Just as Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy was on the precipice of revealing the score of a cheese pizza slice from Denly Gardens, the East Weymouth pizzeria’s co-owner Mark Caruso burst through the side door and onto the sidewalk.
“How was the undercarriage?” Caruso asked with a smile during Portnoy’s Dec. 10 visit to the South Shore. He was referring to how well the crust holds when picked up, one of Portnoy’s deciding factors in how a pizza will rank from zero to 10.
To frequent observers of Portnoy’s popular YouTube channel, One Bite Pizza Reviews, it can be seen as a faux pas for a pizza-maker to hover around as Portnoy comes up with a rating. Would a pizzeria owner lingering over the One Bite reviewer have any influence on the final score?
Portnoy didn’t seem to think so. Besides, he noted that Denly Gardens would get a score bump of one or two points based solely on the restaurant’s “major vibes.”
The 6½-minute video posted Jan. 5 has racked up more than 230,000 views, showing for a moment the old-school character of the 90-year-old restaurant at 25 Lake St. Caruso showed Portnoy the decor and memorabilia that had been carried over from his father’s baseball card shop.
“Think of the characters that have walked into this place, the history back here,” Caruso tells Portnoy. “This is an iconic spot. There’s no barstools here. Standing room only.”
More:A ‘holey’ Quincy story of how a sea captain invented a doughnut that didn’t sink
South Shore restaurant scene:Quincy closings, a rooftop view and more muffins than ever
What review did Denly Garden’s get from Portnoy?
The reviews were in for Denly Gardens and two other South Shore pizza spots as of Monday afternoon. Portnoy gave Denly’s an 8.1 rating and said it would make his “must-hit list” for pizza in Massachusetts.
(Caruso had posted on social media that he received an 8.2, but in the video, Portnoy mentions passively that a second slice he tried would have scored one-tenth of a point higher. Portnoy’s original rating still stood.)
Portnoy pointed to the “cracker-thin” crust and the restaurant’s history as pros. But the cheese slice got docked points because it wasn’t as sturdy as he would have liked. His preference is New Haven style.
“I’m happy,” Caruso said. “I’m into it, man. I appreciate it.”
Mark Caruso shares the reason for the recipe
Caruso was able to have a back-and-forth with Portnoy, explaining, for example, the reason why the pizza slice got crispier as he made his way toward the crust is because of the addition of extra virgin olive oil.
“We don’t put grease on it for the sake of putting grease on it,” he said.
‘A good pizza’:Barstool’s Dave Portnoy reviews Denneno’s in Stoughton before closure
Portnoy said Denly Gardens had been on his to-try list previously, but he couldn’t make it because he was “pizza’d out.”
“I wouldn’t change anything you’re doing. You have an iconic spot,” Portnoy told Caruso.
What Portnoy said in 2023:Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy takes ‘One Bite’ out of South Shore pizza scene
Venus Cafe is a taste of home
When the man who is famous in part for his “One Bite” pizza reviews needs a taste of home, he can now make a stop at Venus Cafe in Whitman.
Dave Portnoy, who created the sports media company Barstool Sports, gave a high rating for the pizzeria at 47 South Ave. Part of that had to do with the restaurant itself.
“When you hear me say ‘bar pizza,’ it generally looks exactly like this,” Portnoy told to his viewers, who may be unfamiliar with the South Shore staple, in a video review posted Monday evening. The pie had a distinct crust and spots of burned cheese. “It can be a little thinner, a little drier. But it’s the inside. It’s just a slab of brick with an old sign like that. And on the inside, it’s dingy, cold weather, drink – there’s something about it that speaks to me on a primal level.”
Portnoy is from Swampscott on the North Shore, but said he lived for a short time in Abington.
In the video review, owner John Drosos told Portnoy he can take a look around his restaurant as he pleases. The restaurant has been around since 1964.
“I’ve got nothing to hide. I’m not going to tell you how I make pizza, but if you want to take a look around, sure, I don’t mind,” he said. In the back, workers who had recognized Portnoy wailed with excitement at his presence in the shop. Pizza shops visited by Portnoy often get a wave of business after his reviews launch.
“When I’m scoring these bar pies, it’s not just the pizza,” he said. “It’s the guy in there. It’s the whole atmosphere, everything about it. I love this style. It reminds me of home.”
Portnoy hemmed and hawed over the score before landing on an 8.1, the same as Denly Gardens in Weymouth. He noted that he preferred the Venus Cafe pizza a little more than Denly’s, but wished there was less grease.
Regardless, Denly Gardens and Venus Cafe join just a handful of South Shore pizzerias that have scored 8 or higher on Portnoy’s list. Those include Rosie’s Pizzeria in Braintree at 9.2, Town Spa Pizza in Stoughton at 9.0; and Lynwood Cafe in Randolph at 8.0, all of which were rated in 2013.
Only one pizza shop has ever gotten a 10 from Portnoy, and that was Monte’s Restaurant in Lynn.
Zack’s Pizza in Randolph: “Would be proud to call this my hometown pizza”
The first words out of Portnoy’s mouth after chewing on a slice from Zack’s Pizza in Randolph: “Very good.”
As he emerged from the 60-year-old shop at 79 N. Main St., Portnoy opened the pizza box to reveal to the camera a steaming pie. The hot cheese slid around as he wobbled the box from side to side.
It still was missing that crunchy oomph that Portnoy looked for, but he rated it a 7.7, saying it was “very good” and “high-end.”
“I feel like I’m repeating myself, but I don’t know. The pizza talks to me, I don’t talk for it,” he said.
This time, the owner paid Portnoy no mind, continuing to make pizzas in the background of the video.
“I would be proud to call this my hometown pizza. I really would,” Portnoy said.
The latter half of the video posted Jan. 3 shows Portnoy paying a visit to Kerms, a nearby sneaker boutique.
Castle Island Brewery in Norwood: Pizza truck review
Portnoy also visited a pizza truck parked at Castle Island Brewery in Norwood.
Bardo’s is owned by the family behind Lombardo’s, the Randolph-based events venue. The family’s business began in 1927 as a meat market in East Boston then became the Liberty Markets chain, after which the family went into catering, according to their website. Bardo’s exclusively caters to the brewery at 31 Astor Ave.
Portnoy noted in his review that the slice of bar pizza he tried was thicker, greasier and less sturdy than he would have hoped for. That’s what led to a rating of 6.8.
“This pizza’s a mess, a little bit,” he said. “Not bad, but it’s not my style for bar pizza.”
But surely, Nacho, a bystander’s 3½-month Arubian Cunucu puppy that was featured in the video, wouldn’t have minded a bite.
Hannah Morse covers growth and development for The Patriot Ledger. Want to know more about a project going on in your community? Contact her at [email protected].