MY FIRST ENCOUNTERS with pizza were not exactly memorable. Then, it was a thick-crusted snack with sweet tomato spread base, topped with thin slices of salami or ham and melted cheese, and heated in a portable oven. It was such a treat then, since we did not know any better. Then, what I thought were authentic-tasting pizzas started coming to our shores, and the once unknown Italian specialty had become common. Still, I didn?t find anything special about them.

My years abroad brought no change to my perception of pizza, even after sampling the pizzas in the Latin Quarter of Paris. But, the streets of New York City opened my eyes to a different pizza. There, if your pizza was no good, you might as well sell the place and cut your losses. A delicious crust was the foundation of a good pizza, and creative toppings were key to capturing the gustatory imagination of that city?s food-loving people.

In Vancouver, a chain called Flying Wedge offers pizzas that don?t just have thick and whole-grain crusts, but creative toppings, as well. I love their day-old pizzas. This is gourmet pizza, sometimes with pesto as its base.

In Manila, pizza chains and restaurants offer traditional as well as gourmet pizzas. Many of them have come close to the New York version. In fact, one place I came across bears my name, and friends asked me if the new place found on one of the side streets along Wilson Street in San Juan was mine.

Toppings

Curiosity got the better of me, so I visited Sandy?s Pizza. You?d crave for her pizzas, whose crust is slightly thin, crispy, chewy and has the texture of a newly baked pretzel or freshly toasted New York bagel. I tried the sampler: A large pizza with four flavors. There were a lot of toppings and sticky, gooey and creamy cheese.

I love the different combinations of meat, boosted further by the owner?s creativity and a variety of toppings: Thai or Indian chicken curry, Filipino adobo, garlic tuyo, chorizo, three-cheese pizza with kesong puti, the Filipino and traditional samplers. The meatzarella is made of Italian sausage, bacon and pepperoni.

My namesake?s pizzas are comparable to those found in New York. Have them as soon as they?re baked. Sandy?s pizza joint has truly upped pizza standards in the metropolis. To find it, take Wilson Street in Greenhills towards Mandaluyong, and turn right on the street where you find Alex III. It?s on your right about half a kilometer later. Call 583-2296 or 721-8334. Highly recommended.

Happy eating!

Email sandydaza@shaw.ca