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Barstool Sports' El Presidente has been posting daily reviews recently, highlighting some of his stops at eateries across the state, which has featured some highs, and some lows for both he and the restaurant owners.
His latest stop brought him to Matthew's Pizza, which has been a staple on Eastern Avenue in Baltimore for nearly a century.
"So we've been on this Baltimore trip, but I've been confused ... It hasn't felt like we've been in the city," Portney mused. "Matthew's feels .. with the East Street and the theater on the corner, like we're actually in Baltimore.
"This place has been around since 1943, (more than) 80 years, and there's been tons of reviews from Zagat, Thrillist, and they say it's not New York, it's not New Jersey-style pizza, but it's Baltimore-style pizza."
The first surprise for the Barstool president was the packaging, as the pie came on a paper plate wrapped in tinfoil that was a little too hot to handle.
The second surprise was the pie itself.
"This is white hot and burning my hand. Not sure what that means," he said. "To me, this is a bar pie. Calling this Baltimore-style ... (no) this is a South Shore Massachusetts pie that's a little thicker."
Portnoy had nothing bad to say about the slice, impressed by its crispiness, though he contemplated the score before ultimately settling on a 7.9.
Then came the final unexpected twist.
"Give it an 8.9," a disembodied voice could be hear yelling as Portnoy was walking away.
Initially unable to find the source, the crew looked around until they spoke with a man who was at a window underneath the pizzeria.
The two bantered back and forth for a minute before Portnoy was ultimately persuaded to turn Matthew's PIzza's 7.9 into an 8.1.
During his tour of Maryland pizzerias, Portnoy previously visited Pizza John's in Essex (7.4), Frank's Pizza & Pasta in Baltimore (8.3) and TinyBrickOven in Baltimore (7.9).
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