Let's face, there has to be more than one, unaffiliated Tom's Pizza out there. But that's okay. This is DeLand's Tom's, a real hometown place with local adverts printed directly onto every table top. The whole little league team can enjoy a pizza party on the picnic tables out front while the grown-ups have some draft beer in plastic cups.
The pizza itself has a ratio of 2cr/1ce/1ch*. Their crust gets a 2 out of 5. Cooked on sheet pans, it sounds good on paper. A square box should might as well contain a square pizza. But the end result is much more like a homemade pizza than something from a restaurant. Maybe they don't have a real pizza oven at Tom's. The end result was lacking in chew and rise, likely due to being cooked at too low of a temperature. The dough was probably also underproofed. Though the bottom was somewhat greasey and enjoyable to stuff into my face. The flavor was also present, though somewhat lacking in yeasty sweetness.
Their sauce gets a somewhat generous 3 out of 5. It's somewhat watery and bland, but there's nothing disagreeable about it. For style, I do give Tom's a 5 out of 5. The place has no-frills in a way that's more genuine and cozy than places that are either trying to be hip or just don't have their act together. Instead of plates, diners are presented with a couple sheets of wax paper, which is fine. Better than styrofoam, for sure. Diet cokes are plentiful and everything has its own signature Tom's, non-pretentious style. But why is their ranch dressing pure white? I didn't want to ask.
For overall quality, I'll give Tom's a 4 out of 5. While their pizza recipe and method aren't exactly up to snuff, everything was made with love, by people who seem to care about what their doing. So Tom's final score is 70%. While I don't see myself getting take-out from there due to a craving, I will definitely return to have a chill hang once I have some friends to do so with.
* There is a scale for thickness of crust. 1 is paper thin, usually new york style. 5 is a sicilian or thickly crusted deep dish. Papa John's would get a 3. Pizza Hut pan pizza would get a 4.
There is a scale for the volume of sauce. 1 is a very thin spread. Not enough to make a 1 crust become soggy. 1 sauce with any other type of crust will make the pizza seem like cheesy bread. A 5 for sauce would be a lake between a curved bowl of crust and cheese. Papa John's would get a 3. Pizza Hut would typically get a 2.
There is a scale for the volume of cheese. 1 is a dusting of a finely shredded cheese. The sauce will be visible and there may be holes in the coverage. 5 is a piling that spills across your pan (or box) when a slice is pulled away. Papa John's would get a 3. Pizza Hut would get a 4.
To make it simple, I write these ratios for mass and volume in code. CR means crust. CE means sauce. CH means cheese. And the final reading will look like 2cr/2ce/2ch. Got it?
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