DiCarlo's in York serves pizza Ohio-style

DiCarlo's Pizza is a slice of Ohio in York County. A square slice, mind you.

The franchise started in Steubenville around 1945. Then moved east to West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Richmond, Virginia.

Ned and Jodi Bauhof opened the downtown York location last year "for fun," Jodi said.

The Ohio natives moved to the area 22 years ago, right out of college, and learned how to live with round pizza. But they looked forward to visiting family in the Buckeye State and stopping for some pie.

When the DiCarlo family started franchising the business, Ned Bauhof told his wife, "Oh, we're definitely buying it."

The Bauhofs have no prior restaurant experience -- Ned owns an engineering company and Jodi used to be a teacher. But they know good pizza.

"I probably gained about 10 pounds since we opened the franchise," Jodi Bauhof said. Their three teenagers eat the pizza for breakfast almost every day. "I don't know how healthy that is," Jodi said, but added they're in sports and active.

The DiCarlo family wanted the York franchise to be downtown. The location has gone "really, really well," Jodi Bauhof said.

The narrow building's interior is sharp -- red pendant lights shine over a counter with stools facing an open kitchen. Tables line the opposite wall. A flat-screen TV hangs on the back wall.

On a recent Monday, I stopped for lunch and ordered a six-cut pizza ($6.99) with pepperoni ($1 extra) and veggie rolls ($4.99).

At that point, the very patient employee behind the counter asked if I wanted the cheese original or melted.

I felt like a preschooler who's only ever seen photos of pizza with melted cheese. If the cheese isn't melted, is it pizza?

I decided to try the original, and now there's no turning back.

The pizza arrives in a cardboard box. The pie's crust is crispy, the sauce is zesty and the cheese is rich. Instead of mozzarella, DiCarlo's uses provolone. Unmelted, it's simply grated on top. The cold cheese and pepperoni are a contrast to the hot crust and sauce.

The veggie rolls weren't the Chinese appetizer I envisioned. Shaped like four cinnamon rolls, the pizza dough is wrapped around olives, sweet peppers, banana peppers, red onions, mushrooms and provolone cheese.

Cheesybread ($4.99), pepperoni rolls ($4.99) and breadsticks ($3.99) are also on the menu. Salads, baked sandwiches and calzones are available, too.

But if you want a true taste of Ohio, try the pizza. If you like it and decide you want to eat it for breakfast like the Bauhof teens, a 16-cut Take n Bake pie is $16.99.

DiCarlo's Pizza in York

Location: 24 N. George St., downtown York

Cuisine: American

Jess' pick: Six-cut pizza, $6.99; veggie rolls, $4.99

Parking: Lot

Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon to 7 p.m. Sunday

Price range: $3.99, breadsticks; $16.99, 16-cut pizza

Alcohol: No

Accepts: Cash and credit

Takeout: Yes

Kid's menu: No

Details: Call 717-793-2023 or visit dicarlospizza.com