It's been about a year and a half since I was first introduced to, and last had, pizza from Uncle Rico's. That experience was from their Schenectady location. They now have a second location in Clifton Park (technically, Halfmoon). Located at the corner of Crescent Rd. and Dunsbach Rd. they have taken over the former Mama's Pizza Express. In fact, the sign on the building still says Mama's Pizza Express but Uncle Rico's image adorns the sign at the top of the pole along Crescent Rd.
It's been many years since we ordered pizza or hot subs from Mama's Pizza Express. Their pizza was passable, but after a negative experience of receiving a pizza that had some of the dough very much undercooked we never bothered to return. And that's a shame because they had been the closest location for us to buy a freshly baked pizza. So, we were excited to see new ownership of the shop.
We decided to initiate Uncle Rico's by trying the Papa specialty pizza. It is topped with fresh mushrooms, Italian crumbled sausage, roasted red peppers, and a sprinkling of oregano ($23.99 for 14" round). They offer 10", 12", 14", 16", and 18" round pizzas cut into eight slices; square pizzas are available in 12 and 24 cut sizes. A simple cheese pizza in one of those sizes would range from $9.49 (10") to $28.99 (24 cut).
Having just reread my review of the Schenectady location I would say my opinion of the pizza has not changed. It's somewhat utilitarian. The crust is thin but not super thin; the dough was very average in flavor; the golden brown on the bottom shows the marks of the conveyor screen that transmits the pizza at a controlled speed through the oven; the roasted red peppers and fresh mushrooms were tasty, and the Italian sausage lacked the fennel flavor that I enjoy.
We're not writing off Uncle Rico at this point. Because of their proximity, I would be interested in trying their hot subs and rolls. read more