Barstool Sports' Dave Portnoy reviewed three Utica pizzerias. Who got the highest score?

Dave Portnoy, founder of the Barstool Sports blog, visited three popular Utica pizzerias this summer as part of a series of reviews that brought him to restaurants in Central New York.

Beginning Monday, the video reviews of Utica restaurants were shared on Barstool Sports to an audience of millions of followers.

In Utica, Portnoy tried slices from O’Scugnizzo Pizzeria, Slice Pizza and Nina’s Pizza for his well-known “one bite” reviews, in which Portnoy takes a bite of pizza and delivers his opinion on social media.

The trend started with Portnoy reviewing pizzerias near the Barstool offices in New York City and now has taken him across the country, to Canada and the UK, searching for the best pizza.

In Utica, here's what Portnoy had to say about the local pies.

Dave Portnoy's review of O'Scugnizzo Pizzeria

One of Portnoy's first stops was O'Scugnizzo Pizzeria, a Utica icon on Bleecker Street and the second-oldest pizzeria in the country owned by the same family. Home of the upside-down pizza, O'Scugnizzo's owner Steve Burline had no idea Portnoy, who calls himself "el presidente," was coming until his daughter saw it on social media and called him, he said.

Burline said he was able to talk to Portnoy for a while. He asked him about history of the business and how he got into it. Burline also showed him photos of his grandfather, Eugeno Burlino, who founded the pizzeria in 1914.

"This is the place that I booked the entire trip around," Portnoy said when introducing O'Scugnizzo Pizzeria.

After trying one bite of a cheese pizza — although he takes more than one bite, Burline notes — Portnoy gave the slice an 8.1 score, adding it's "one of the places you have to hit" because of the pizzeria's long history.

"It's insane, it’s kind of surreal," said Burline, who called Portnoy's a fair review. "But you know I've been doing it for 45 years and I don’t get tired of it. To see people come in and enjoy, that’s what we do it for."

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Ever since Portnoy's visit, Burline said he's "absolutely" seen an increase in business.

"To have someone like this come in and review your pizza, it gives you a boost," he said. "It definitely makes a difference in the business."

Dave Portnoy's review of Slice Pizza

Slice Pizza owner Joe Rosemyer was at home tending to his newborn baby, Love, around 5 p.m. on July 29 when a friend who also runs a pizzeria in Syracuse told him Dave Portnoy was in Syracuse.

Several minutes later, one of his employees called him, saying Portnoy had in fact ordered pizza through the Slice app and was on his way to the restaurant on Genesee Street in Utica. Rosemyer said he almost couldn't believe it.

He "flew there as fast as I could" and a few minutes later, was giving Portnoy the large cheese pizza he had ordered — a thin, crispy pizza, just how he likes it, Rosemyer said.

"Of all the places I've done today, and I'm not just saying it because the owner is there, this would probably be my first go-to because it's so skinny and I like the crisp," Portnoy said about Slice, while adding he'd like to see a little more crust.

Slice Pizza received an overall score of 7.7, which left Rosemyer "floored" at the positive review.

"It’s been surreal since that happened," he said. "This is the best thing that could happen to a pizzeria. To get a positive review from this guy who's like the ultimate pizza critic in the world is just wow, it’s just crazy."

Rosemyer said Slice Pizza was Portnoy's favorite thin-crust pizza of the trip and received the highest score for New York-style pizza from Syracuse to Utica.

"My hope is that we can handle anything that comes from this and I hope everyone gets to try the pizza that (Portnoy) raved about," Rosemyer said.

Dave Portnoy's review of Nina's Pizza

Hajra "Nina" Kekic was so busy during the Friday rush hour she didn't recognize Dave Portnoy when he came into Nina's Pizza on Genesee Street. Portnoy then picked up his pizza and walked out, where several cameras awaited. That's when Kekic realized he wasn't just a regular customer, she said.

"I was in a state of shock. It was beautiful. It was an honor meeting him in person," said Kekic, who started crying, overwhelmed with emotion. "I was extremely happy that he picked Nina's Pizza."

Nina's Pizza received a score of 7.3 and an 8.7 for their watermelon slices that the restaurant offers in the summer for dessert.

Kekic said Portnoy's review meant a lot as the pizzeria has only been operating for four months under her ownership. After Portnoy's visit, Kekic said that she's definitely seen an uptick in customers and people calling her, including one person from Chicago who, after seeing the review, called her to congratulate her.

"My pizzeria name is not well known because I’m new and I also moved up here from Naples, Florida," Kekic said. "I can’t even explain how happy and honored I am that that has happened. He made a big difference."

Maria M. Silva covers food, drink and culture in the Mohawk Valley for the Observer-Dispatch. Email her at mariamsilva@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Barstool's Dave Portnoy reviewed three Utica pizzerias: What he said