Marco's

Ok, so Marco's is a chain... which we didn't intend to include in our reviews. However, multiple friends recommended we try Marco's and we got a sweet deal on Groupon so we decided to include it. Since the deal was for two larges, we took our pals Todd and Anna for a double date. Here's the breakdown:

Bethany: 

Crust: 4
We ordered the "classic" crust but they have extra thick and thin options as well. It was definitely better than your average take out. We got "roma italian" seasoning on our crust which was tasty. They had several options for "spicing up" the crust which is a nice touch.  It was very fresh tasting.

Sauce: 4
I don't remember too much that was distinctive about it which is a good thing. I think the sauce should blend well with everything else. Since the sauce isn't my favorite part it's good when it doesn't take over.

Toppings: 4.5
They boast of the freshness of their toppings and it's definitely true! Just looking at the pizza you could tell they hadn't been sitting around for who knows how long. The bacon (yes, i have a bacon problem) was awesome and the veggies definitely seemed like they were freshly sliced per their claim.

Overall taste experience: 4
Definitely much better than your average take out. Kuddos for super fresh toppings! I liked the free extra options for the crust style, crust flavorings and "sides" (ranch, garlic butter, banana peppers, etc)

Overall restaurant experience: NA
This was a take out place. There were two tables, 8 chairs and a highchair for onsite dining. But, i will say that the guy at the front was super nice and accommodating. I noticed he left he
front desk and opened the door for all the people carrying pizza out which I thought was great customer service.

Kevin:

Crust: 4
I like thicker crusts, and their original crust was on the thicker side. It had good flavor and the extra seasoning made the end crust a perfect finish to each slice.

Sauce: 4
A great balance of salty and sweet. Nothing earth shattering, but solid and good.

Toppings: 4
I got chicken on my half and it was well seasoned, large cut, and was pretty much in every bite (I take pretty big bites, though). The cheese was a delicious mix and was piled on thick.

Overall taste experience: 4
Everything was good quality, and the crust/toppings/sauce proportions were very well balanced. The only reason why none of these are 5's is because I didn't have a quasi-religious experience while eating it.

Overall restaurant experience: NA
See Bethany's comments above.

Gavino's (Bearden)

Tonight we began our project to find Knoxville's best pizza. We started with a fairly new place in town: Gavino's in Bearden. The restaurant is small, basic and open with flat screens and a small bar area. Here is our take:

Bethany

Crust: 4
I liked that it was very thin with good crispiness. Firm enough to hold without flopping all over the place. It could possibly use a hint more flavor.

Sauce: 3.5 
Good proportion and seasoning. Had a hint of something I couldn't put my finger on that tasted a little plasticky.

Toppings (Bacon and Cheese): 3
Good proportions again, cheese was satisfactory. Bacon basic.

Overall taste experience: 3.5

Overall restaurant experience: 2
This is a new restaurant and I think it hasn't discovered it's personality yet. It had little ambience and was overall non-descript and forgettable.

Kevin

Crust: 3
Slightly overcooked, and not a whole lot of flavor. The restaurant has a thicker pan type of pizza (the Sicilian) that I probably would like better. Not their fault I got a pizza type to bless my wife.

Sauce: 3
Delicious saltier, but subtle taste. I prefer tangy or sweeter sauces, but this one was good.

Toppings (Grilled Chicken, Cheese): 2
The chicken cost more than the other toppings and was in small cubes. I'm not sure I really ever tasted it over the cheese, which was delicious.

Overall Taste Experience: 3
Three means average, and that's how I would categorize this pizza. Good, but not above or beyond what I could get many other places.

Overall Restaurant Experience: 2
See Bethany's above.

Since this wasn't our usual date night, we had our little sidekick. After he threw all his food and toys on the floor, he got bored. Andrew spit each bite of the pizza out after sucking off the sauce, so he gives the sauce a 5.

And the Quest begins...

Pizza has something for everyone. There is a type for every mood, palate, and budget. You can get fancy pizza, basic pizza, delicious pizza, and nasty pizza (that taste like stomach acids in the back of your throat). When it comes to crust: some like it thin, some like it thick, some like it bready, crunchy or biscuity. As for sauce: some like lots of sauce, some like no sauce, some like weird non-tomato based sauce. Regarding toppings: the options are endless.

Our quest is to find, in our completely subjective opinion, the best slice of pizza in Knoxville, TN.

Over the next year, or whatever, we will try dozens of non-mega chain pizza joints, and share our experience for everyone who cares (yes, both of you).

We will rate the following attributes on a 5 point scale:

Crust
Sauce
Toppings
Overall Taste Experience
Overall Restaurant Experience

We will report the cost, but we will let you judge if its really worth it.

You should know our particular preferences upfront.

Bethany prefers thin, crispy crust, a well seasoned, salty tomato sauce (and plenty of it), and bacon, onions and peppers as her toppings of choice. However, these are subject to the mood and other sources of whimsy. Her favorite pizza to date was in New York, NY.

Kevin prefers thick, biscuity crust, with lots of thick, chunky, salty/sweet sauce, and tons of cheese. If there must be toppings, chicken or sausage are his favorites. He gags over most onions and peppers. His favorite pizza to date was in Chicago, IL.

So, we may end up picking a his and hers favorite.

What we need from you are suggestions of places to try. No opinions or expressions of praise or hate, just names. Go.