For years I've been wanting to try the 'Pittsburgh style' of pizza. It's a moment I've been looking forward to for a long time. Then I got to Pittsburgh and the driving was pretty bad, and one of their finest citizens told me "That pizza with the cold cheese? Yeah. Nobody eats that shit." So to make my life easier, I got out of the city and sampled the 'Pittsburgh style' in Ohio. We should look at the menu at Ray's Pizza.
Now look closer. Does this look like any pizza you've ever had? What is going on with those pepperonis? Also, the pizza on the menu looks nothing like what Ray has on offer. Ray's Pizza had a ratio* of 3cr/3ce/3ch. I probably would have liked it better if I'd gotten extra cheese. I also wish I'd inquired about what toppings were available. I'm sure the loyal locals all know.
Ray's dough gets a 2 out of 5. While there seemed to be an ample amount of oil in the recipe, it was quite dry and tasteless. Not real great, with no drink. Like last time. Their sauce gets a 4 out of 5, I think. It's better than what I got at Patti's Pizza of Eerie, PA. Tastes more like tomatoes.
Ray's gets a 3 out of 5 for style, because 'Pittsburgh style' does stand out, with its cold provolone and mozzarella. The vibes while I waited for my slices was not good. There was a storm going on and the door was open and it was hot and humid in there. A pretty bad Adam Sandler movie was playing on the old tv. The cash register was filthy, touched by the same hands that touch my food. They charged me 50 cents to pay with my card because I didn't want to deal with having more change in my pockets, or the person touching my food to be touching money in addition to the cash register. Okay, maybe the guy at the register didn't touch my food. However, my 3 squares of cheese pizza cost me $5.50. I consider that a deal.
The only beverages available were from a $3 vending machine. For overall quality, I'll give Ray's a 3 out of 5. They could have done better to preserve the texture of their sheet pan pizzas. I think my mom could have done better. With an overall score of 60% I will possibly eat Ray's again, after I've tried every other pizza in Wintersville.
*Let me explain my ratio system, regarding mass of standard Pizza Elements. Cr=Crust. Ce=Sauce. Ch=Cheese.
For CR (CRust), 1 is the equivalent of a transparent pizza in the New York style, or the rolled-out, crackery Saint Louis style. 3 would be a regular Domino's hand-tossed Pizza. 4 would be like a Pizza Hut Pan Pizza, and 5 would be like a Sicilian Pizza or some varieties of Deep Dish.
For Ce (sauCE), 1 would be a watery sauce with a thin spreading, no clumping and no oozing. In this cause, the sauce is an afterthought, more like oregano than a key ingredient. 3 would be what you'd expect from a Pizza Hut Pan Pizza. 5 would require a fork to eat.
