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In New York, where everyone’s got an opinion and a beloved corner pizzeria, bloggers aplenty wax euphoric over their favorite local brick-oven pies. Not many pizza partisans can boast of a neighborhood coal oven. Bragging rights go to Astoria, where Sac’s Place showcases pizza baked in a coal-fired brick oven built into an exposed back wall. Owned by brothers Domenico and Anthony Sacramone, Sac’s Place aspires to trattoria status, but pizza is the thing to order. The thin-crust standouts are heated to 800 degrees, which warms not just the pie, but the restaurant’s blond wood and white tile décor as well. Basic pizza styles can be customized with toppings ranging from the filial (“Mama’s meatballs”) to the upscale (ricotta, prosciutto). Pies emerge molten-hot with a hint of smoky charcoal flavor and a light blanket of fresh-made marinara sauce. This spicy, crimson elixir is an inspired accompaniment to pastas and parmigianas ordered by diners stubbornly resistant to Sac’s signature offering. Make that “foolishly resistant.” For if interborough pizza rivalries prove eternal, Sac’s Place has duly earned a hefty slice in the debate. — Karen Tina Harrison

Monday nights at Sac’s Place feature a jazz guitar trio. Leader Larry Luger’s repertoire is a little corny, but his solos are as winning as Sac’s thin-crust pizzas.

Marinara pizza, $8.95; white pizza with prosciutto, $14; gamberi fantasia, $19.95; cannoli, $4.25