So many pizza places, oh so many choices

Pizza is an American favorite. Depending upon where one is at in the U.S., the definition of a perfect pizza can be as different as the toppings. Californians tend to prefer a fat crust, explained one pizza connoisseur, while Chicagoans and New Yorkers celebrate a thinner, crispier version of the Italian classic.There are gourmet pizzas, the traditional types, like pepperoni or cheese, even versions you have to eat with a fork.Pizza businesses mentioned in this storyChicago Fire 614 Sutter Street, Folsom353-0140 El Dorado Hills Pizza Factory 877 Embarcadero DriveEl Dorado Hills933-3747Folsom Family Pizza 717 East Bidwell Street, Folsom 983-1010Nick-N-Willys Pizza1300 East Bidwell Street, Folsom 985-9464Luckily, locals have a wide range of choices - from Chicago Fire, which celebrates the East Coast style of pizza, to Folsom Family Pizza and the El Dorado Hills Pizza Factory, which offer many of their own family recipes. Shops even give customers a choice on how their pizza is cooked. Nick-N-Willy's, an East Coast franchise that has made it to California, offers personal-sized pizzas ready to eat, take-and-bake versions for pick up and directions on how to grill a pizza on the barbecue. "Business is going pretty well; it's picked up," said Jesse Mann, who co-owns the Nick-N-Willy's that opened in Folsom in February. While Nick-N-Willy's offers the classics, the store's top seller throughout the franchise is the Aegean pizza, a gourmet pizza topped with an olive oil glaze, marinated sun-dried tomatoes, fresh garlic and spinach, oregano and feta and mozzarella cheeses. "It's our No. 1 pizza and it's pretty different," Mann said. "That says something about Nick-N-Willy's." Mann is also proud that all the ingredients he uses are fresh and made on site. He even dries his own basil. This is something Kathleen Christensen also boasts. General manager for El Dorado Hills Pizza Factory, Christensen makes all the dough, the sauces, even ingredients for the restaurant's other entrees, like the lasagna and the spaghetti sauce. "I think we have the best pizza ever," Christensen said. "Obviously I'm biased because I work here, but I tried it before I worked here and I thought it was great then. The crust is wonderful, the sauce is great. It's just excellent pizza. Customers tell me that all the time." She said it's nothing like Round Table, and claimed it's much better."It's not Chicago, it's not New York. It's made in a stone oven. For people who are pizza lovers, aficionados, they can tell the difference, whether a pizza has been cooked in a conventional oven or on a stone or brick oven," Christensen said. Folsom Family Pizza has been a city landmark for years. While the name and many of the recipes remain the same, the restaurant is under new management and being remodeled, said manager Ravinder Athwal.While some shops promote their uniqueness, Sutter Street's Chicago Fire celebrates its authenticity. General manager Rick Watson said the owner, an East Coast native, hunted down the perfect ingredients to make a pizza just like at home. "It is Chicago-style pizza," Watson said. "When most places say they're Chicago-style pizza, it's usually California-style pizza. Not here. (The owner) isn't shopping for the dollar, he's shopping for flavor." Chicago Fire offers three different styles of pizza. The most popular is a thin crust pizza, which is flat and cut into squares. Other options are deep crust and stuffed crust, "which are pizzas you eat with a fork," Watson explained. "They're not meant to be picked up."We truly strive to be the real thing. You know you're doing something right when the people from Chicago are saying it's dead on," Watson said.