The judges visited the Amherst pizzeria to compare it to Joe's Cafe in Northampton. Watch video
Another day and another pizzeria.
The judging of the 2011 Valley Food Championship Pizza Playoffs moved to Antonio's in Amherst on Thursday after the three judges had visited Joe's Cafe in Northampton on Wednesday. Antonio's and Joe's are battling for best in the North Region as judges check out the "Elite Eight" selected by online readers.
Judges Ray Kelly, Don Treeger and Pam McCray sampled a slice of cheese pizza and the house choice, BBQ chicken with bacon and ranch dressing.
The house choice was gobbled up by the judges.
"The choices of pizza slices at Antonio's can sometimes be overwhelming," Treeger said. "I was actually glad that I didn't have to choose which kind would be served to us. The house special slice was a bacon chicken ranch pizza. With ribbons of ranch dressing, it was a beautiful slice with a great crust. This pizza was bursting with flavor. The combination of ingredients worked very well with each other."
McCray said, "Bacon isn't a topping I would normally eat on pizza, but it worked on the chicken bacon ranch pizza. It was so flavorful and looked really appealing with the stripes of ranch."
Kelly admitted to being a bit wary of ranch dressing on a pizza, but was quickly won over.
"The mix of chicken, bacon and ranch dressing was unbelievable," Kelly said. "Our server told us it was the most popular offering and I can see why."
However, Kelly was unimpressed with the cheese pizza, calling both the sauce and cheese "bland and unremarkable."
"I liked the crust, but the sauce and cheese were a turn-off," Kelly said.
Treeger was also not a fan of the cheese pizza.
"The plain cheese slice wasn't as successful. The cheese was lacking in flavor and that obstacle couldn't be overcome," Treeger said. "The crust however was another winner. It passed the 'New York fold test' with flying colors. Antonio's has found the perfect crust recipe for this judge."
The three judges will go over their notes and reveal their North Region pick - Antonio's or Joe's - on Friday.
Over the next four weeks, the three judges will narrow down the candidates to the semifinalists.
As always, visit www.masslive.com/pizza to keep up with where the judges have been and where they are headed next.
UPDATE: Read the judges' review of Joe's Cafe in Northampton.