Ermanno's Three Guys Pizza, Revisited

I felt it only fair to post a follow-up review of Ermanno's Three Guys Pizza located in North Canton, Ohio. In my previous review, I had mentioned that they were using a convenience product, Garlic Mist from Par Way Tryson, to add a decidedly garlic flavor to their pizza crusts before topping with sauce, cheese, and the toppings of your choice. In my previous review, I noted that when the pizza was hot, the chemical flavor of the Garlic Mist was barely noticeable. However, when you pulled the pizza out of the refrigerator the next morning for a cold slice, it was unmistakable.

Over the course of time I managed to develop enough of a relationship (always as a paying customer) with one of the managing partners at the North Canton location that I finally felt comfortable enough to bring it up to him. After confirming that they did use the Garlic Mist as a convenience product (which I already kind of knew), he initially said that he didn't think that the Garlic Mist was that bad. It turns out that he had never tried a slice of their pizza cold. Over the course of the following couple of weeks, he admitted that when he took a pie home and tried it himself, the realization that something was truly amiss finally hit home.

In the conversations I've had these last couple of weeks with Alan, he has shown me that he is a business owner who not only cares about producing the best pie that he can, but also producing one that is cost effective to make and affordable for his customers. We had a lengthy discussion about how he was working to get flour with a very specific protein level so that his pizza dough had just the right amount of elasticity and chew. He talked about how their pizza dough goes through a multi-day cold fermentation in the refrigerator to allow the bacteria and enzymes that are naturally found in the flour to break down the larger starch molecules into simpler sugars for the yeast to feed on. All of this develops texture and flavor in a way that no commercially made additive can.

When I stopped in last Tuesday, Alan most excitedly began telling me about a product that they had found, a garlic infused olive oil, that they would be receiving a sample of the following day. He told me to come back on Thursday and he'd do a test pie for me. So, dutifully I waited the two days and went back. He showed me the bottle and indeed the only two ingredients were garlic and olive oil. It had a lovely garlic nose to it without having any kind of chemical overtone to it. As I waited for my pie to finish cooking, Alan and I discussed how he is also looking to adjust the cheese blend on top of the pizzas. Originally it was a blend of Mozzarella and Provolone cheeses. He was thinking about adding a third cheese, in just a small amount, for added flavor and meltability.

When my pie finally came out, I insisted that Alan and some of his crew members share it with me (as this was the very first pie they had made with the new oil). The garlic flavor was definitely still there, but it was now much more subtle and woven through the other flavors in the slice of pizza. When you had just bites of crust, or just bites of crust and sauce, the garlic was more pronounced. The Garlic Mist had been much more in your face with the garlic flavor. The new oil was smooth and subtle and became more of a supporting character than the primary lead. I was a little torn about this, because while I appreciated the better overall balance the new oil lent to their pizza, as a lover of garlic, I liked the aggressive garlic flavor that came through in every bite of pizza, not just the crust. It's not that I dislike this new version of their pizza, it's definitely still an excellent pie. I just had to readjust my expectations to accommodate the new, more integrated garlic flavor.

It wasn't until the next morning that I was able to try the refrigerated slice test. I pulled the box from the fridge and gingerly opened the lid. I was pleased to find that there was absolutely no chemical smell whatsoever. And even better, my cold slice for breakfast was equally as delicious as it had been hot the night before. I was a happy camper.

I stopped in for another pie last night, giving them a week to make adjustments to their pie-building process. Alan informed me that they had moved to the new cheese blend and had continued to use the new garlic infused oil for the last week with great success. I was eager to give him the feedback that I had been saving all week and it seemed that my feedback was very similar to what others had been telling him.

I won't go on too much more about the Garlic Mist issue any more. You have to understand that when I complained about it before, it was more a matter of wishing that an owner would recognize a weakness in his flagship product and proactively work to correct it. With the changes that Alan and his partners are making, I think that Ermanno's remains one of my top American style pizzas in the area. They are clearly committed to making solid ingredient choices and a great pizza dough with just the right flavor and texture. They are also open to customer feedback, which is always a welcome sign that the business can grow and change as the customers' tastes do.

Check out Ermanno's Three Guys Pizza in both North Canton and Louisville. They still offer a unique pizza that is well-balanced, delicious, and now equally good hot AND cold.

