Domenico's

That girl is a definite creature of habit. Although I love to try new places, like most people I find myself falling into the arms of the familiar on any given dinner out. That is probably why I had never been to Domenico's, a popular italian pizza/pasta joint in Belmont Shore.Their ads run pretty regularly in the Press-Telegram, so boyfriend and I decided to give it a try. Not to start out on a sour note, but honestly... not too impressed. Someday I'll write about Buona Gente and you'll see what 2nd Street is all about. One thing I really liked were the dry crunchy breadsticks they place on the table once you've placed your order. Having heard so much about the "famous creamy garlic" salad dressing, we asked for a side for dipping. Gotta say... not that garlicky. It seemed to be lacking something, perhaps as simple as salt and pepper, but it basically tasted like mayo and sour cream with a little crushed garlic mixed in. Eh.Domenico's is famous for their "ground meats" pizzas, so we opted to share a large, half ground pepperoni and half ground sausage. The pie did look magnificent but again, lacking flavor. The ground pepperoni had no spice at all and oozed grease. That girl knows pepperoni pizza is supposed to be greasy, but this was ridiculous. The sausage was a little better, but didn't really have that zesty fennel flavor that italian sausage should have.Just as I was starting to think I wasn't giving this Long Beach institution a fair shake, the bill arrived. I'm sorry, but charging for a two item pizza when you order half and half is crap! THAT GIRL CALLS BS ON YOU, DOMENICO'S!!! We brought this to the attention of our waiter, who said at least THREE people ask about that EVERY NIGHT and even he disagrees with the policy. I won't be back, and you shouldn't bother either.