This Week in Super Pies

Do the world a favor: DON'T order a delivery pizza this Super Bowl weekend. Don't support Domino's and its former kooky Catholic president, Tom Monaghan. Don't take advantage of the specials currently offered by Pizza Hut, part of the Taco Bell Evil Epicurean Empire. Don't buy from Little Caesar's and its owner, Mike Ilitch, who spent hundreds of millions on a new baseball stadium for the Detroit Tigers but forgot to field a team. DO swing by the following pizza places for good homegrown pies. And go Eagles!

DINNER FOR TWO:

¢ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Less than $10!

$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10-$20

$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $20-$40

$$$ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡Eres muy rico!

A Slice of New York Pizza

Orange County had a pitiful pizza tradition until the arrival of A Slice of New York Pizza. Whatever you might want on your pie—zesty pesto, searing buffalo wings, pineapple, pepperoni—it comes out like they like it in the Bronx: superthin, crunchy, topped with the minimal amount of sauce and served on butcher paper. If you care anything about food, you will visit this cubbyhole. And we love the blown-up Topps football card of John Riggins with the New York Jets—supoib! 142 Main St., Seal Beach, (562) 493-4430. $

Angelo's and Vinci's

This restaurant is a work of art. Never mind the monster wine cellar; it's like the Piazza Fantasia inside. You can't go wrong ordering pizza, so try the quattro formaggio that comes with tangy goat cheese. 550 N. Harbor Blvd., Fullerton, (714) 879-4022. $

Brooklyn Pizza

When you want real borough paradise, visit Brooklyn Pizza. It doesn't matter if you only want to eat a slice, order a small or split a large: Brooklyn Pizza's crackly New Yawk-style pie will have you cursing Walter O'Malley and those damn Yankees. Despite Brooklyn's notorious reputation for breeding people ruder than Ari Fleischer, the service at Brooklyn Pizza is supoib; they top off patrons' drinks before the cup is even three-quarters empty. 2278 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa, (949) 646-9399. $

Brooklyn Pizza Works

Brooklyn Pizza Works celebrates a disappearing way of life, a shrieking 1970s family-style pizzeria aesthetic that's going the way of the Elks. The time warp here continues with the food. An anthropomorphic pizza on the menu boasts that The Orange County Registerdeemed Brooklyn Pizza Works the county's best pizza parlor. The pizza doesn't mention the daily bestowed this honor in 1981 and 1992. But the designation still applies. And the calzones are even better! 1235 Imperial Hwy., Placentia, (714) 524-1260; www.brooklyn-pizza-works.com. $

Ciao

Great gourmet pizza in plate-sized discs of bread loaded with just about everything. If you have a preference for all things ham and pineapple, try the Maui. They have a great cheeseless pizza, too. 223 Marine Ave., Newport Beach, (949) 675-4070. $$

DiPiazza

Established in 1952, this award-winning Italian restaurant received Best Pizza honors in the Entertainment Book for five straight years. It offers a huge menu selection, including American dishes; you'll want to try the enticing chicken piccata, fettuccine Alfredo, lasagna, shrimp and pastas. The chicken Parmesan melt sandwich and the calamari steak will create lasting memories in your stomach. Plus, they sell Fernet Branca, which will cure your cholera. 5205 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., Long Beach, (562) 498-2461. $$

Doria's Original Haus of Pizza

My favorite pizza is a strapping saucer of bread covered with a heated blanket of gooey mozzarella, crispy shards of breaded eggplant, minced garlic and oil-marinated peppers. 1500 Adams Blvd., Costa Mesa, (714) 751-8777. $

First Class Pizza

Go for the employee sampler, which features four different pizzas, including the barbecue chicken, zesty Italian, Villa Park special with fresh basil and garlic, and the combo with pepperoni and sausage. 17853 Santiago Blvd., Villa Park, (714) 998-2961. $

Fitness Pizza N Grill

Their oval-shaped, thin-crust pizzas have deceptively healthy names like Triathlete, Iron Man and Gymnast (it is pizza, after all, but they claim they're all very low in fat). Either way, they taste good. 18246 Imperial Hwy., Yorba Linda, (714) 993-5421; www.fitnessgrill.com. $

Larry's Pizza and Sports Parlor

The 32-year-old Larry's is a North County icon, a place where kiddie athletes celebrate after a victory—or, conversely, drown their losses in pitchers of pink lemonade—while their coaches knock back beers with parents and watch the big leaguers duke it out on television. Larry's pizza is utilitarian: pizza slices thick as pocket Bibles, prepared with fragrant mozzarella and provolone cheese, toppings sprinkled over the pie rather than baked in so that picky kids won't goo up their fingers trying to discard unwanted salami. 926 W. Orangethorpe Ave., Fullerton, (714) 871-3484; www.larryspizza.net. $

Pina's Bistro

From her earthy navy-bean soup to voluptuous Naples-style pizza with homemade fennel sausage, Pina Ercolamento, a native of Italy, puts Neapolitan pride into all of the creations in her tiny Tustin trattoria. 640 W. First St., Tustin, (714) 730-5442. $$

Pizza Pete's

Pete's sells thin-crust New York-style pizza—not a lot of sauce or bread, but the slices are huge. This is true summertime beach fare. For four bucks, you get two slices and a small drink. 701 E. Edgewater, Newport Beach, (949) 675-4771. ¢

Ray's Pizza

Ray came to the U.S. from Iran to learn engineering, but now he engineers simple, solid, blue-collar pizzas with one choice of crust that is a sublime, Italianate, bready altar upon which the full-bodied sauce enriches otherwise-standard ingredients. 4199 Campus Dr., Ste. D, Irvine, (949) 854-5044; www.rayspizza-ca.com. $

Sal's Bit of Italy

“Workman-like” is the best adjective for Sal's—and a compliment for those of us who like our food as Sal's prepares it: unthemed, unspectacled, unattached to theatrics or waiters as therapists and best friends. Pub-like. Terrific pizza! 918 S. Magnolia, Anaheim, (714) 826-3590. $$

Sonny's Pizza and Pasta

Home of a monster marinara sauce that is nearly orgasmic. The sauce is ladled onto your choice of spaghetti, mostaccioli or rigatoni with Italian sausage or meatballs the size of your fist on a plate big enough to feed three. 429 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente, (949) 498-2540; www.sonnys.com. $

Zito's Pizza

A half-block north of the Orange Circle in Old Town Orange is the city's best pizza joint. The tables and floors in this old-style pizzeria are never sticky, there's a comfy outdoor patio, and the pizzas are made to order right in front of you. The toppings are fresh, and the sauce doesn't taste like Ragu. 8416 E. Chapman Ave., Orange, (714) 633-2500. $

View our complete dining guide at www.ocweekly.com/food.

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