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It is particularly enigmatic that a neon-happy, glorified hole-in-the-wall should thrive catty-corner to venerable Lombardi's. Yet somehow Pomodoro manages to do just that, perhaps because it possesses a not-so secret weapon: vodka pizza, a concoction so spicy, rich and gooey that it can rival any slice in the city. Generous pies and individual slices are slathered in the house's piquant vodka-cream-tomato sauce and covered amply in slabs of fresh mozzarella. Satisfying brick oven pies have the same MO: lots of spicy, rich sauce (in this case marinara), and a blanket of fresh but usually entirely melted mozzarella. The baked ziti is pretty good, too, and you don't have to hunt for Parmesan and spices to pump it up. However, as with most transcendental experiences, there's one caveat: Eat rapidly, otherwise the huge slices turn soggy and disintegrate in your hands. — Marissa Pareles

Vodka house special pizza, $17.50