Rotolo's is a new pizza place just off I-69 in the new Village at Cumberland Park. This is apparently a chain based out of Louisiana that is trying to break into Texas. The space is relatively small, although the outdoor seating would be nice on a cool Spring evening. There is a large bar area with an impressive selection of craft brews.
The spread: The appetizers offer the run of the mills selections to include bruschetta, spinach/artichoke dip, different kinds of flat breads with topping as well as a few interesting items to include the eggplant stacker, meatballs and garlic Parmesan bites. They also offer wings, several types of salads, wraps/sandwiches, and pastas. The star of the show are their pizzas. They have an ambitious pizza menu with some common combinations (meatball, meat feast, deluxe combo, etc) as well as some unique pizzas (Sgt pepper, Philly cheesesteak, Popeye, muffuletta, krewe).
The verdict: The most memorable item that I tried was actually the Parmesan bites from the appetizer menu. They were warm, flavorful salty, buttery fully bits of goodness. The meatballs were solid, with a good combination of spices, meat and breadcrumbs. The pizza was good, but not great. I think the problem I had is that the crust was not that much different that any pizza chain. The sauce was solid, although somewhat bland. The cheese was melty gooey and delicious. The toppings were high quality, but not highest quality. The service was average to below average, but they are relatively still young in their restaurant life, so it may just be a product of not having veteran staff. I was very impressed with their draft beer selection, they had both local Tyler brewers on tap as well as a good collection of craft brew. Overall, the pizza was good, even above average, but not great. This would be a good place to grab a couple of beers and have solid pizza.
Edible Tyler Roses: 3.5 out of 5, solid pizza for the price, still needs work on service.
