View West Coast Pizza Tour in a larger map [All photographs by Adam Kuban unless noted] I know it's taken me a while to get the lead out re this trip. I've been back in NYC for six days after 12 days total on the road (nine actual pizza-eating days among those). I figured that regular Slice readers might want the skinny on which places I visited while out west. They're above in the map, but I'll also list them below, after the jump.... More

[Photographs: Adam Kuban] And we close out the Portland part of this trip with a quick slideshow of Al Forno Ferruzza, 2738 NE Alberta Street, Portland OR 97211 (at NE 28th Street; map); 503-253-6766.... More

A Margherita pie from Tutta Bella in Seattle, adequate but ultimately forgettable. [Photograph: Adam Kuban] In Which I Summarize This Post Run-of-the-mill Margherita pies suck. There are great ones, though. Unfortunately, they are few and far between. I now appreciate the addition of well-thought-out and interesting toppings more than ever. In the Nostrana post I put up on Friday, I said I'd give you my thoughts on VPN pizza. As I wrote that, I had so much more I wanted to say about VPN pizzerias but didn't think stuffing it in the Nostrana entry was appropriate. So I started... More

Previously in our West Coast Pizza Madness tour: Apizza Scholls, where our party of eight housed almost four pies. After dinner there had ended, only one brave soul—This Is Pizza's Adam Lindsley—dared join me for a second stop at Nostrana immediately after. (The rest of the folks retired to the Horse Brass for drinks, some vowing to meet us later in the evening for the third and final stop.) Though I'm not a fan, I'm used to the notion of Neapolitan-style joints leaving pies uncut. I've never seen one offer scissors for the job, however. As This Is Pizza's Adam... More

Clockwise from top left: Apizza Scholl's just before 4 p.m. and there's only one person in line; the shop is decorated with pictures of famous pizzerias, including FAMOUS RAY'S!?!; the amatriciana, with pancetta and onion. [Photographs: Adam Kuban] Apizza Scholls 4741 Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland OR 97215 (at SE 47th Avenue; map); 503-233-1286; apizzascholls.com Pizza Style: Neapolitan-American—NOT Naples-Neapolitan Oven Type: Electric(!) Bakers Pride Notes: Expect long lines/wait time to get in. On the various blogs and boards, people grumble about this consistently. Is it worth the wait? I would say yes, but only you can decide. Tip: Round up a... More

Another installment from my recent pizza tour of parts of the western U.S. Here, a pizza report and a Street Food Profile all in one—from perhaps the best city for street-fooding in the U.S. Wy'east Pizza 3131 SE 50th Avenue, Portland OR 97206 (SE Tibbets/Kelly, parking lot of Ruthie's Weaving Studio; map); wyeastpizza.com Pizza Style: Thin-crust, almost New York–Neapolitan Oven Type: Small propane-fired brick oven The Skinny: Great pizza FROM A TRAILER. Yes. A trailer. Could use a little more flavor to the crust, but the simple and excellent toppings make up for that a bit. Good crisp-chewy crust. Caveat:... More

[Photographs: Adam Kuban] Escape from New York Pizza 622 NW 23rd Avenue, Portland OR 97210; map); 503-227-5423 Pizza Style: New York–style Oven Type: Steel-deck gas oven The Skinny: A stand-up stand-in for a New York–style slice — but in Portland! Price: $2.95 for cheese (plain) slice; $3.50, pepperoni It's long, narrow, and often crowded. The folks behind the counter are reputed to have a bit of attitude but are actually pretty nice. It's cash-only and is open late. Sound New York enough for you yet? Well, the slices deliver on the promise implied in this joint's name. Yes, Escape... More

You're probably wondering why it's been a bit quiet around here around Slice lately. Well, I'm on a crazy mission. I'm eating pizza in various western states this week on a whirlwind trip of five cities. Seriously, it's been nonstop travel with barely time to offload pics from my cameras. I'm just now catching up. Ken's Artisan Pizza (top) is in a quiet residential neighborhood in Southeast Portland, a couple blocks south of Burnside and the more hoppin' part of SE 28th Avenue. That doesn't stop people from lining up before the place opens for creations like the Bacon Pie... More