Editor’s Note: Last year, Michael and Nicole Borrell began reviewing Lebanon Valley’s restaurants and eating attractions as the Lebanon Valley Food Critics. Since then, the couple has aimed to offer unbiased reviews of the eating and drinking establishments the Lebanon Valley has to offer. LebTown is pleased to be partnering with LVFC to share these reviews with our readers. Bon appétit!
Welcome to the first season of our highly anticipated Lebanon Valley Pizza Wars. Eight entrants from four regions of the Valley will compete, bracket style, to be declared the winner of Best Pizza in The Valley.
Our judgement will be based upon several factors including style of specialty slice, sauce, crust, and overall impression.
We conclude the first round in the South Region pitting Angelo’s in Iona against CC’s Pizza in Quentin.
During our visit to Angelo’s, we sampled several different specialty slices. We had a sausage/pepper/onion slice, a broccoli white with tomato slice, a slice of “The Nancy” (sweet pepper, onion, mozz, and black olives), and a slice of their newest pie, the grandpa (meat sauce and mozz). The slices were large, and the crust was evenly crispy from center to edge. The flavor of ingredients blended well together, and was enhanced with pepper flakes and garlic. The pizza itself comes across as something different from the normal pizza around.
At CC’s Pizza, we grabbed ourselves a slice of BBQ chicken bacon ranch, a plain Sicilian slice, a classic pepperoni slice, and a ham puff. We know the ham puff is not pizza, but we included it anyway; it looked good. The slices have a good doughy texture that gives comfort to any pizza fan. The BBQ specialty slice was a great bite, and we liked the chicken chunks it had, although the BBQ tended to overpower the ranch flavor. The sauce was a decent blend for the pies and the Sicilian was a fantastic crispy bite.
The winner: Once again we have another tough decision. Angelo’s, the size and quality of the slice and dough made this something that stands out. CC’s has a quality sauce and the comfort of traditional pizza. After much deliberation, we selected Angelo’s as our winner from the South Region!
This concludes our first round of #PizzaWars. Be on the lookout for the final round coming up!
If you have a restaurant you would like us to visit or review, whether a place you like or are nervous to try, please message us on Facebook or email lvfoodcritics@outlook.com and let us know. We thank everyone for the recommendations and the kind words we have received.