When I walked into the loosely French bakery Jean Danet Pastry last weekend, pizza was the furthest thing from my mind. But in back, behind the long display case of cookies and cheesecakes and Valentine's cupcakes, was a prominently displayed brick oven—and a guy standing at the ready with a pizza peel. More

Little did I know, more than 10 years ago, that the late-night slices I was eating from Pizza Wagon in Bay Ridge were better than average. Far better than average, in fact. With their not too greasy slick of surface oil; their thinner-than-average, crisp-pliant crust; and their bright-orange well-balanced mix of cheese and sauce, these slices flew out of the oven and into my mouth, day after day and, perhaps more accurately, night after night. More

Elegante Pizzeria 6922 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11209 (Bay Ridge/Ovington avenues; map); 718-745-9715 Pizza Style: New York Oven Type: Gas Price:Slice $2.25 Bay Ridge has changed a lot since Tony and Phil Varvara bought Elegante Pizzeria in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. That was back in the early 1980s, but Elegante actually dates back to 1960. For the first two decades of the pizzeria's existence Bay Ridge had little demographic turnover and was populated by a mix of Italian and Greek immigrants. These days the strip of Fifth Avenue is increasingly populated by Lebanese/Arab immigrants and their first-generation children. Kebab houses... More

After reading about the calzone-pizza hybrid at Peppino's in Bay Ridge, I had to get my greasy little hands on one. So I found myself on the R train this weekend, heading for the 77th Street Station. Walking in, I sheepishly asked for the thing. "I read about it in the Daily News; do I really need a password for it." "No, that's just a joke," the waitress said. "Is it just for you?"... More

A crazy item in the New York Daily News yesterday that I meant to link to, so you get it today. Apparently Peppino's in Bay Ridge is making a crazy hybrid calzone-pizza that you need a password to order: The Third Avenue pizzeria has been serving a pizza-calzone hybrid for the last few months, a flat three-slice pie that rises on one half like a stuffed calzone, with sausage and ricotta."People [were] confused," said owner Joe Mancino. "They didn't know what they wanted. They want pizza? They want calzone? They don't know. This is the best of both worlds." To... More

The Republican presidential candidate buys a $3 slice, pays with a double sawback, and tells the clerk to keep the change. OK. Maybe it really wasn't a tax refund, but whatevs. He dropped in on Verrazano Pizza in Bay Ridge: 9102 Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11209. [Tip o' the hat to Mark H.!]... More