13812 Research Boulevard (map) Austin, TX 78750 512-257-1200 M-Sa            11:00am-10:00pm Su                    3:00pm-9:00pm http://www.saccones.com/ Foodquest: April 18, 2004, October 2, 2004, September 10, 2005, November 7, 2005 Foodies: Slowdog, Ping, Pokey,  KobaltKween, Mr. Thraz, Fizzwinkus, Wookems Cost: $  Rating:

On the whole, Austin isn't doing too badly as far as Pizza goes.  Unlike many other major cities, Austin has its share of independent pizza outlets that try to ply their trade with uniqueness and quality.  Still, it is often said that us Austinites wouldn't know a good pizza pie if it hit us in the face.  To test this theory, Foodquest brings along two born and raised natives from New Jersey to scope out Saccone's claim of Jersiness...  

Saccone's exudes the feeling of a corner pizza shop the instant you walk in the door.  Nothing fancy here.  Place your order at the counter, and go to a table of your choosing.  Watch the hustle and bustle of the other diners enjoying their Sunday out with the family.  In a short while, freshly baked goodness arrives at your table along with a handful of paper plates.  In addition to their specialty, Saccone's also offers a variety of hot and cold subs as well as other delights from the East Coast.

Saccone's Greek Salad is a generous portion of veggies topped with feta cheese and olives.  Optionally, anchovies can add a salty yet flavorful accent to the dish.  The salad is overly covered in olive oil which detracts from the character of the vegetables and the flavor of the dressing.  The result, while visually appealing, is somewhat bland and does not pack the flavorful punch that usually characterize Greek salads.

When natives of the East Coast consume subs away from home, they often find it so bad that it offends them.  One of the biggest complaints is the quality of the bread or lack thereof.  Time and time again, the texture is described to be completely wrong.  Having had my troubles with finding a baugette in Austin similar to those found everywhere in France, I can sympathize.  The cold cuts in the Ham and Cheese Sub are described by KobaltKween as spot on though somewhat on the skimpy side.  However, the bread is one of the closest to the East Coast yet tasted in Austin.  The Meatball Parmigiana Sub, however, is another matter.

The Meatball Parmigiana Sub is an enormous helping of meat and cheese.  However, the seasoning of the meatballs is extremely mild and the interior mealy and dry.  Additionally, the marinara sauce does not provide much flavor to the meat and cheese combination.  Rather, it seems somewhat neutral and contributes mostly color to the combination.  The result is surprisingly bland and definitely not one of the restaurant's better offerings.

The pizza here can make us forgive almost anything.  Pizzas are available with sweet sauce and white sauce in addition to the traditional red.  Ingredients like Roasted Red Pepper adorn the menu along with traditional toppings like Basil and Prosciutto.  The varieties are endless.  The pizza above is topped with Pepperoni, Sausage, Hamburger, Onions and White Sauce.  While White Sauce can often be found vegetarian pizzas like Spinach and other varieties, it can often be used to complement savory toppings like spiced meats.  Rather than the tangy accent of tomato based sauces, the White Sauce lends an additional creaminess to the combination and can provide that extra bit of richness to the Pizza.  White Sauces can be made from many different types of creams and cheeses and can give the Pizza the accent of that cheese. 

The Sweet Sauce at Saccone's makes a delicious complement to carmelized onions and sausage.  The experience can only be described as heavenly.  The sweetness of the sauce provides just a bit of enhancement to the sweetness of the onions.  As a result, the savoriness and seasoning of the sausage is enhanced and makes for a flavorful burst with each bite.  The crust is nicely crispy on the edges and foldably soft everywhere else.  The thinness of the crust serves as a platform to carry the flavor of the ingredients.  Rather than many crusts where it is akin to eating bread, the pizza crust as Saccone's doesn't forget that its true purpose is to deliver the flavors to you.   

Over the various Foodquests to Saccone's, the pizzas have been consistently flavorful and superb.  Starting with Uncle Tom's Special which is toppped with Italian Sausage, Green Peppers, Onions and Fresh Basil on the initial visit, to Cody's Special with Sweet Sauce, Sausage, Pepperoni, Meatball and Garlic, the pizzas are the closest thing that we have short of hopping on a plane bound for New Jersey. 

If you're still hungry after the tremendous amount of food, there is always the Cannoli for dessert.  The Cannoli is a deep fried pastry shell that is filled with a sweet creamy filling.  Best served when hot out of the fryer and freshly filled, the Cannoli at Saccone's is served straight from the freezer.  As best, it gives only an impression of what a Cannoli is like.

Saccone's provides some of the tastiest and unique Pizzas to Austin.  Consistently, the pizzas are well prepared and served to the customer perfectly seasoned and topped.  While some of the other menu items can be improved, the quality of the Pizza makes Saccone's an excellent destination for any and all Pizza cravings.  On top of that, you can do so knowing that the pies have passed the muster of discriminating Jersey natives...

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