Thanks to all of the readers who submit their recommendations to me! Time and time again I can count on you for quality pizza advice and the Dough Co was another solid recommendation from the NEPA Nation. I’ve been to Wilkes-Barre, especially by the
Wyoming Valley Mall hundreds of times, but I don’t ever recall seeing this
establishment ever before. Baffled by my
lack of memory and curious beyond belief, I assembled a crew to go and try this seemingly popular pizza out.
We arrived at the place and from the outside, it looked a
little bit like a diner to me – a diner that I never remember seeing, and upon
walking in, I still got a diner-type vibe from the place with its low booths
and undivided dining room. The booths
were comfortable, but I usually like a little privacy when I’m dining out,
especially when I’m trying to sneak pictures of the pizza when I’m
undercover! Anyway, the place was clean,
and besides my nit-picky diner assessment, it was a relaxing place to eat. We decided to get a large pizza to share
along with dinners, so we could split the pie and have a group review.
The pizza was ready relatively quickly, but it came out
at the same time as the dinners, but a table packed full of food wasn’t going
to derail this review. I have to admit,
when the pizza came out, the group was pretty underwhelmed by its appearance,
and before taking a bite we kind of assumed it wasn’t going to be good. This assumption came from the matte looking
cheese, sauce swirled on top, and a pizza that just seemed a little flat. Begrudgingly, we all picked up our first
slice and suddenly everyone was silent and looking around at each other. I wasn’t sure, but I think my colleagues were
waiting for my response. I sat there for
what seemed to be an eternity, but in my head I was thinking “Wow, this DOESN’T
suck!” I’m not sure who spoke first, but
I recall hearing “This is actually pretty decent,” and the more we discussed
the pizza, the more positive consensus we came too – with my friend declaring
that this was definitely a pizza he would have again. I couldn’t believe it, I was fooled and so
was everyone else. I learned my lesson –
don’t judge a book by its cover, or at least don’t decide whether a pizza is
not good before you try it!
So I gave you the overall rating, but I need to back up a
bit and tell you more about this pizza.
The crust was ultra-light and had a lovely crispness to it. Suddenly the Dough Company name made sense,
because this crust was made from excellent quality dough, and really was a
treat to eat – the kind of crust that you can easily eat half a tray on your
own without blinking an eye. The sauce
was on the sweet side and had a smooth consistency. Although I’m not a sweet sauce guy, one of my
co-reviewers definitely is, and he seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. I did like the sauce swirled on top as it
gave the pizza some body and varying consistencies. The cheese was pretty decent as well. I wasn’t wowed by its flavor or texture, but
it really worked on this pizza. I’m
guessing it was a mozzarella or cheddar or both, but honestly I couldn’t
tell. If I had to find another way to
describe it, I would call this a less commercialized tasting (and therefore
better) Grotto Pizza, where the sauce has more body, the cheese is less dry,
and the crust is light and crispy. In
short, at first I was feeling guilty that we drove all the way to Wilkes-Barre
to try this pizza, but in the end I think we were all pretty impressed with the
Dough Company!
Restaurant: The Dough Company
Location: Wilkes-Barre, PA
Date: March 2013
Pizza Ordered:
16" Large New York Style Pizza
Price: $10.99
Eat In/Take Out: Eat
In
Crust:
3.75/5
Sauce:
3.75/5
Cheese:
3.25/5
Overall
Taste: 3/5
Crispy/Cooked
Properly: 5/5
Overall Value:
3.5/5
OVERALL
RATING: 3.75/5
Similar to: Grotto Pizza, Tommy's Pizza Corner