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Leonardo's, Nicky's and Villa Maria Vie for Best Pizza Title

  by Judy Silberstein

Which Larchmont pizza is best? In a “scientific” test, Larchmont Gazette’s eight pizza raters sampled plain and pepperoni slices from each of Larchmont’s three major pizza establishments: Leonardo’s, Nicky’s, and Villa Maria. And the results show…….each pizza has its fans. Villa Maria was voted the favorite plain; Leonardo and Nicky tied for favorite pepperoni. However, Nicky’s received the highest overall rating in both categories. Let the Best Pizza Win! by local artist Sue Girardi The Contenders: Leonardo’s, tucked into the shopping center on the New Rochelle end of Palmer Avenue boasts easy parking, generous space for indoor and outdoor dining, and a large menu of Italian specialties. Nicky’s, across from the Larchmont train station on Chatsworth Avenue, benefits from a central location and is a popular late night hang-out for the teen crowd. Villa Maria’s recently doubled its restaurant across from the Post Office on Chatsworth Avenue and added more tables inside and on the sidewalk. The Scientific Process: The Larchmont Gazette employed eight pizza connoisseurs as raters: five Mamaroneck High School juniors and three college juniors (all graduates of MHS). To guard against “rater bias” each slice was identified only by a code, and each rater consumed and then rated each of eight slices in a different, random order. Raters applied a five point scale to judge a slice on: crust taste, crust texture, sauce taste, greasiness, cheese or pepperoni taste, and “overall.” Between slices, judges cleansed their palates with water. At the end, the raters voted for their favorite plain and favorite pepperoni. Jonny B, Sam N, Andrew G Marc G Elizabeth B, Megan M, Chloe C Alex S Going by the Numbers: On average, Villa Maria’ plain pizza was rated first on crust taste and texture and Nicky’s came out best for low grease, cheese taste and “overall.” For pepperoni pies, Leonardo’s was tops for pepperoni taste and quantity; Villa Maria’s crust taste was number one; and Nicky’s won for crust texture, low grease, and “overall.” And the Winner Is: All three venues received above average reviews for their cheese pizzas. Nicky’s garnered the most #1 ratings – 4 for its cheese and 4 for its pepperoni pies. Yet Villa Maria’s cheese pie was still rated the favorite by 5 of the 8 raters and Leonardo’s tied for favorite pepperoni pie – perhaps because of the generous quantity of pepperoni. The High Points: In post-rating commentary, raters gave Leonardo’s pies high marks for the unique sauce – “lots of tomatoes, bright red color and fruity flavor. Raters could not agree on Villa Maria’s strongest suit: was it the spicy cheese, excellent crust, or the sauce that made it so good? Nicky’s was lauded for its sauce, lots of cheese and “yummy, bubbly crust.” You Decide: Which is your favorite pizza establishment?