No. 35 rewrite

Best Pizza in Town?

Rotelli strives to prove it

I am originally from Baltimore and my husband is from New York. We know good pizza. We have lived in many places, but wherever we have lived, we have always searched out the best pizza in town. So, when we arrived in Colorado Springs a year and ½ ago, we began asking the locals, “Where is the best pizza in town?” Rotelli has been the answer of late, but we were hesitant…Rotelli is a chain restaurant, and we have continually found that the best pizza is always at the locally own places.

But, one cold Thursday night I headed out to the Rotelli at 3240 Centennial Blvd in the King Sooper Shopping Center. I was with my husband, my daughter and my parents who were visiting from Baltimore. We were greeted immediately at the door by a friendly hostess who seated us in a roomy booth. (Booths always go well in a pizza joint!) The place was comfortable, softly lit, with a modern yet classical décor; not your typical pizza joint. As we were studying the menus, our vivacious waitress, Janelle asked us for our drink order. My husband and dad wanted a beer and she suggested an Italian beer, which turned out to be the perfect choice. My daughter was thrilled with the choice of Pepsi products and mom and I stuck with water, although Janelle gave us a hard time for not having a glass of wine from their lovely wine menu.

We were really craving pizza, but, took a glance at their well-rounded menu which included unique appetizers, fresh pasta dishes, warm inviting soups, a generous salad selection and cold and hot subs. Despite the vast choices, we decided on just one of their appetizers; Calamari. It came out hot, with delicious marinara sauce although it was a little too heavily breaded for my taste, but it was tender and enough to share. Next time I think I will try the Portabello Shortstack as the booth across from us did…it looked tasty. When it came time to order our pizza, we were faced with a tough decision. The gourmet pizza selections like the Hawaiian and Al Fresco were all enticing, but we finally settled on and ordered a pizza with pepperoni, sausage, onions, mushrooms and green peppers in a 22” size as suggested by Janele. With the other pizza, we stuck with ½ cheese and ½ pepperoni in the 16” size so that we could really taste the pizza without all the fanfare.

The wait for our dinner was a little long, and Janele did her best to entertain us while we waited adding lots of laughs to the night. But, the delay was worth it! The finished products were fabulous. The 22” pizza (which is hard to find anywhere) really was much bigger than the 16”. My parents, who travel extensively, said it was one of the freshest pizzas they have ever eaten. The cheese was wonderful, definitely top quality; the kind of cheese that pulls as you bite into it. The vegetables were fresh, not canned, and the sauce was sweet and wonderful, the same as the sauce with the calamari. But, as every aficionado of pizza knows, it is the crust that matters. This crust lived up to my expectations of a superior pizza which of course is crusty on the outside and soft on the inside.

We had no room for dessert even though Rotelli had scrumptious, rich selections such as Mile High Apple Crumb and Chocolate Decadence. We actually we took home ¾ of the pizza which we ate cold for breakfast…yummy.

Our check was $76.00 that included a generous tip which was a little on the high side, but the four bottles of Italian beer added to our check. If you really want to go cheap and take the whole family, head out on a Tuesday night and get a Large Rotelli Cheese Pizza for only $6.54, no limit! I would definitely go back again, as it was a pleasant restaurant to eat in with high-quality fare that really seemed like a small local Italian restaurant.

Was it the “Best Pizza in Town”? I’ll let you decide.

The Specifics:

Rotelli has two locations:

3240 Centennial Blvd, located in the King Sooper Shopping Center, Colorado Springs, 520-5600

15910 Jackson Creek Pkwy, Monument, located in the new Home Depot Shopping Center 484-0011

Opened 7 days a week, call for hours

Plastic: yes

Child Friendly: Yes, a nice children’s menu

Carry out and delivery is available

Insiders Hint: Look for coupons in area value magazine

Bon Appetit!