Trader Joe's Puff Pastry Margherita Pizza vs. Bella Napoli Bambino Pizza

I view the bins in the frozen aisle at Trader Joe's as a treasure hunt for goodies - tamales, popovers, naan, fish, burgers, veggies. You'll find the staples of a meat 'n' potatoes meal as well as green tea ice cream and orange chicken. With appetizers in mind, I was "tasked" with the objective of selecting a new and intriguing product to be served later that week. Nothing too heavy, I was told, just something to enliven the taste buds of four hungry people. If on a mission for my own late night cravings, I would have selected a bundle of individually sized Bella Napoli Bambino pizzas. But for a group of four seeking a light and savory snack, I chose the Puff Pastry Margherita Pizza.

I've tried the Bambinos before and been content with the traditional composition of this pizza: red sauce, cheese, pepperoni, and a crust that crisps up nicely after ten minutes in the oven. But puff pastry had me intrigued, first for the sub-two-dollar price tag, and second, for the artisanal quality implied by the name. The Puff Pastry Pizza was easily the cheapest of the TJ's pizzas, so I grabbed a box and examined each side, like a little kid probing a Christmas present. The high-res image on the front painted a robust picture of tomato wedges and fresh basic, a delicate sprinkle of mozzarella, and a golden pastry crust, complete with a few vagrant flakes on the table for authenticity. The back of the box spoke of French-meets-Italian fusion in a handwritten text that made me feel like I was sitting in a bistro, and this pizza was just pulled from the wood fired oven especially for me.

Per the box's instructions, I set the pizza on the 400 degree oven rack for about seven minutes. The pizza that emerged looked much like the picture on the box, only a bit drier and charred on the edges. Although the box suggests that this pizza serves two (or, more realistically, one), I cut it into four modest squares and let the taste test begin. Conversation continued with intermittent bites and dabs of the napkin. No exclamations of, "My goodness, this is good!" or requests for seconds. It was as if the process of eating the pizza had not occurred. The pastry was appropriately flaky - a nice change from a denser Bambino - and the cheese flavor respectable. The basil charred to a significantly darker shade of green than that pictured on the box - a fault of our oven, perhaps. The tomatoes were a fresh departure from the usual stale or sweet-tasting sauces ladled on most store-bought pizzas. But the overall experience was underwhelming. At 190 calories per serving and eleven grams of fat, I'd sooner fish for another item in the frozen aisle - the reliable Bambino, or a larger version of it. Perhaps the Puff Pastry Margherita pizza, which stakes its appeal on freshness, is better left in the hands of your nearest upscale pizza parlor.