Whether thick or thin, saucy or dry, plain or decked out, cooked on stone or tossed by hand, Red Stick residents have ample options when picking the perfect pizza, leaving old pizzerias and a string of new ones to stake out territory and lure customers with unique twists on one of America’s favorite foods. “Pretty much everyone loves pizza, and people will eat it two to three times a week,” said George Kilpatrick, who owns Oscar’s Ice Cream and Pizza Joint on Perkins Road. “There’s always a demand for pizza.”This passion for pizza spurred at least four new restaurants catering to that demand to open within the last nine months, with more on the way. “If you have something that makes you special and unique, you can set yourself apart from the competition,” said Ray Williams, area franchisee of Hungry Howie’s Flavored Crust Pizza. Judy Myhand, an instructor in the School of Human Ecology who teaches nutrition in heath and cultural food patterns courses, said what Americans have come to know as pizza is an adapted version of the traditional dish brought to the states by Italian immigrants. The “Americanized pizza,” Myhand said, can be healthy when eaten properly, but it’s often stacked with fatty toppings and encourages overeating because it isn’t typically sold by the slice. “There is something very acceptable about the flavor combination of the tomato with cheese and herbs and olive oil. It’s just yummy,” Myhand said. “And you can make it just how you want it to be — it’s adaptable. It’s also fun to eat because you don’t have to use a fork and a knife.” THE NEWSeveral new pizzerias are bringing new flavors to Baton Rouge, the most recent of which to open is Schlittz & Giggles’ second location on Ferndale Avenue near the Perkins Road overpass.”You can get a house draft and a slice of pizza here for about five bucks, so that’s a big draw on the college crowd,” said Andrew Shivers, general manager. There are only two Schlittz & Giggles restaurants, the original being in downtown Baton Rouge on Third Street. The newest location has “a sports-bar atmosphere” with a 16 feet by 10 feet projector screen and other TVs scattered throughout the two-story dining area that seats about 100 people. Shivers said the New York-style thin crust pizza is sold whole or by the slice, and a case of Schlitz beer is used in each batch of hand-tossed dough made there. Competition looms about one mile south on Perkins Road where Red Zeppelin Pizza opened nearly three months ago. “It’s all classic rock with a mix of Southern and Chicago blues,” said bar manager Toby Hoshman of the restaurant’s music and decorations, which include a color-changing bar and a guitar signed by B.B. King. Red Zeppelin serves thin-crust pizza, and patrons can dine in, drive through or pick up an uncooked pizza to bake at home. Drink specials rotate daily, and Hoshman said while there’s a family atmosphere during the day, “we definitely see the college crowd at night.”Oscar’s Ice Cream and Pizza Joint opened in October about another mile south on Perkins Road and set itself apart from the pack with Louisiana flare and cooling ice creams. “We’re just a local place trying to make locals happy,” Kilpatrick said. The menu reflects south Louisiana flavor and includes creations like the “D&A Gumbo” pizza that uses a roux base with smoked duck and alligator and andouille sausages. Kilpatrick said he and employees try to be creative with the menu, often making new ice cream flavors to switch into rotation with their nearly 30 flavors on hand. He said they create seasonal pizzas to celebrate holidays, like the “Fourth of July Firecracker” on sale this month. Hungry Howie’s Flavored Crust Pizza opened on Nicholson Drive south of campus in January. Williams, who owns the right to open 60 of these restaurants in Louisiana in six years, said he opened his first Hungry Howie’s in Gonzales in September, and he plans to open a Coursey Boulevard location within a week. He said he hopes to open a fourth location on Perkins Road by the end of the year. Hungry Howie’s does not have eat-in dining, but patrons can call ahead, walk in or order online. The national chain is “home of the  original flavored crust pizza,” and offers patrons eight different flavors — such as cajun, butter cheese and ranch — with which to season crust at no extra charge. “It’s a far better product [than other chains], and it’s reasonably priced,” Williams said. “We can give you the quality they can’t but in the same [amount of] time they can.”Johnny’s Pizza House, a North Louisiana favorite known for the “Sweep the Kitchen” pizza, will open doors near the intersection of Highland Road and Staring Lane in the coming months.THE OLDThe two oldest pizza places in town — The Pastime Restaurant and Fleur de Lis Cocktail Lounge — became staples of the city during the ’40s.The Pastime opened as such during 1945 in its location under the Mississippi River Bridge on South Boulevard and is known for cooking pizzas in stone deck ovens.The fading pink building that houses Fleur de Lis has been a Government Street landmark since becoming family owned in 1946. Fleur de Lis uses a simple menu and sells thin-crust, greasy pizzas that are a local favorite from the walk-up window.But ask LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri where he grabs a slice, and the answer will be Louis DeAngelo’s Casual Italian Dining in the shopping center at the intersection of Lee and Burbank drives. Mainieri struck a two-year endorsement deal with DeAngelo to promote the six restaurants in the Baton Rouge area. DeAngelo then added the “Mamma Mainieri” to the menu, and the restaurant is known for the two-feet pizza.Closer to campus, pizza places offer college-friendly specials. Mellow Mushroom on Burbank Drive is a national chain that opened here nine years ago, according to manager Ryan Piske. Their “puffy crust,” quality ingredients and interesting combinations attract families during the day while trivia, karaoke and live music pull in students at night. Reginelli’s Pizzeria on West Chimes Street opened in November 2007, bringing the New Orleans classic to Baton Rouge. District manager Mike Hansel said Reginelli’s offers more vegetarian dishes than most, and students tend to enjoy the $2 pitchers of Bud Light or Abita Amber on Mondays and Tuesdays. Rotolo’s Pizzeria on Nicholson Drive near Bob Pettit Boulevard first opened in Tigerland during 1996 and has since expanded to 12 stores across the state. Rotolo’s is also a bar and is known for selling $5 calzones on Wednesdays. “Pizza is certainly part of American culture at this point,” Myhand said. “It’s a food we made our own and have come to really enjoy.”–Contact Nicholas Persac at [email protected]