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Sampling The Region's Best On National Pizza Day

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- When Pittsburghers think pizza, they think pizza in Pittsburgh.

But on National Pizza Day, we visited our suburbs, which also make a claim to pizza pie prominence. Restaurant critic Hal B. Klein says there have been some changes since Pittsburgh Magazine's 2012 Best Pizza edition. He mentioned Della Terra, up north in Harmony.

"It has this little Italian restaurant. Wood-oven pizza. There's a pizza with an egg on it, and it's just cracked on there. It's great. It's wonderful to have those places all around Pittsburgh."

His choice south of the city is Il Pizzaiolo in Mt. Lebanon. Pizza maker Vince Cantelm says the tomato sauce is fresh every day, and the cheese is imported from Italy. He says the low carb, thin crust pizza will cook in a mere 90 seconds, in "a quality oven. People from Naples came to build it by hand."

On the western front, we decided to visit Bob Pompeani's favorite pizza place. Awards on the wall tell the story, at Juliano's Italian Restaurant in Robinson.

"This is what our Buffalo chicken pizza looks like," says owner Nickl Scalise, showing off a pizza made with his own special sauce. "We just made an order for pepperoni pizza."

Heading east (though not quite in the suburbs) we stop at Pizza Taglio in East Liberty. Tony Giaramita says his white pizza is a popular choice.

"Add a handful of mozzarella, shaved red onions, Henry Grosso sweet sausage made just a couple blocks form here, and then some pistachios and Romano cheese."

North, south, east or west, the Pittsburgh area serves up a sweet "slice" of life.

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