Pannarano is a promising pick for pizza purists

North Tampa's Pannarano Pizzeria Napoletana is further proof that pizza lovers in this city never have to settle for chain pizza. A few more bucks gets you the sort of pizza that might even please - dare we say it? - New Yorkers.

Pannarano specializes in Neapolitan-style pizza - thin-crust pizza made from hand-stretched dough like you'd find in New York City - as well as other notable Italian-inspired dishes such as stromboli, spaghetti with meatballs and calzone.

If just reading those names reminds you of comfort food, this place is for you.

Pannarano is located on North Himes, just across from a large office park, in a small strip center that also contains a very busy Beef O'Brady's. There's an outside eating area with four tables, covered to provide shade from the sun, and a few tables lined up outside the restaurant on the sidewalk.

Inside, Pannarano's is dominated by the long kitchen behind the bar on the right as you enter. About a dozen tables line the wall to the left, under sports memorabilia and photos of notable Italian-Americans. We chose to sit at the bar, where we could watch the kitchen at work.

We started with the Eggplant Robottoni from the appetizer menu, a delicious combination of breaded eggplant topped with mozzarella, ricotta and house sauce. The creamy, mild flavor of the ricotta fuses with the breaded eggplant in a way that actually makes eggplant, well, good.

From the pizza menu, we started with one of the house specials - the New Jersey Famous Tomato Pie, which (famously, apparently) reverses the order of ingredients, putting the mozzarella cheese directly on the crust. This is then topped with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and then, finally, Pannarano's homemade pizza sauce. The main benefit here is the cheese baked directly onto the crust, which frankly wouldn't be too bad all by itself. Add the other ingredients and you've got a recommended way to introduce yourself to Pannarano's pizza, if you're up for something a bit different.

From the "calzone, stromboli and rolls" portion of the menu, we tried the ham calzone. The bread was nothing special, but the ingredients were all fresh. Even better was the stromboli, which is not for the faint-hearted or the calorie-conscious. A large turnover of Italian bread dough comes stuffed with a tasty-but-heavy combination of pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, onions and mozzarella. Pannarano's pizza sauce is served on the side for dipping, which you'll want to do, because it's that good.

There's a long list of specialty pizzas, but we decided on a second visit to ask for something unique, which we made up on the spot. It was very basic - goat cheese, spinach, a drizzle of olive oil and plenty of pizza sauce. We watched as it was made (the cook made every move except the classic "toss the dough in the air") and it ended up being as good as we hoped.

If you're not in the mood to make one up, Pannarano offers a long list of suggestions including Funghi (tomato sauce, mozzarella, mushrooms), Hawaiian (tomato sauce, mozzarella, pineapple and ham), white spinach Alfredo, Meat Lovers (pepperoni, sausage, meatballs, bacon and ham) and the marinara (garlic, anchovies, black olives, mozzarella, oregano).

Less successful was the spaghetti, a fairly straightforward affair of pasta and sauce. However, the meatballs - homemade at the restaurant - are worth mentioning. They were moist and substantial, not dried and overstuffed with bread (which happens with the meatballs at a lot of places). The spaghetti also came with warm garlic knots, which did not disappoint those at our table who like garlic.

Service at each visit was friendly, informative and prompt. The place seems to always have at least a few regulars either ordering inside or coming by to pick something up, which is always a good sign. Pannarano is a fine choice for those who crave simple, hearty Italian fare. It deserves at least as many patrons as its more famous next-door neighbor.