Georgios Pizza & Pasta, Rochester

Carved wooden pizza chefs stand sentry outside Georgio's Pizza & Pasta's white-brick storefront, heads tilted back as if tracking the trajectory of the dough their human counterparts mix fresh each day and hand toss for each order. A brick oven toasts the crusts and melts ricotta and fresh mozzarella over toppings such as kalamata olives, pine nuts, and philly steak. Sicilian-style pies transform their components into thicker, four-cornered mozzarella monoliths that slide neatly into a standard briefcase, and complementary flavors unfold in overstuffed pastas and subs.