Una Pizza Napoletana   

The one thing in common in the pantheon of top pizza places -- John's, Lombardi's, Grimaldi's -- is that despite all the partisan politics and in-fighting, they all strive to make their version of the perfect pie. Judging by all the foodblog chatter among slicehounds and pieheads, add to that great group Una Pizza Napoletena, which claims its New Jersey and Neapolitan roots date back thousands of years to Pompeii and the age of "man and fire." While you think about history, chew on facts: the 12-inch pies come out of the brick oven crisp and chewy and uncut. Fired up with fine ingredients like extra virgin olive oil, San Marzano tomatoes, Sicilian sea salt and buffalo mozzarella. In some circles, the young owner is legendary, drawing people to make cult-like pilgrimages to his perfect pies. And it's only because of this that his establishment survives otherwise quirky rules: no delivery, cash only, closed Mondays through Wednesday and other days when dough runs out, and no liquor license (though it is BYOB).