Pizza by Angelone

Angelone's West

768 Main St

Westbrook, Me 04092

(207) 854-9122

Angelone's West Facebook Page

I first stumbled upon Angelone’s Pizza or Pizza by Angelone, at the Westbrook location about 10 years ago after getting lost leaving Smiling Hill Farm.   I turned left when I should have gone straight, and eventually pulled into their driveway to turn around when I realized that I was at a Pizza place.  I was hungry for lunch, and pizza is awesome so why not stay and eat.

The Westbrook Location

There was something about the building that I instantly liked.  Clearly it was old, but not dirty as it was well maintained, and I loved the original signage that was simple yet elegant.  Somehow the building had charisma and it made me have to eat here.

Inside Angelone's North

Menu

The inside had just as much charm as the outside and the menu was the simplest one I had ever seen.  Pizza, that’s it!  Three sizes and a dozen different toppings to choose from, traditionally comes thin crust but you can pay extra for double dough.  Why would you want to?  They make their own sauce and dough.  They have a dough baller that is as old as the rest of the building that is very cool to watch in action. 

My go to pizza is pepperoni, if you can’t make a good pepperoni pizza then you can’t make pizza.  Along with pizza they have a small selection of chips and soda.  This is also the first time I ever had which turned out to be my favorite Cape Cod Chips ever Sour Cream and Chive.  They were discontinued shortly thereafter, but have recently returned in the form of Sour Cream and Green Onion.

When I was a kid on the spur of the moment my parents, brother, and I headed to Boston for the weekend. When we got into Boston it was pouring rain out and we found this cheap hotel to stay in.  They got us a pizza which we ate in the room while we watch the television.  It was the best pizza I had ever had and I have essentially compared every pizza since then to that one and nothing has quite matched that pizza on that night.   

The pizza at Angelone’s immediately made me think of that pizza from the rainy night in Boston, and it fast became my favorite pizza.  Each time I have gone back I have never been disappointed and anyone I have brought with me has agreed that it is excellent pizza. 

Of the three locations that have been in business in my time I have eaten at two of them; Angelone’s West in Westbrook and Angelone’s North in Portland.  The other location I wanted to go to but never did was Pizza by Angelone in South Portland and closed in 2010.  In 2011 the building was demolished to make way for a Bath Savings Bank.

Former South Portland Location

According to a Portland Press Herald article all three locations were opened in the late 1960’s by John “Jack” Angelone to go along with his location on Monument Square.  His first shop he opened in 1947 on Veranda St in Portland.  Eventually three of his daughters took over the shops.

According to the article the daughter of the former South Portland location is hoping to reopen at a different location.  I haven't been able to find out if they have yet, but if they do I will make sure to sample their pizza as well.

I encourage everyone to go and try Angelone's Pizza so you too can experience the finest pizza in Maine.

***UPDATE***
The North location in Portland closed in the Summer of 2018 leaving the Westbrook location as sole survivor.

Portland Location

Portland Location

Portland Location

Portland Location

Portland Location

Hott Dogg House

The Hott Dogg House

170 Mt Vernon Ave

Augusta, Maine 04330

(207) 622-9761

www.thehottdogghouse.com

The Hott Dogg House formerly Don’s Famous Franks has been a staple of Augusta for nearly 40 years on Mt. Vernon Avenue.  First opened in 1978 by Donald and Donna Genest the eatery is still in the Genest Family to this day.  I myself first visited in 1998 and have been going back ever since.

I’ve tried many items on the menu and have never been disappointed, generally though I stick with my standard order of two with mustard and a small fry.

They use a brown natural casing dog that is cooked on a flat top and then cradled in a warm, soft steamed New England style top split roll.  The French fries are my all-time favorite!  They are homemade crinkle cut that are twice fried for crispiness!  They come unsalted so you can dress them as you like

 
The last couple years Don’s revamped and renamed themselves the Hott Dogg House and now feature a few specialty dogs like the Dually Dog and the Beanie Dog and 12 combo meals to choose from.  Other than the name and the décor though, nothing else has changed.  The service is still friendly and fast, the food excellent, and the French fries are the best around.

b.good

I love a cheeseburger, practically my favorite thing to eat.  I really enjoy going to different burger joints or chains and sampling their signature burger.  I have a list of places to go see and visit across the United States and whenever I hear about a new burger place I add it to the list.

 

A few months back I learned about b good a chain that started in Massachusetts and has expanded significantly on the east coast including one in Portland, Maine.  I added them to my list and waited for the opportunity to go, which was Sunday August 31^st.  

I love the concept and the idea of b good, real food fast, and the fact that practically everything they use in the restaurant is from local farmers.  From the beef, the vegetables, the potatoes, and even the fountain soda is all local.  They have large photos in the place showing the farmers they buy from and what they buy.  How could you not get behind a place like this.  

Sadly though my experience was very disappointing on many levels.  After ordering we sat and waited for over 20 minutes before our food came.  My wife and I each ordered a burger and a French fry to split.  Our burgers were dry and over cooked, the wheat bun was also quite dry.  I had ordered a burger with cheddar cheese, bacon, mayo, tomato, & Chef Tony’s homemade pickles.  What I received on my burger was lettuce, bacon, mayo, & tomato.   I brought it back to have the cheese and pickles added.  I wasn’t the only one to have their food prepared incorrectly.  I saw

  several other customers also bring back their food because something was not prepared correctly. 

                When I went to use the restroom I walked past the open kitchen area and discovered why my burger was so dry as there was no less than 15 burgers all cooked just sitting on the grill top.  These burgers were not being used for immediate orders as near as I could tell there was no order waiting to go out and all the kitchen staff appeared to be just waiting for something to do. 

                My disappointment was enhanced by how much I had anticipated going here.  In the future if in the Portland area and craving a burger I’ll either go around the corner to Five Guys or head over to always delicious Elevation Burger.

***UPDATE***

              I decided to message b.good with basically the blog as written above.  Well the next day I received a response from the owners of the Portland branch apologizing for our experience and gave us two vouchers for free burgers to give them another chance.  And we will, once we have done so I will update this blog post.