When a friend of ours posted on Facebook he was beginning a new journey with Bubba’s 33: Pizza-Burgers-Beer restaurant, I checked it out and immediately wanted to try it. The closest one to us is in Canton, and we decided to make a day of it Sunday by catching a movie and a late lunch. Wendi and I do not drink, so we were not enticed by the beer, but I am a fan of pizza, having grown up in an Italian family in an Italian neighborhood just outside Boston, and Wendi loves burgers.
We were going to grab a bite to eat after watching Equalizer 2, starring Denzel Washington. Wendi and I had just watched the original to get ready for the latest action thriller, and we both thought it was on par with the first. Interestingly enough, the Equalizer films were shot in and around Boston. Some of the scenes were shot in Chelsea and Lynn, which are neighboring cities of Revere, where I grew up. I got a little excited in one of the scenes when they were driving on the highway and one of the green signs indicated the Revere exit was coming up.
It was in Revere where I developed a liking for New York-style pizza. The pizza served in and around Boston is the New York style. It is hand-stretched dough, with a little sauce and cheese cooked on a brick/stone oven at a high temperature (not on a conveyor belt in a pan or on a screen). I love pizza, and I have been on a quest to create true, Neapolitan-style pizza at home. You can read all of our pizza posts here. The New York/Boston kind of pizza is based off the Margherita pizza that originated in Naples, Italy. The crust tends to be thin (but not like a Pizza Hut thin crust) and crispy because it is hand-stretched and cooked quickly in a high heat.
While I knew Bubba’s 33 featured stone-oven pizza, I was not sure what to expect. When I saw the couple at the table across from us ordered a pizza, I thought it looked good. I told Wendi it looked the like real deal. When our cheese pizza came out, and I bit into it, the first bite reminded me of home and the pizza with which I grew up. Who would have thought you could get a really good New York-style pizza in a restaurant called Bubba’s? I thoroughly enjoyed it.
For the burger, we went with a double bacon cheeseburger. Bubba’s 33 has an option where you can get a burger made of half ground beef and half ground bacon, but Wendi doesn’t like that kind of grind. So, we went with a traditional burger, which is made of fresh ground beef. In fact, everything is made from scratch at Bubba’s. The burger was humongous. Because Wendi and I share our meals when we are out, we ended up eating only half of the burger: Each of us had one-quarter of the double burger … you do the math.
The burger was pretty good. It was definitely moist and juicy. We had asked for it to be cooked medium, and the centers of the burgers were pink. Too often, when you order a burger medium at a restaurant, you get it well done. That was not the case here. I think the burger could have been seasoned a little more, but it was OK. There were a lot of fries. With everything made from scratch, fresh cut fries would have been a better option.
Wendi and I didn’t realize Bubba’s 33 was started by Kent Taylor, the founder of Texas Roadhouse, which is only our favorite restaurant. When you walk in the restaurant, you can see some similarities with the design and materials used. Bubba’s has an ambitious menu, and I am glad we tried it. It was also nice that Bubba’s 33 paid homage to my favorite 33: Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics. In the photo above, you can see Bird’s jersey hanging on the wall to the right of Wendi.
If you haven’t been to Bubba’s 33, I would definitely recommend it. If you like New York-style pizza, then get a pizza. I will definitely be back to grab some.
