DE Pizza Review: Russo by the Sea

Rating:

Final Composite Score: 6 out of 8 slices

[Her: 6 out of 8 slices]

[Him: 6 out of 8 slices]

Read the full "dialogue review" below these real-time pictures of your reviewers' pizza slices.

Pictures by author of the actual pizza slices consumed by your correspondents at Russo by the Sea

Him:

This is our review of Russo by the Sea, a combination pizzeria, sandwich shop, and Italian market tucked into the corner of one of the Tanger Outlets in Rehoboth Beach.

And let me begin by saying that I don't think anyone has ever started a conversation about great cuisine with the phrase, "you have to try the mall pizza." But maybe they should.

Because I have to admit, Russo by the Sea surprised me.

Her:

Let's not get carried away. It's still not high-end dining.

Him:

No, it's not white-tablecloth pizza eaten with fine silver.

Her:

Exactly.

Him:

But pizza doesn't have to be fancy to be good.

We tried three slices: a New York-style cheese slice, a Meat Lovers slice, and a white vegetable slice with ricotta.

Why don't you start with the cheese pizza?

Her:

The New York slice was good.

The crust was structurally excellent. It folded the way a New York slice should fold, held together perfectly, and had just the right combination of chew and crunch.

Like so many places we've reviewed, the crust could have used a little more salt, but the texture was exactly right.

The mozzarella was the standout. There was a generous amount of it, and it was rich, milky, and flavorful. It tasted like real mozzarella.

The sauce was the weakest part. It wasn't bad—it simply didn't contribute much. It needed something brighter, saltier, sweeter, or just more distinctive. I actually found myself reaching for the red pepper flakes to wake it up a little.

Him:

I agree with almost all of that.

If you're from New York, New Jersey, or Philadelphia, you would immediately recognize this slice of cheese pizza. It comes right out of that tradition and it lives up to it.

You're exactly right that the mozzarella deserves special praise. Once again, we're celebrating the too-infrequent use of actual mozzarella.

It was creamy, it had pull, and it tasted like cheese. Like it's supposed to.

The crust was both crunchy and chewy at the same time, which is harder to achieve than people realize. A lot of places manage one or the other. Russo achieved both, which should be the goal.

The sauce had a pleasant tomato flavor, but it wasn't particularly bright or tomator-forward. Personally, I like a slightly sweeter New York-style sauce, so I wanted just a little more personality.

Still, this was a good New York slice worthy of the name.

Her:

The white vegetable slice was actually my favorite.

It was a square slice—what our neighbors in New Jerysey would have called a Grandma slice, although maybe not quite as thick as a traditional Grandma or Sicilian slice. The thickness was just right.

It wasn't heavy or doughy, and it wasn't paper-thin either. The edges had those wonderful crispy bits of baked cheese that make you wonder why every pizza doesn't have them.

The vegetables were cooked beautifully.

The mozzarella was excellent again, and the ricotta was rich and creamy.

My only criticism is something I almost always say about ricotta: it needs a companion. Give it a little salt. Give it a shake of pepper. Give it some garlic. Give it a sprinkling of oregano. Give it a basil leaf. Give it a drizzle of olive oil.

Just give it something sharp to play against all that creamy richness.

Other than that, I thought this slice was terrific.

Him:

I completely agree.

The thing that impressed me most was actually the vegetables. The broccoli tasted like broccoli. It was a little al dente. It hadn't been cooked into submission. The sliced tomatoes tasted like tomatoes.

Everything had been cooked just enough without losing its identity.

That may actually be my headline from this review: These pizzeristas know what they're doing. Every ingredient tasted like they respected it. Not everything came out exactly the way I personally would have designed it, but every ingredient was prepared thoughtfully.

When your broccoli still has a little crunch on a slice of pizza, somebody back there understands how to do their job well.

Her:

One thing worth mentioning is that we were eating slices, not whole pies. That's not how we usually do it.

The New York slice had just come out of the oven, but the others had been sitting briefly before being reheated.

And honestly, if these slices tasted this good after sitting for a little while, I can only imagine how good a whole pie would be fresh out of the oven.

Him:

That's a very important point. Normally we review freshly made pizzas. We order whole pies. This time we stopped in for lunch, which is unusual for us.

Her:

And we didn't have our usual beer or beers, more precisely. Or Caesar salad.

It was a very different review experience.

Him:

Yes. So, Russo by the Sea is being judged at a slight disadvantage here. If anything, I suspect a fresh pie would score even higher.

Her:

I did steal one piece of pepperoni from your Meat Lovers slice.

Him:

Well, stole? I offered it. But you didn't say "no."

Her:

It was excellent. It didn't taste like supermarket pepperoni.

It tasted like something from an Italian deli. Of course, we were eating pepperoni in a literal Italian deli.

Him:

That Meat Lovers slice was actually my favorite of the three.

The pepperoni was excellent. The sausage was excellent. Every meat on the pizza was excellent.

The sauce fit the toppings perfectly. The crust supported everything beautifully.

In fact, the crust almost reminded me of focaccia—not because it was thick, but because it seemed to have herbs baked right into it. It had real flavor.

When people hear "mall pizza," they think of anonymous chain pizza that's been sitting under a heat lamp for six hours. I could mention names. But I won't.

Russo by the Sea is the exact opposite of that. This isn't Sbarro. Oh look, I mentioned a name.

This is handcrafted pizza made with high-quality ingredients by people who clearly know what they're doing.

One other thing we should mention is that we had a chance to chat briefly with the person we think may be the owner. Whether he was the owner or not, everyone working there was incredibly friendly.

It's counter service. You order at the register, they give you a number, they call your number, and you collect your food.

Simple. Efficient. Warm.

Everybody around us seemed happy. Everybody seemed to know the staff. It felt like the sort of neighborhood place you'd become a regular at very quickly. Except it's in a mall.

Her:

And now I can't stop thinking about what you said earlier.

Him:

Which part?

Her:

That the crust "supported" the toppings. It's basically an emotional support crust.

Him:

An emotional support crust? I like that. I can use all the help I can get.

Her:

You also kept calling them "pizzeristas."

Him:

And . . .

Her:

The word you're looking for is "pizzaiolo."

Him:

I understand that. But "pizzerista" sounds like a pizza barista.

I think I'm inventing a new profession. Last week, I granted myself an advanced degree in "pizza engineering."

All right.

Time for our final scores.

I'm giving Russo by the Sea six out of eight slices.

Because at the end of the day, the questions I always ask myself: Did I enjoy myself when I ate this pizza? Was it a celebration? Was the pizza satisfying? Did every bite make me happy?

Here, the answers were "yes, yes, yes, and yes."

Not every bite was extraordinary. Some were simply good. Some were genuinely excellent.

To me, that's a six.

Her:

I'm also giving it a six.

But I'm leaving myself room to improve that score.

Because once we've finished reviewing every pizza place on our list, I want to return to Russo by the Sea and order a whole pie fresh out of the oven.

I honestly think there's a decent chance this score goes up.

Him:

And just to defend today's review and scores a little bit, we're reviewing Russo by the Sea exactly the way many customers experience it.

People come in. They order slices. They eat lunch. That's what we did.

Her:

But if you go to Russo by the Sea and order a whole pie, let us know what you think. Leave us a comment.

If it's even better than you expected after reading this review, we'd love to hear about it.

Him:

So that's our review of Russo by the Sea, tucked into the Tanger Outlets in Rehoboth Beach. But much, much better than you would expect from mall pizza. Much better.