If you are looking for great entertainment for the kids ... you gotta see Tony G. (aka Tony Gemignani). However if you think a world class "cooking teacher" that is also known as a "Pizza Champion" can make a pizza that tastes like no other, you are in for a disappointment.
Recently Tony G. came to Coal Mine Pizza (Boca Raton, FL). The advertisement said, "Join 9 Time World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani." Well this reviewer and many other diners agreed that World Pizza Champion has nothing to do with pizza quality. According to the ad, Tony G. makes pizza with original (flown in) Italian ingredients. Well, I got to tell you, the taste wasn't world champion. It was no different than if Coal Mine Pizza made the pie themselves except for the steep cost of $24 for a 12-inch pizza.
And, where's the cheese! I've had gourmet pizzas before, and although cheese shouldn't over power the overall flavor, the Tony G. pizza we had appeared to have less than a 1/4-pound of cheese. In other words, a Tony G. pizza is a "cheese-less" pizza with a thick crust and some tomato sauce.
Could the pizza we were served by Tony G. be the exception ... possibly, I did see other pizzas with more cheese; however after interviewing about ten others, the taste (or lack thereof) was unanimous.
On the other hand, the entertainment value was excellent. Tony G.'s pizza throwing is something you probably have never seen before. And it is for that reason, and that reason alone, why I think Tony G. is a celebrity on shows like The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Early Show, Food Network, Good Morning America, and the Today Show, among others. And, Tony G. also seems like a genuinely nice guy.
So, if you have a chance to see one of his shows, take the kids, and eat before you go!
