Critic's Review
I felt like a slice of pizza and I was driving in LBTS; so I stopped in here on the way home.
They've done quite a remodeling job since my last visit 9 years ago; it used to just be a counter. I have a better camera now also.
The daVinci artwork shows it's a trade name and not the name of the owner. They did a nice job with the remodel, raising their ambiance rating from 1/2 star to 3.
They dining room is quite modern and they even have a TV; you can tell the brainpower of a business owner by what's on the TV. In this case, some sort of courtroom reality show.
I didn't like the looks of the pizza they had out; it looked old and wrinkly. They also have grandma slices here, but they don't make it right; so I ordered a meatball parm sub for $7.99.
It took a while to melt the cheese. I was out the door in about 15 minutes. They have one of those POS systems that they flip around, it asks for a tip and then you sign with your finger. I get the convenience but customers can't like these things.
They have thermal To Go bags designed to keep the food warm on the drive home. Something other restaurants would do if they weren't counting their pennies.
Unlike the sub from The Lunchroom; this sub wasn't overflowing with giant meatballs.
This is more along the lines of a NY meatball hero; lot's of sauce and a glob of mozzarella melted over it. They tout their tomato sauce as a "secret recipe"; I thought it was a good, but not great sauce; a bit too concentrated for my taste.
The roll was superb; a soft roll is needed to keep the meatballs from falling out. (note to Anthony Bruno). The meatballs weren't great; they could have stuffed another 1/2 meatball in I think; but overall a pretty good sandwich.
Conclusion
By Fort Lauderdale standards, DaVinci's is one of the few places that duplicates a Long Island pizzeria; a mediocre one but better than just about all of the places in South Florida. This is the kind of place you'd stop off for lunch near where you work or next to your supermarket; but you wouldn't come here for dinner or for your Saturday night pizza.
The fact that the pizza they had for slices didn't look good to me cost them a 1/2 star.
Review 10/10/2010
The first time I got a couple of slices from DaVinci I was impressed. They have a good formula for pizza. Their "NY Style" pizzas are made with a thin crust and a good amount of oregano.
I was shooting at Bootlegger and decided to pick up a woile pie for the first time from DaVinci's. I'd gotten a decent slice there a few months ago.
Inside, it's nothing but a counter.
I have to admit to being somewhat disappointed in the pizza. While it was good; it was flawed. The crust was a bit too thick, and it was a little short on sauce and cheese. I'm not sure if they're cutting back, or if they're just inconsistent. But it wasn't nearly as good as the slices I had a year ago here.
