Pizza in Saint Helens

Garlic Jim's menu was handcrafted with nothing more than a dream and an incredible reserve of pizza-making expertise. Open an order with some gourmet chicken wings, available in barbecue, garlic, and buffalo hot, before moving on to pizza territory. Put an end to eating Legos by piecing together a custom pie. Choose from the hand-thrown thick, garlic thin, or gluten-free crusts, slathered in one of seven sauces (from classic red to zesty chipotle pesto) or olive oil, and then slap on any of 15 standard and 11 gourmet toppings (14-inch large pizzas start at $12.59, gluten-free crust $15.59, each additional topping $1.50). To achieve customization without the stress of having to choose, turn to one of the pre-determined specialties. Meat-maul hunger with the Hercules (salami, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, beef, spicy Italian sausage, and bacon, $18.99 for large thick crust, $21.99 for gluten-free), or discover the secret of pizza-temperature fusion in your head with Jim's bacon-cheeseburger pizza (beef, bacon, red onions, tomatoes, mozzarella, and cheddar, $18.99 for large thick crust, $21.99 for gluten-free).

When Jeremy Brown's wife was expecting her second child, the couple realized their small house wasn't going to fit a family of four. Upon moving to a 5-acre fixer upper outside Battle Ground, the pair raised their kids as Jeremy nurtured another project: using those acres to create his own winery.

Since starting with his quaint, Tuscan-inspired tasting room, Jeremy has expanded his grounds to include several large patios and a wood-fired oven in the kitchen, where chefs prepare pizzas and small plates. Live musicians grace Rusty Grape Vineyard's stage Wednesday–Saturday, adding soothing tunes that complement the tasting room's draft beers and rotating selection of wine by the glass and bottle. Available pours might include a 2011 riesling or a complex red wine whose hints of cranberry give way to an oatmeal-cookie finish.

Pizza is a circular canvas on which an individual paints his or her dreams and fancies before hungrily devouring them, which is why Caesar's pizza orders were used in ancient Rome to foretell the outcome of major battles. Today's Groupon augurs particularly well: for $12, you get $25 worth of beverages, East Coast–style pizza, and other Italianate foodage at Pizza Fino. To get there, cruise along North Denver Avenue in the Kenton District until your comfort-food radar vibrates and plays a 15-second clip of "That's Amore." Dine in the warm and relaxed environment any day of the week, from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m.

Neighborhood pizzria serving fresh made from scratch pizza.