Santoro's Brick Oven Pizza   

In a busy strip mall, you could easily miss Santoro's and that would be a big mistake. Located in Lonetree (which to most of us means the quasi-city surrounding the Park Meadows mall), Santoro's serves up what many have deemed one of the area's best thin crust pizzas, decked-out subs and, in an odd but delightful contrast, cheesesteak sandwiches. Tidy and casual, decorated with a few Italian touches and hand-painted murals, the restaurant features an open kitchen so diners can watch their deluxe pizzas bake to perfection. It's worth watching because these pizzas are loaded with choices: red and white sauce, olive oil, pesto, chicken, mozzarella, lots of vegetables, pineapple and, of course, the ubiquitous, pepperoni. Open for both lunch and dinner, Santoro's gathers a mall shopping and moms-with-kids lunch crowd. The dinner hour sees more families who have found this locally-owned, independent gem among a sea of retail and restaurant chains. -- Drew Myron