8830 N. Himes, Tampa
I had been sick and had a taste for pizza, so I looked for one that was nearby. It was called the Homestyle Pizza Company. If branding is the start of a good customer-service relationship, the name of this place was not a good start. Gravy is homestyle. Meatloaf is homestyle. It is not a word that readily comes to mind, when I’m thinking about pizza. The place is in a strip mall which most of these are. They have some tables on a deck for outside seating and a few booths inside.
The Pie
The menu said it was New York Style pizza, a claim that many of these places make with varying levels of accuracy. It was a nice thought, but the pizza at this place had little connection to actual New York Style pizza. The dough was rather doughy and bready, had no discernable crunch, and was not really foldable. None of the hallmarks of a real New York pizza were present. The sauce was sweetened a bit and was rather thick without the usual pieces of tomato. In classic New York style pizza, the sauce is over the cheese. For this pie, the sauce was under the mozzarella.
The verdict
For a sick day, this place did provide some lunch. However, the pie was rather disappointing and it s unlikely this place would end up in my pizza rotation.