Barstool Sports Founder Stops By Popular Shelton Pizzeria For Video Review

SHELTON, CT — Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy recently stopped by a popular Shelton pizzeria for one his famous "One Bite Pizza Reviews," and the owner said it was a fun experience.

Portnoy stopped by Caloroso Eatery & Bar, a popular Italian restaurant on Center Street, and ordered a large gas-fired pizza with cheese and no garlic, according to Owner Mathew Calandro.

Portnoy famously only reviews cheese pizzas as opposed to a restaurant's specialty pies.

Calandro said to Patch that Portnoy ordered the pie under the name Austin, so they had no idea he was coming to the restaurant to try their pizza until he showed up.

"This was a true honor and we were completely surprised," Calandro said. "There are a lot of great places to choose from and we are blessed and lucky that he chose us."

The Review

The video of his review, filmed outside the restaurant, was posted Tuesday night to Portnoy's social media.

In the video, Portnoy said the crew inside Caloroso appeared "starstruck" when he walked inside to pick up his pizza.

Portnoy also noted that although he was in the state and area famous for its New Haven-style pizza, the pie from Caloroso looked like "more of a bar-type [pizza] situation."

"You really have to rearrange your brain," Portnoy said in the video, "and get out of New Haven style...it's a paradigm shift."

After a few bites of a slice and some deliberation, Portnoy awarded "a comfortable 7.6" out of ten to the cheese pizza at Caloroso.

Portnoy noted immediately that he liked the pizza, which he described as "almost like a gigantic bar pie; nice and thin."

He also spoke highly of the atmosphere inside Caloroso.

"The place was cool in there," Portnoy said. "Almost brewery vibes, like a lot of beers on tap. They had a big board, TVs."

The Barstool Sports founder also said the Caloroso team gave him a good-natured hard time about his Boston Red Sox hat when he picked up the pie, to which Portnoy retorted "I'll tell you, the [New York] Yankees will lose every night. Every night they lose. I can't tell if the Red Sox are good or bad...but the Yankees stink."

Portnoy signed off the review by reiterating his score and how much he enjoyed the Shelton restaurant.

"This is a 7.6, a comfortable 7.6," Portnoy said. "Caloroso, cool spot [in] Shelton, Connecticut. That's the review."

Portnoy's full video review of Caloroso can be viewed on his Facebook page.

Caloroso Reacts

Calandro said he and his team at Caloroso were very happy with the score Portnoy awarded them overall "but think when you consider everything, we're a solid 9.99; no one's perfect."

He also emphasized that his restaurant, which additionally serves wood-fired pies, specializes in more than just pizza.

"Our menu and capabilities are vast and the team works very hard to satisfy our customers," Calandro said. "We serve 300 seats on three floors and have a large off-premise catering business as well. We make it all from scratch: bread, meatballs, cutlets, burgers, pickles and so much more. Our staff works very hard and takes a lot of pride in what they do."

See also: New BBQ, Breakfast Restaurant To Open In Historic Shelton Building

In addition to quality food, Caloroso also prioritizes supporting the Shelton community, a philosophy the restaurant's staff has "completely bought into," Calandro said.

"We were unfortunately overlooked on the Connecticut Pizza Trail, which bummed us out," Calandro said, "but this more than made up for it and is giving the staff and our restaurant the kudos it deserves."

One Bite In Connecticut

For those unfamiliar with the video series, Portnoy reviews pizza from restaurants around the world, ranking it on a scale of 0–10.

Portnoy began reviewing pizza places in New York City in 2017 but soon expanded to pizzerias everywhere.

He recently swung through several Connecticut pizzerias and posted reviews for them, including Jimmy's Apizza in Milford.

In May 2024, Portnoy stopped by Carpanzano's in Guilford for a review. He also gave his take on a pie from Amato's Pizza & Pasta in Madison the following month.

Portnoy's pizza reviews have garnered millions of views on social media, and as soon as he posts them, the spots he likes see a huge surge in customers.