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That's Amore
Metairie 3: Houma Blvd To Kenner Line: 4441 West Metairie Ave. 504-454-5885. Map.
Casual.
AE DC DS MC V
Website
WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY Deep-dish pizza is controversial. You either love it or you hate it, because it makes a big statement. Taking forty-five minutes to prepare, a deep-dish pizza has a crust built more like that of a cheesecake (but not sweet) than that of a classic Neapolitan pizza. The crust fades into the background, overwhelmed by the inch-and-a-half mass of tomato sauce, cheese, meats and vegetables. It's almost a casserole. This kind of pizza has only rarely been available around New Orleans. That's Amore has a monopoly on the style at this writing.
WHAT'S GOOD Those who like deep-dish will love the ones they make here. Having recently come back from Chicago--the home of this style of pizza--I can say that it compares favorably with the Windy City's version. On the other hand, I must admit to not being a fan of this kind of pizza. For me and others who prefer thin-crust pizza, they also have the full menu of those. It's well above average and certainly better than what the chains deliver. Also here are poor boy sandwiches and a few pasta dishes, all of which are decent, if not in the top ranks.
BACKSTORY That's Amore originally opened under a different name in 2006. Sandra Terminie bought it 2009, and set about adding to the menu, making it much better in the process.
DINING ROOM
The dining room is Basic Pizzeria: pleasant enough to eat in, but clearly a neighborhood cafe. Lots of the customers get take-out.
DOZEN BEST DISHES, DESCRIBED
Spinach and artichoke mini-pizza
Italian salad
Lasagna
Roast beef or barbecue beef poor boy
Italian sausage or meatball poor boy
Muffuletta
Chicago style deep dish pizza
New York style pizza
Calzones
FOR BEST RESULTS
Give the deep-dish pizzas plenty of time for preparation. You can't come in here right before they close and get one of those. Get it once if you never had one, but know that eating a deep-dish pizza can be messy, and that the thin crust job is better. The large pizzas are a much better deal than the small ones. Apparently no math majors work here, so the biggest thin-crust pizza costs three times as much as a small one, but is five times as large.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
The thin crust lacks crispness. The sauce's flavor could be sharper.
FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.
- Dining Environment
- Consistency +1
- Service
- Value +1
- Attitude +1
- Wine & Bar
- Hipness
- Local Color
SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
- Open Sunday lunch and dinner
- Open all afternoon
- Unusually large servings
- Quick, good meal
- Good for children
- Easy, nearby parking
- No reservations
