PIZZA

The playing field is wide open for sauces and toppings on local pizza pies. Pizza Florence in Metairie makes a garlic-lover's delight with a garlic sauce, roasted garlic, onions, mozzarella and sliced tomatoes. Whether late night or early evening, the ovens at the Balcony Bar on Magazine Street turn out specialty pizzas like the Balcony Deluxe with pepperoni, Italian sausage, ground beef, onions, mushrooms, green peppers, black olives and mozzarella. Pizza by the slice from Warehouse District Pizza comes with original or spicy sauce and toppings like meatballs, fresh tomato and garlic. The Mysterious Stranger is a familiar favorite on the specials list at Mark Twain's Pizza Landing, bringing spinach, feta and Canadian bacon or hot sausage together on one pie. Café Roma delivers its version of the classic Hawaiian pizza with pineapple, green peppers, ham and red sauce. Dia Roma Café's artichoke pizza begins with the Kenner restaurant's secret garlic butter sauce and builds from there with mozzarella and feta, fresh mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and, of course, artichoke hearts. Big slices of portobello define the mushroom pizza from Fresco Café, which also has roasted red peppers, spinach and feta on a garlic herb sauce.

Pizza is the canvas at Mona Lisa Restaurant in the French Quarter for the namesake Mona Lisa special combo of Italian meats, a mix of vegetables, jalapeno peppers and anchovies. Just about everything goes into the Louisiana Pizza Kitchen's special Kitchen Sink pizza, which ties all its meat and vegetable toppings together with marinara sauce. Vegetables rule the roost in the Garden Feast pizza from Reginelli's, with fresh spinach, roasted eggplant, red peppers and a spicy red pepper sauce. Try either a thin-crust New York-style spinach pizza from Ditali's Pizza on the West Bank or a meat combination pie on their thicker crust variety. Meanwhile, the Eccentric lives up to its name at Theo's Neighborhood Pizza, combining chicken, garlic, Anaheim and jalapeno peppers, yellow squash, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and four cheeses. Rotolo's Pizzeria on Decatur Street cures the blues with its specialty pizza of artichoke hearts, fresh baby leaf spinach and feta cheese. The Original Italian Pie takes Alfredo off the pasta and uses it as the sauce for its grilled chicken Alfredo pizza with plenty of mozzarella and green onions. Mama Rosa's does an all-vegetable pie with black and green olives, onions, roasted garlic, spinach and artichoke. Papa John's adds spinach and tomato to its version of chicken Alfredo pizza. Slice on St. Charles offers both thin and thick Sicilian crust pizza by the slice or pie.

Isabella's Pizzeria's Four Seasons Pizza comes in four sections divided by dough ropes: one with green onions, roasted red peppers and caramelized onion; the second with garlic, tomato, basil and a herb sauce; the third with spinach, tomato and feta; and the fourth with shrimp, crawfish and roasted garlic. Uptown, Roman Pizza delivers a barbecue chicken pizza with mozzarella, sliced chicken breast, onion and mushrooms with a barbecue sauce. The Bucktown Boil pizza at Deanie's Seafood puts together a blend of shrimp, crawfish and crabmeat topped with mozzarella. The Loop Pizza Grill's portobello mushroom pizza rounds up portobellos, pesto, roma tomatoes, smoked bacon, asiago cheese, and caramelized onions. On the way home from Bourbon Street, pop into Mango Mango for a slice of pepperoni or cheese pizza. Or you can order up a pie while dancing or bowling at Mid City Lanes Rock 'N' Bowl.