II Pomodoro Pizzeria

Whether served as a whole pie or by the slice, ll Pomodoro's New York–style pizza benefits from generous layers of mozzarella cheese made in-house. For a pizza that highlights the mild flavors of this cheese, try a slice of the margherita—a traditional specialty that also piles basil and plum tomatoes on its brick-oven-style crust. Not all of the pies are so wedded to tradition. Take, for example, the buffalo-wing pizza, which usurps expectations with its spicy combination of chicken, wing sauce, and blue cheese.

When they aren’t flattening their dough into round pies or Sicilian-style squares, the chefs tie it into aromatic garlic knots or stuff it with mozzarella and ricotta cheeses to make calzones. In another nod to their Mediterranean influences, they toss kosher lamb and chicken with couscous and dice their veggies with authentic Roman swords.