Just went into Sammy's PIzza, 127 Merrimack to welcome this new za parlor to town (someone's got to do it). Can't remember what was here before (jimmy's pizza? gary's ice cream?),
it's changed hands more times than an iPhone. While it's tempting to write-off this place, next to Mambo Grill, as more of the same, Sammy's feels substantial. Beyond the requisite rundown of toppings, a section called gourmet pizza caught my eye. An Alfredo pie w/ white, creamy sauce and chix and broc., Fenway pizza, w/sausage pepper and onion, Margherita and spinach pies on "thin crust" could indeed be appealing.
I put thin crust in quotes because one man's crisp waffer is another's thick Sicilian. There is no regulation when it comes to how thin is thin. And what constitutes thin. Calzones, gyros, pasta meals and panini (yawn) round out the mega offerings. Owner Matt, (Sammy's alter ego) seems like the kind of guy that will last more than three mo. He had a firm handshake and intelligent gaze with a note of mischief. In other words, the ideal temper for a pizza man. They open Tues.
It makes me laugh to think of foot long sausages strewn across a pizza. Hot dogs or pizza, hot dogs or pizza, not a bad problem to have.
I've been in town a little while now and have found I like Broadway Pizza a lot for a nice Classic Greek, Espresso when I want something sweet and tangy (my folks recommended it from going there in the early 70's), and I like the Pizza Hut stuffed crust when I'm really just looking for an excuse to eat lots of cheese. My dilema is how many "go to" pizza places do I need before I stop trying new ones?
Before becoming Sammy's, this space was JD's Roast Beef, which was excellent when it first opened and then went downhill quickly after a few months. They closed last October. Prior to that, it was Gary's Ice Cream, which left to go occupy the old Burbeck's Ice Cream location on Pawtucket St.