“It’s bad. It’s real bad. It’s like eating a hot circle of garbage.” These are the words used by Kevin as he was describing Pizza by Alfredo in an episode from The Office. The episode is titled “Launch Party” and is one of the more humorous episodes during the run of the program. If you are a fan of the show then you know Michael ordered pizza from “Pizza by Alfredo” and not the more delicious place, “Alfredo’s Pizza Café”. This was apparently a huge blunder on Michael’s part and was not to be tolerated by those in the office. If you listen to the Office Ladies podcast, you also know that “Alfredo’s Pizza Café” is a real place in Scranton, PA. I had already made plans to eat at Cooper’s Seafood, that evening, so for lunch I decided to make my way to Alfredo’s Pizza Café and see just how good the pizza was. I missed the big lunch crowd, which was nice, and decided to sit at the bar. I have to tell you; it was one of the best decisions I made on my trip. The bar tender was incredible with exceptional service. He was full of great information about Scranton, and some other great places to check out. I wish I had written his name down to give him proper credit, but trust me on this one, his service was beyond expectation. Now, to the food, that is the reason we are here. I ordered a few items, so keep reading as I give my take on the food.
I normally don’t start with a salad, to me it can be kind of boring. Give me calamari, wings, fried ravioli, or anything else out of the ordinary. This day I went with boring and got a simple house salad to start things off but let me justify this salad. I knew I wasn’t going to have the opportunity to consume many vegetables today, so I thought I should get those in when the chance presented itself. So, a simple salad of just iceberg lettuce, grape tomatoes, and cucumber is what my mind settled on. It did come with a lovely raspberry vinaigrette that was packed with flavor. Overall, not much to really talk about here, but I thought I should at least make everyone aware I did have my veggies for the day. While the salad sounded boring, the second item I ordered was anything but boring.
I ordered another appetizer that was not a part of the normal everyday menu. It was one of the special items for that day. If I remember the description correctly it was seared scallops sitting on a bed of frisee and drizzled with a lemon aioli. You get three large sea scallops which is a good portion size for an appetizer. I like my scallops medium rare to medium, which is to say I don’t mind if they are a little undercooked. What I can’t let any establishment get away with is overcooking them. The scallops had a nice sear on them and were sweet to the palate. With the lemon aioli along with a squirt of fresh lemon, it really made the dish lively and fresh. This was a very simple dish that was executed with precision and something I would add to my must haves if you go, and it is offered
Now it’s time for what this place is known for, the pizza. Since I already had reservations at Cooper’s Seafood for this evening, I decided to go the conservative route in ordering pizza. I ordered 2 slices, each made with a different crust. The first slice is a traditional slice with traditional crust. The second was a specialty crust of Scranton, served in a square, kind of like Detroit style. Both came with pepperoni and Italian sausage. If I have a preference, I prefer the deep-dish square one over the traditional crust one. The deep-dish crust was crunchy on the edges, as you would expect, but soft and fluffy on the interior. I’m not sure what the mix of the four used, but it added a different texture that I’ve never had before. The toppings were high quality which added to how delicious this pizza was. I would have liked a little more sauce on the traditional pizza, but the deep-dish pizza and plenty of sauce. When it comes to the sauce, it had a sweetness to it, but not sugary sweet. The sauce was deep in color and had good depth of flavor with herbs. I’m so happy to report that this pizza is not a “hot circle of garbage”, but a delectable piece of deliciousness.
As always, I ended with dessert, just like any good meal should end. It is my opinion that an eating establishment should deliver on taste and presentation from beginning to end. There is nothing that will ruin my night quicker than to eat a fantastic meal, then to be so disappointed by the dessert, because the restaurant just gave up. I’ve got good news for Alfredo’s, you didn’t give up. I went with the Raspberry Lemon Drop, a white genoise, with lemon mousse and European raspberry preserved, then topped with a lemon glaze. What a fantastic combination, raspberry and lemon. The genoise was excellent with a lot of air and tenderness. As is the usual case with genoise, it was brushed with a syrup. While the lemon glaze, lemon mousse, and raspberry preserves are important, if the genoise isn’t done right, then the entire dish could be a disaster. Once you get the genoise correct, then half the battle is won. All the other parts of the dish were added in equal parts to assemble dish to be proud of. The mousse was delicate and airy, with a beautiful flavor. What isn’t in the description of the dessert is the fact that it also came with a caramel sauce drizzled on it. I’m not sure if it needed the caramel sauce, but it certainly didn’t detract from the overall taste of the dish. Just for the curious, they do have some very traditional desserts as well, Cannoli, Tiramisu, New York Style Cheesecake, Brownie Ala Mode, and Triple Chocolate Cake. I could get these at almost any other place, but the Raspberry Lemon Drop I don’t see that often so, it was an easy choice.
That’s it folks, that was my time at Alfredo’s Pizza Café. If you are as big of an Office fan as I am, a trip to Scranton should be on your life agenda and a visit to Alfredo’s. You will be happy to know it is the only Alfredo’s in town and there is no Pizza by Alfredo. You won’t get confused and end up eating a hot circle of garbage. You will be pleasantly surprised by the food, the town, and the people.
| Website: | Alfredo's Pizza |
| Address: | 1040 S. Washington Avenue, Scranton, PA 18505 |
| Phone: | (570)969-1910 |
| Visited: | October 2023 |
| Menu | Alfredo's Menu |
