Daily Slice gives a quick snapshot each weekday of a different slice or pie that the folks at the Serious Eats empire have enjoyed lately.

[Photographs: Meredith Smith]

This week I visited America's first public beach in Revere, Massachusetts, where Bianchi's has been baking seaside pies for more than 60 years. Originally it was located in the thick of the now nonexistent amusements section, sandwiched between the Wild Mouse Ride and a Joe & Nemo's hot dog stand. Bianchi's has been at the "new" location since 1974.

Its current spot isn't much more than a kitchen with a walk-up window for placing orders. It is, however, outfitted with two of the original location's brick-lined ovens. And common pizza wisdom maintains the older the oven, the better the pizza.

Bianchi's pizzas have great crust structure. The pie floor is sturdy and crisp but yields to a soft, doughy upper surface. The transition from crisp to doughy on these thin-crust pies happens in less than a centimeter. Tomato peels and a bit of pulp are part of Bianchi's sauce makeup. While slightly herb-heavy, the vibrant red sauce balances acidity and sweetness. Sauce and mozzarella, dappled brown from the 800°F oven, marry perfectly in the dimpled dips of the dough.

Eating pizza at the beach didn't seem totally intuitive to me. But it turns out that the salty union of cheese and sauce mingles perfectly with the sea air. However, beach eating does come with its own set of perils. They don't call it Severe Beach for nothin'. The gulls are aggressive, and the wind can be brutal. So hold firmly onto your slice, and take it as a testament to the caliber of pizza at Bianchi's, rather than a character flaw, when I tell you I rescued a toppled $2.50 slice from the sand (cheese side up, I swear), dusted it off and ate it.

Bianchi's Pizza

322 Revere Beach Boulevard, Revere MA 02151 (map)
781-284-9472