If Garlic be the Food of Love, Play On

I found out about Ermanno's Three Guys Pizza from a co-worker. The first time I stopped in for a pie, it seems that they had just moved into their new North Canton location, taking over for Rocco's NY Style Pizza (which I never actually had a chance to try). Ermanno's is located in a strip retail outlet setting right across the street from a Fisher's grocery store. Their address is 3159 Whitewood Street, North Canton, OH 44720 and can be reached at 330-494-3131. Do NOT rely on the information you find on the web as it has been incorrect the last several times I went to view it. Currently, Ermanno's has no website. (UPDATE: Untrue, I just found their website here.)

Here is a shot of their exterior:


Now, they do offer many things on their menu. But the one thing I haven't been able to get over is their pizza. And for one very good reason: garlic. As a lover of all things garlic, this warms my soul. I think we'd all be happier people if we just ate a little more garlic. Unfortunately, with Ermanno's, this is a double-edged sword. On the plus side, they realize that garlic and pizza work so well together. The down side is that the owners have settled on a product that lends a chemically garlic flavor to their pizzas, Garlic Mist. A Par Way Tryson product, the ingredient list isn't exactly awe inspiring. It does contain garlic oil, however. And propellants. And lecithen. And a few others.

Now I could sit here and ask myself why on earth anyone would use such a product instead of good old fashioned extra virgin olive oil that has been used to gently roast garlic; I just don't know. But, the food business being the way it is, I surmise that they think that no one can tell the difference. And when you first pick up your pie and have that nice, hot slice, it's a lot more difficult to pick up on the underlying chemical taste of the spray. But, you just wait until later on that evening or the next morning for breakfast when you try eating a slice cold right from the refrigerator. Wham-O! The first time I tasted it, it nearly knocked me back on my chair. It is really that pronounced. I have found that if you reheat your slice before eating it, the taste is again minimized, but jeez louise, shouldn't I just be able to enjoy my slice cold?

I guess the problem that I have is that I'm torn. Their made-from-scratch pizza dough is actually pretty good. The doctored sauce they use is also quite good, even if it isn't made from scratch. It contains a lovely oregano undertone. The toppings are always plentiful. Add on top of that they run daily specials and it can also be a pretty good deal, too. So, as long as I eat the pizza hot, I enjoy it. Whenever they've passed out suggestion cards, I always dutifully fill them out. I've been trying to build up enough clout with the one manager to bring it up to him.

The manager in question knows me by name now (which may give you some idea of how often I visit), so perhaps next time, if he isn't slammed with orders when I get there, I'll take him aside and ask him what the deal is. I'm sure it's largely a matter of cost and convenience for them. Heck, I'd even just take a nice brushing of extra virgin olive oil instead of the garlic spray, if I am to be totally honest.

(UPDATE: This update is being written about two weeks after I wrote the copy for the original review, even though they will both post at the same time. I did finally get a chance to talk with one of the managers tonight when I stopped in for another pie. When I finally asked about the use of Garlic Mist, he came clean right away and verified that yes, it was used as a convenience product. He also agreed with my assessment that when eating the pizza cold, you really could tell that it was a spray on product and not the real deal. But what really surprised me, was that before I could make my "why not just roast your own garlic?" suggestion, he stated that he was actually toying with the idea of roasting his own garlic and then brushing the puree on top of the crusts instead of using the Garlic Mist. Needless to say, I encouraged his idea and even volunteered to be a Guinea Pig when he decided to pursue his testing. So, there very well could be another entry about Ermanno's in the future.)

All that being said, I still stopped and ordered a pizza. Of course. I'm a slave to the garlic.

A shot of the pizza box:


And a shot of the large pepperoni I ordered:


This 10 slice pizza was $12 dollars tonight, but on Monday nights it is only $9. An incredible bargain considering how addictive this is. Garlic, tomatoes, pepperoni, dough, and cheese? Heavenly. The only thing missing is a nice liberal sprinkling of spicy chili flakes. Ermanno's pizza is also susceptible to the Molten Cheese Conundrum first mentioned in my post on Tavanello and Sons. But, just letting the pizza box sit open for a minute or two seemed to minimize the problem.

The only other thing I've had from Ermanno's is a steak and cheese sub sandwich. It was not bad, but nowhere near as noteworthy as the pizza. If you're in the area, try them out.