There's a hidden jewel of a new restaurant in Land Park these days and I finally discovered it last night. It's simply called Masullo, after owner and chef Robert Masullo, and the theme is Wood Oven Individual-Sized Neapolitan Pizzas. It's easy to miss right now, in an old strip mall on Riverside Boulevard, but once you've found it, you won't easily forget.

Formerly the home of the New Tin Wah Noodle Company (which, alas, I never visited), the 4-week-old restaurant has been under construction for quite a while. The new space is sleek and minimalist, with gorgeous wood-slab communal tables and a few small two-tops along one wall. The wood-fired oven is the focal point of the open kitchen in the back.

When I emailed with the chef last winter, he had this to say about his plans: "It will be a pizzeria in the Neapolitan fashion/tradition, like what you see throughout Europe. This means individual-sized pizzas, much lighter topped than the typical American pie, wood oven, quality over quantity. Typically American pizza is baked in gas ovens that get no higher than 650 degrees rather than the 800 degrees needed to achieve a proper Neapolitan crust. The higher temperature (with the wood oven) makes for an airy crumb and chewy crust with the little blistering spots that are a hallmark of Neapolitan pizza."

In fact, the pizza crust was fantastic--flavorful and with a good chew. It was sprinkled lightly with salt before going in the oven, which added to the rich, yeasty taste. The pizzas were 10 or 11 inches in diameter, and light enough that one made a nice meal without seeming overwhelming. My husband and I tried the Eggplant ($11), with fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella, onion, eggplant, pine nuts, and chili flakes; and the Jacqueline ($12), with potato, fontina, Niman Ranch bacon, and oregano. I preferred the Eggplant, with its uncooked tomato sauce (less sweet than usual) and roasted eggplant slices. The sauce had made the bottom crust just a bit soggy, but the flavors worked very well together. The potato pizza crust fared better and the rich potatoey flavor of the vegetables was notable. I often think that potato on pizzas is bland, but these were thinly sliced and well complemented by the salty bacon and zingy cheese. Other offerings included Margerita (tomato, mozz, basil), 4 Cheese, 4 Quarters (separate quarters of roasted peppers, artichoke, Italian sausage, and prosciutto), and Sophie (potato, sausage, fontina, corn, rosemary).