service: F (The woman who helped me was OK, but that other guy...)
Value: D (I've spent more for less.)
Overall: D- (The pizza isn't terrible: Otherwise, the owner & sample guy deserve an F.)