I grew up near a beach community, where pizza by the slice was easy to find. When I worked in restaurants there, I was always looking for a late-night snack and a gooey slice of pizza did the trick. Then I lived in New York City, and the comparison eating began in earnest.

I moved to Sacramento from a neighborhood in SF that had three pizza-by-the-slice shops. So aside from burrito hunting, pizza hunting became one of my earliest food forays in the capital area. I tend to find more whole pies here, but there are some good slice places. Pizza Inferno, on 16th Street near Broadway, is not one of them. Terrible crust and sauce. Ack! Pieces Pizza by the Slice on 21st in Midtown, though, is probably my favorite. Interestingly, I'm not judging with exactly the same criteria as I use on whole pies.... I want more immediate gratification when I'm just having a slice, so bring on the big flavor, lots of sauce, and stringy, oozy cheese. Plus the crust has to be able to be picked up without cracking or falling apart.

Pieces has giant slices, made on a semi-puffy dough that is sauced to the edges and then rolled over on itself to make a delicious chewy yumminess at the edge. They sprinkle the edges with cheese, too, for added flavor. The downside of this place is the prices: $3.50 to $4.50 a slice (for a whole, multiply by 7; you get the 8th slice free). But you can buy day-old slices for half-price sometimes, and since the pieces are so huge, it's like having two slices of a regular pizza.

You can get the regular toppings like cheese and pepperoni, or try a sun-dried tomato, feta, and pesto combo. They even offer vegan pizza for you lactose intolerants. The place is small, but there's always music and a funky swirled pile of napkins with a note not to be a napkin piggy--just take what you need. Sodas, chilled candy bars, and salads are also available, and don't try to make up for lack of funds by sticking your hand in the tip pitcher. It's filled with water so that any wet bills and change are suspect.

So what are your favorite by-the-slice places in this area? Mall pizza doesn't really count, unless you think it's especially fantastic.

Pieces Pizza by the Slice
1309 21st St.
916-441-1949