Brickhouse Pizza & Grille, Clifton Park

The white oak wood-fired oven in Brickhouse Pizza & Grille can top 600 degrees when it cooks the restaurant’s signature hand-tossed crusts to a golden brown. The pizza chefs also top tables with traditional New York–style pizzas, taking form with gluten-free and whole-wheat crusts and diverse toppings such as baby shrimp, roasted red peppers, and grilled chicken. Housemade pastas compete for stomach space with sandwiches that include the Diesel burger—a mammoth half-pound patty stuffed with cheddar cheese and bacon, then audaciously tempura battered and deep-fried. The eatery entertains patrons on select nights with trivia and live music.