Tommy's Coal Fired Pizza

Tommy’s Coal Fired Pizza

Red Bank, NJ

Final Grade: A

            One piece of advice that I would like to share…..When you’re in a town where either A-there’s too many places to pick from to eat or B-you have no idea where you are and therefore picking a place to eat is practically rocket science, find a local and say: “Excuse me, do you know of any good places to grab a bite to eat around here?” Believe me, this could make or break your day! 

     

          Case and Point……Matt and I were recently in Little Silver during the dinnertime hours and needed something. If you have no idea where Little Silver is or what it is like, I can only offer you this: It’s little, lol, it has a train, it is in Monmouth County and is right next to Red Bank. So as you can see, we were in a land of which we had little knowledge! Hence, finding a place to eat wasn’t going to be the easiest task. Enter in my advice stated above and viola, a great dinner was found....

           We were recommended Tommy’s Coal Fired Pizza in Red Bank. And even though I probably could have picked a place in Red Bank, I was happy to hear someone else’s idea. I had never been there and was psyched to try something new in a town I frequently visit.  

            Upon walking in, we were immediately smiling due to the number of costumers. It was quite crowded which, to us, is a good sign for a good meal to come. We were greeted by a friendly hostess and then welcomed by an attentive waiter once we sat down. Our waiter was full of energy and showed enthusiasm throughout the entire meal. Which brings us to the meal, oh how good it was….

            We started with their specialty oven-roasted wings (small-$12, large-$20). Smothered in roasted onions, then topped with garlic flat bread and an Italian Hot Pepper, they were down-right delicious. Each piece, either drumstick or wing, was tender, juicy and well seasoned. The onions and pepper added a depth to the appetizer and we found ourselves tearing up the bread to pair with each onion and pepper piece.

            Pizza soon followed and man, was it tasty! We went with the Original Pie (Personal-$8, 12 in. small-$12, large-$16) without any toppings. The sauce was sweet yet not overwhelmingly so, while the fresh mozzarella was generously placed and quite creamy. Fresh basil was placed atop and added a nice flare of flavor. I especially enjoyed the charred crust, not only for its taste but for its texture as well. I found myself liking each bite more and more for different reasons and in the end, basically just admired the overall quality of the pie.

            So with that, we enjoyed a great dinner at a great place of which we never knew about. Not to mention, since we went on a Thursday, we benefited from their ½ price wing special! Anyway though, I can’t wait to go back to Tommy’s and try some other items. Their specialty pies sound wonderful and I heard their eggplant focaccia sandwich is delish too. But honestly, I would go back just for the wings and pizza again!

Tommy’s Coal Fired Pizza can be found at 2 Bridge Ave., at The Galleria, Red Bank.  Other locations:  Oakhurst, Brick, and coming soon, Paramus. Tommy's Coal Fired Pizza

Total score 21/25

Final Grade: A

A: 21-25    B: 16-20    C: 11-15   D: 6-10    F: 0-5

Restaurant Rubric

	1	2	3	4	5
Food Taste	Bland, boring, overcooked, underdone	Very little flavor, not much aroma	Flavors apparent, basic ability to please palates	Flavor worth discussing, chef’s use of ingredients impressive	Great flavor, taste lingers and leaves diner wanting more
Restaurant service	disrespectful	Inattentive staff, no regard for wait time	Staff average in helpfulness, timing alright, either more/less needed	Staff knowledgeable and attentive to needs without asking, timing very well executed	Remarkable and noteworthy, service so good you forget it is ever an issue elsewhere
Food Presentation	Cover it up please	Sloppy and the eater can tell little thought went into it	Descent presentation: looks alright, not worth a picture but enough to make you hungry	Admirable, it is apparent the chef plated with a consideration for presentation	Presentational talents are here. Looks beautiful and too good to dig in
Prices match quality	Prices are too high for quality	Prices are still too high but not outrageously	Some items are priced accordingly but not all	Most items are priced accordingly	All items are matched accordingly
Would I go back?	Not a chance ever	Nope	Maybe	Looking forward to it	What time should I arrive?!?