Food does a pretty good job placing us.

While we may spend a lifetime flexing our palates, the things we yearn to eat — and go to great lengths to seek out — are often connected to where we grew up.

For me, it's all about pizza. Not just any pizza, but that outsize, thin-crust descendant of Neapolitan pizza known as New York-style. Both crispy and chewy with foldable slices, this hand-tossed pie is part of my culinary DNA — like sourdough bread to a Bay Area native.

That's not to say I don't enjoy other types of pizza. My years here have, out of necessity, expanded my horizons considerably, and I now appreciate the occasional California-style pizza, with toppings like red potato and leek, and that casserole-in-a-crust, Chicago-style.

The fact that I landed in the pizza-rich Albany/Berkeley area helped. Regular access to New York-style joints like Arinell allowed me to relax and branch out.

Now I live in El Cerrito, and decided to assess the pizza situation in my current 'hood.

I spent several weeks sampling. My hit list kept expanding as I was turned on to hot prospects, and wound up with a catalog of eight venues, from mom-and-pop joints to a movie theater.

I ordered plain, cheese pizza — unless it was not an option or I was pestered into toppings by a companion. Each pie was some form of Neapolitan, meaning shallow and round with tomato sauce and mozzarella.

Results were pleasantly surprising.

Armadillo Pizza.  I ordered a slice ($2.50) at this small, local pizzeria that's been around over 20 years. The crust on my sizeable wedge — desirably charred thanks to a nice, long pizza oven visit — had complex flavor and a crisp and slightly chewy texture. The sauce was bright and not heavily applied. Both dough and sauce are homemade here, and they use a 75-percent mozzarella/25-percent provolone and jack cheese mix. A good pizza melds into something greater than the sum of its parts, and this one did. Armadillo is the closest you'll get to New York-style pizza in this town, and the friendly proprietor is happy to customize crust-thickness to your heart's desire.

Little Caesars.  Established in Detroit with one store in 1959, Little Caesars is now, according to their website, "the largest carry-out pizza chain in the world." Size notwithstanding, this was the first time I tried their product. My son jumped out of the car and was back with a $5 HOT-N -READY large (14") pizza before I had time to roll up the windows. The thick, sweet-edged crust of our hot pepperoni pie was crisp on the bottom, and the cheese and sauce were adequate in flavor and quantity. They say they make dough daily and don't use frozen cheese, which makes me wonder about other big chains.

Pasta Pomodoro.  This SoCal/Bay Area chain has served me up some reliable pasta over the years, but I never had the pizza. I went for the Margherita ($8.95), which is plain save for a little fresh basil. A beautifully blistered, thin-crust, hot round appeared. Fresh Belfiore mozzarella and a tangy sauce comingled under the heat of the pizza oven to provide that crucial flavor element, and the slightly crispy crust had some bones to it, flavor-wise. This was a well-executed pizza. Dough and sauce are made in their San Francisco company kitchens.

Pizza Roma.  My first visit to this 19 year-old, family-run, family-oriented pizza parlor with beer revealed a commitment to quality. A friendly gentleman was running the show, and he made up my plain mini ($4.00) from scratch, using fresh dough, 100% Sargento mozzarella, and sauce they augment in the shop. There was lots of cheese and just the right amount of zesty sauce. Very tasty, but a bit more time in the oven would have made it shine. The beauty of a neighborhood operation, though, is the ability to ask for something exactly the way you want it.

Renee Gourmet.  This small, "green" family company with an actual "Renee" delivers frozen pizzas and other handcrafted items to your door. A no-fuss procedure, you order via phone or website. My 12" Sonny's ($12) came shrink-wrapped and frozen to the point of being able to pound nails. Baked, the crust had real flavor and a hint of brittleness, which allowed it to stand up to the mozzarella and gruyere, the latter offering a bit of nutty sweetness and depth. The cheese/crust ratio was perfect, and the pie had a unique flavor.

Rialto Cinemas Cerrito / Cerrito Theater.  Little is sadder than going to a movie alone, even for pizza research purposes, so I bribed my son with a pint of Hefeweizen so he'd join. I also agreed to a small Greek ($11.95), even though toppings wreak havoc with crust. The pie was loaded with mozzarella, and toppings — feta, Kalamata olives, peppers, diced tomatoes, spinach  and red onion — were distinct and lively. The crust was tasty and the homemade sauce spunky. What luxury to eat pizza while lounging on loveseats watching a movie!

Romano's Macaroni Grill.  I visited our branch of this international corporate chain a few times with my mother, who likes its Mediterranean décor. I'm always a little skeptical about these chains, but they work with quality ingredients and a brick oven here. My Margherita ($7.99) had fresh mozzarella and an excellent San Marzano tomato-based sauce that's made on-site. My pizza was undercooked, though, and didn't reach its full, brick oven, potential.

Strings Italian Cafe.  Strings  is a small Cali chain with a Vegas outpost. For a cool $10 I ordered the Italian Combo Pizza lunch special. I always expect restaurant pizzas with toppings to be a muddle, but not so here. Sausage crumbles, pepperoni, tomato chunks, scallions, peppers and 'shrooms had integrity as individual components. The thin crust was of average flavor, but cooked well and topped with a very decent sauce. Overall, a good knife-and-fork affair that was loaded with toppings.

Addresses and phone numbers:

Armadillo Pizza
10180 San Pablo Ave
(510) 528-7777
   Delivery

Little Caesars
11299 San Pablo Avenue
(510) 237-4992   
   Delivery 

Pasta Pomodoro
5040 El Cerrito Plaza
(510) 225-0128 

Pizza Roma
10616 San Pablo Avenue
(510) 525-9554   
   Delivery 

Renee Gourmet
http://reneegourmet.com/Home.html
(510) 206-1970
   Delivery of frozen pizza with advance order

Rialto Cinemas Cerrito
10070 San Pablo Avenue
(510) 273-9102 

Romano's Macaroni Grill
8000 El Cerrito Plaza
(510) 524-9336 

Strings Italian Café
11720 San Pablo Ave
(510) 234-2233