India, March 16 -- I've never been a pizza fan. (I know, I know.) But even as a kid I'd fake a smile during Pizza Fridays or when I won a personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut through the Book It! (IYKYK). Maybe it was growing up in California, but even after moving to New York City, I'd only grab the occasional obligatory slice.

I had spots I liked, of course. Lil' Frankie's in the East Village became a favorite-though more for its arugula and burrata than the pies themselves. When New Jersey's pizza scene began stealing the spotlight, takeout from RazzaandBread and Salt carried me through the pandemic. Later, when I couldn't get a table at Lucali-yes, the date spot of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce-I stumbled into Table 87 in Gowanus and wa...