Bella Roma is located in a small strip mall in Karns. We had heard good things, and we had a Groupon deal, so we were as excited as a kitten in a yarn factory. Bethany graciously agreed to order a deep dish (Kevin's favorite). We got it with onions and green peppers (Bethany's faves) and grilled chicken (Kevin's have). Take a look.
Here's the report:
Kevin:
Crust: 4 out of 5
The crust was delicious, thick (deep dish, so duh), and perfectly pan seared on the edges. The only downside was that the crust in some of the slices in the middle was not done completely. This means slight gag-reflect when you bite into it. Since I am gracious (more so than Bethany), I still gave this a 4 because what was done was great! Also, we got breadsticks before the meal, and if those are any indication of the typical quality of the crust, then Bella Roma is on the right track.
Sauce: 3 out of 5
The sauce was solid, but didn't rock my world. It wasn't a distraction or a disappointment.
Toppings: 5 out of 5
The cheese was thick and yummy, the onions and peppers were the perfect size and cooked just right, and the chicken, oh the chicken(!), was cut in large, well seasoned, expertly cooked slices. Pardon me, I need a moment...Ok, I'm good. These may have been the best executed toppings I have ever had.
Overall Taste Experience: 4 out of 5
As you could probably gather from above, overall this deep dish pizza was well done. Each bite had plenty of delicious toppings, sauce, and crust. If only the sauce had been more memorable, and the crust done all the way through, this would have received a 5. For real.
Overall restaurant experience: 2 out of 5
The folks that run this place are proud of their food and super nice. The service was prompt and courteous. However, the dining room felt like a Chuck E. Cheese's without all the fun games and scary robotic animals (both a plus and a minus, in my book). What I mean is that the place was kind of messy, damp, and sticky feeling. This could be because it was a week night and there was a buffet (= messy families with kids outnumbering the staff 10 to 1). Anyways, the dining room is not the highlight of the experience, but the pizza is fantastic.
Bethany:
Crust: 3/5
Yes, I am less gracious than Kevin, I expect my pizza dough to be fully cooked. But, as Kevin said, the breadstick dough was great and the owner was very proud of their freshly made dough. They had thin and regular crust options as well.
Sauce: 4/5
Agree with Kevin.
Toppings: 4.5/5
They were great!
Overall taste: 4/5
Overall Restaurant: 3/5
Pizza joints aren't supposed to be fancy, this wasn't worse than I expected.
