Barstool Sports founder David “El Presidente” Portnoy is well-known for his video series where he visits and reviews pizzerias using his infamous "one bite" rating system to decipher the quality of various slices from across the world (but he focuses primarily on the U.S.).
Portnoy has temporarily adapted his series to take place from his home amid the coronavirus pandemic, rating popular frozen pizza brands and the occasional independent pizza company who sends him frozen pizzas to cook at home.
Cincinnati's Taft's Brewpourium was in the spotlight of Portnoy's most recent review. As a New Haven apizza aficionado, Portnoy was skeptical to try such a highly esteemed variety of pizza, declaring, "them are fightin' words," as he opens the box labeled New Haven-style apizza.
The Taft's pizza arrived unfrozen, which Portnoy notes has resulted in floppy pizzas in past reviews. However, after removing it from the oven, the pizza came out with a "good crisp." Portnoy criticizes the addition of Parmesan on the pizza, claiming that real New Haven apizzas are not made with it. Despite his dissatisfaction with the Parm, he does say that the pizza is reminiscent of the New Haven-style apizza with regards to the crust.
Portnoy gives the pizza a 5.9 on his frozen pizza scale.
"I don't know if they've earned the right to walk around the street and say, 'Hey, we're New Haven-style apizza.' There's work to be done," he says in the review.
Coming in at No. 1 with a 8.8 is Zuppardi's Apizza, a restaurant based out of New Haven, Connecticut that offers a selection of frozen prepared dishes ranging from personal pizza to homemade lasagna.
Portnoy reviews several big-name frozen pizza brands like Stouffer's, DiGiorno and Screamin' Sicilian, but one stood out from the rest — Newman's Own comes in at No. 5 out of the 32 brands he's tried so far, with a rating of 7.4.
He also reviewed Greater Cincinnati-based pizzeria Strong's Brick Oven Pizzeria earlier this year.
Taft's Brewpourium, located at 4831 Spring Grove Ave. in Spring Grove Village, is offering both contactless carry-out and delivery for pizza, salads and beer, plus miscellaneous grocery items.