Tomatino's has been named the "best pizza" in Montgomery county. No joke, when you walk in right next to the register area there is a plaque on the wall asserting to that fact. I was really excited that I was about to get in on the show. Who doesn't enjoy a great pizza? No one I know.
Bistro seating outside
I checked out their menu online because I am SO bad at making decisions on the fly. I really wanted to study it and know what I wanted before I went in. Good thing too...they were SO busy. I guess I half expected it on a Saturday during the lunch hour, but you always hope when you have a small child that it won't be though. All the booth and table seating in the front was taken so we were situated in the breezeway between the back room and the front. Which was fine, it gave the Wubby people and things to stare at in both directions.
Back room
Original art
While I was on my walkabout I noticed a TON of art on the walls, complete with pricing. As I conversed with the hostess/waitress she let me know that ALL of the pieces were original works of art done by the owner's mother. WOW! Pretty awesome. (To protect the fact that they are originals I didn't take additional or close up shots hoping to prevent mediocre copies of her fine work. My decision.)
The inside was humming. People were talking, enjoying their food. Outside was no different. Before we walked in, I asked the folks out front at the bistro tables if this was a good place for pizza. They said they had just been there for the first time last night for dinner. Nuff said. Coming again the very next day was testament enough that I was indeed in the right place for a good pizza pie.
When I asked my all important question, "What are your most popular/most asked for pizzas?" the hostess told me the "Combo" and the "Mediterranean". Before we went, my Mister and I decided we would have the Mediterranean so it was fabulous to hear we'd made a good choice. We looked at the "Combo" ingredients before we went and there was SO much meat on it (Pepperoni, Sausage, Beef, Bacon and Canadian Bacon.), we just didn't think we'd want that heavy of a lunch.
The Mediterranean was RIGHT up my alley. I love the flavors of spinach, red peppers, black olives, artichoke hearts and feta cheese all together. This pizza had all that and MORE!
The Mediterranean
It looked great and tasted even BETTER! My Mister is all about meat on his pies (though he agreed the Combo had too much meat for lunch), so he looked at it and said "It looks like a salad on crust." Nice hon. (He also thinks iceberg lettuce is "healthy".) The artichoke hearts and tomatoes gave it such breadth. This pizza didn't need meat with everything it had going on. This conglomeration of veggies TOTALLY holds its own. The sauce was pretty good as sauces go. The crust...the crust is somethin' magical; crisp on the outside, soft on the inside with all the feel of a deep dish crust withOUT all that extra dough goin' on. With the note on the menu that told me "We use organic flours, 100% part skim mozzarella cheese, unrefined sugars & sea salt. Our dough and sauces are made here daily. We prepare our vegetables by hand." Tomatino's was fast living up to its "best pizza" title in my book.
I dare you to try Tomatino's and NOT be in LOVE with this pizza. Whether you order and take it home or sit in for the close, intimate pizza shop feeling, this is a place that won't disappoint. I know I'll be back for more!
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