PrintCam's New York Pizzeria; Spencerport, New York
DISPATCH AND PHOTOS BY DAVE, Special to Slice .::. No discussion of New York-style pizza around Rochester, New York, would be complete without taking into account Cam’s New York Pizzeria, if for no other reason than that it's one of only two pizzerias in the area (Sal’s New York Pizzeria on Monroe Avenue being the other) whose name expressly claims it to serve "New York" pizza. That aside, it’s still worth a mention for serving up pizza that, while more of an approximation than a classic example of the New York style, is pretty good in its own right.
Cam’s is, dare I say it, a chain (stay with me here) that has slowly grown from what I think was its original location on Lyell Avenue in Rochester out to the ’burbs and beyond, with locations now as far away as Watertown to the north and the Finger Lakes to the south. According to its website, each location is independently owned and operated, and each location makes its own dough daily, but in my experience, the results have been pretty consistent from one to the next.
So how is it? It’s good. Very good, even. Although whether it’s "authentic" New York–style pizza is, well, debatable. The crust, while thin (especially by local standards), is a tad thicker than you would get at the typical corner slice joint in New York City, with a chewy breadiness that lacks the exterior crunch that I associate with New York pizza.
Still, that’s hardly cause for complaint, as the texture and flavor of Cam’s crust are what make its pizza so good. It has a fresh, yeasty, breadlike quality, and though not paper thin, it’s thin enough that you can polish off several slices without getting stuffed. The sauce has a lively, tomatoey tang, and the mozzarella isn’t piled on too thick, with the occasional pocket of sauce visible here and there.
The pie pictured here is from the Spencerport location (about 12 miles west of downtown Rochester), which opened a few months ago at the corner of South Union Street and Route 31. Like all Cam’s pizzas, this was cooked in a steel-deck gas oven, resulting in a golden-brown underside with no charring, as you can see in the slightly out-of-focus photo. (If you like your pizza charred, I’m afraid you’ll have to look elsewhere; I wouldn’t recommend asking Cam’s to cook it longer, as you will simply end up with burnt cheese and a dried-out crust.)
CAM'S NEW YORK PIZZERIA
Address: Route 31 & 259, Spencerport NY 14559 [map]
Phone: 585-349-1040
Website: camsnypizza.com
The skinny: Pies come in 14-, 16- (pictured), and 20-inch sizes, and slices are available. By-the-slice or pie, it’ll run you about $1.50 a slice. The Spencerport location is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, and till 11 p.m. on weekends. Major credit cards accepted.
Dave is Slice's Upstate New York correspondent. He prefers to go by "just 'Dave'."
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it pleasant. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
8 Comments:
Based on looks alone, I think I'd prefer the Cam's to the Main Street pie you talked about last week, Dave.
Adam Kuban at 10:28PM on 01/16/07
Whoa... whoa.... whoa - lets not get ahead of ourselves here; do not call Cam's good. I was a proud customer of the Geneva, NY location when I was at Hobart College and while the pizza was alright it comes no where close to a decent slice in NYC. Good is a relative term and in western, ny it is VERY GOOD; beats the heck out of the tomatto paste and grocery store cheese on white bread served at most places but compared to any decent NYC pizzaria it becomes passable. Was a shock to see it reviewed though!
Slice Wingman at 2:58PM on 01/17/07
The top looks decent enough, but the crust is a disgrace. No such thing as a NY pizza without the char.
Slice Josh at 5:14PM on 01/18/07
It's a shame about Rochester... back in the 70s there used to be good pie places here and there all over the city. Now most of them are gone with the greater Italian exodus from the city. I've never had Cams. The local style was typically just a bit thicker than NYC style... perhaps it has something to do with predominance of Sicilians in the area (though it is hardly authentic Italian of any sort). Usually Bay Goodman (at the corner of Bay and Goodman) is considered the best remaining place in Rochester. I haven't been there in years. I have also had a pretty good pie at Brandani's on W. Henrietta Road on the outskirts of town (with the Italian ice sign).
Slice Corn at 11:57PM on 01/18/07
Thanks for the comments. A few responses: first, I am not saying that Cam's or necessarily any pizza around Rochester would be considered all that good in NYC. I'm just trying to provide some info on what's available around here in terms of actual or alleged NY-style pizza, good, bad or otherwise, in case somebody out there is desperately searching for it. Second - if charring is a prerequisite, your choices here will be extremely limited. There are a few local restaurants with pizza cooked in wood-fired ovens, which I hope to review at some point, but in my experience they tend to be all crunch and no chewiness, like a cracker. Third - Bay Goodman is no more. It was getting pretty sketchy and I think there may have been some bad stuff going on. It was a classic Rochester pizza, if there is such a thing, kind of thick but tasty. I haven't had Brandani's in years but I intend to go back. But I'm trying to limit my submissions to Slice to local pizzerias that make, or at least claim to make, NY-style pizza. I don't think Brandani's fits into that category. Finally - for Sicilian pizza there's Nino's on Culver. Not my kind of pizza but it has its devotees and it's been around for a long time so I guess they're doing something right.
Slice dave at 4:11PM on 01/19/07
I am looking forward to your future dispatches. I moved away 15 years ago to a much much lower plain of pizza hell (central Illinois) wedged between Chicago and St Louis. Back in Rochester, my local place on Thurston, Joe's, went downhill and then closed, and my parents having been ordering from a lousy local chain, Pontillo's, sigh. Even worse, my mom insists now on extra cheese. Uggh. Luckily, my in-laws live just outside of New Haven, so I can get my fix at Modern, every year or so. I'm sorry to hear about Bay Goodman, but am frankly not too surprised. North Goodman is none too inviting for your average college student, and in any case I was turned off a bit when they started advertising with topless dancers on late night public access. Brandani's has that thicker Rochester style, but they do it pretty right. But call ahead, because they have somewhat odd hours.
Slice Corn at 5:19PM on 01/19/07
Original Location was in Oswego, NY.
wither at 2:28PM on 12/19/07
I tried the Cam's location north of Syracuse (on the outer edge of Liverpool if I recall correctly) just once. I had to buy a food item from a vendor who participated in my flier miles dining rewards program in order to prevent the expiration of15,000 flyer miles (good tip for those with multiple FF accounts like me - the food purchase counts as "activity").
The dough was "okay" but undercooked and not yeasty enough... the sauce was spread a bit too thin for that style of pie... and it tasted/appeared to have that wretched "Grande cheese blend" that desecrates so may pies these days. Definitely wasn't quality whole-milk mozzarella. I have not revisited Cam's and even if they were in my neighborhood (which they are not) I wouldn't bother.
phaelon56 at 3:32PM on 03/13/08