Ever since I was a little kid, I've loved Four Corners, my hometown's local pizzeria. I started going when I was 3 or 4 with my grandfather. It was ritual to have one slice, followed by a rainbow Italian ice -- except on the days when my grandmother came. She forbid me to eat things with artificial dyes, something I hated about her at the time. Funny that these days, I won't go near the stuff either.

As a teenager, my friends and I would cram into one of the 60's style bright orange booths and spend hours drinking Dr. Pepper and eating slices. Most of them would order a regular slice, but I was always addicted to the sicillian: fat, puffy squares of dough topped with a slightly sweet sauce and gobs of mozzarella. Particular about the temperature of my food even back then, I used to make the pizza men crazy with all my questions: How long ago did it come out of the oven? Is a fresher pie coming out anytime soon? Can I see a slice before deciding if I want it? On the days when I arrived right as a just-cooked pie was being cut into squares, I felt like I'd won the lottery.

When I moved to the city about 7 years ago, it took me awhile to find my favorite pizzeria. The regular slices were usually pretty good wherever I went, but the sicillian always seemed like an after thought. They looked depressing sitting in those glass cases, the dough deflated and lifeless, the cheese yellowy and congealed.

I pretty much gave up on sicilian in the city altogether until I discovered Spumoni Gardens in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. It's definitely different than the slices I grew up eating -- each piece is first topped with whole milk mozzarella (Four Corners always used part-skim) and then smothered with a really tangy sauce.

And unlike the fat, hearty slices I'm used to, Spumoni's are springier, the dough a bit lighter. At Four Corners I was always full after one slice. I'm tempted to eat three or four at Spumoni.

The place itself has the same bare-bones, old school feel as Four Corners (slices are ordered at windows, then eaten on wooden picnic tables), but there's a sit-down restaurant for those who want table service. The fun part about the restaurant is that it feels like a place you'd see on The Sopranos. I'm not sure if Spumoni ever made it into an episode, but a wall of autographed photos proves the cast has stopped by.

Tony Sirico (AKA, my favorite character, Paulie Walnuts) called Spumoni "the best pie in town" on his photo and I just might have to agree (another new favorite is Di Fara in Midwood, though that's an entirely different experience).

What's your favorite place to eat pizza in New York? I'm particularly interested in where else I can find good sicilian since Spumoni is a bit of a trek!

Spumoni Gardens
2725 86th Street
Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
718-449-1230