by C. Menegakos

Food Notes Opening: Seaport gold rush! Modern Irish Stella Maris, the West Village’s Jack’s Stir Brew, and Italians Il Bragante and Barbarini Alimentari all crash Front St. this summer. Changing: Rivington Street’s “Mexican” Caf? Jaunita is becoming Bondi Road Fish and Chips (presumably “Australian”). Try: Fancy new places steal all the Essex Market thunder, but humble Best Farms has some of the freshest, sweetest pineapple and cut fruit in the city – at unreal prices.

he LES doesn’t lack for a decent slice. My personal favorite has always been A1 Pizza (505 Grand St., 212 533- 0214), but Rosario’s (173 Orchard St., 212 777-9813) has its champions, as does Shalom Chai (359 Grand St., 212 598-4178) among the kosher. Never, though, have we had a place like Allen Street’s Pal?: A pizza shop to stand up to the Lombardi’s, Totonno’s, and Grimaldi’s of the world.

Unlike those places, Pal? does not serve neo-Neapolitan pies. Instead, it bakes them up Roman style, on a crisp, rectangular focaccio-like crust, and sells them by the foot. It may not be classic New York, but it brings back great memories of the Piazza Navona.

Wedged into the awkward, triangular space where Allen joins Orchard, the owners have crafted an airy room with a lovely, hedged sidewalk caf? (Reportedly it was three years in the making). The walls are brick; the tables rough-hewn and topped with planks in place of plates. It comes off as vaguely continental. The menu couldn’t be simpler: Salads and antipasti to start, pizzas to follow, and dessert if you have room. You may be tempted to skip the first category, but don’t. Salads, such as a favetta fresca with fresh favas and pecorino, or a fennel and radicchio combination with hints of orange, are not only fresh and carefully balanced, but also constructed to stimulate the appetite.

Pizza is the main event, however. Pal?’s focus is on the crust, the secret recipe for which allegedly includes up to a dozen different organic flours. It’s shown off to best effect in a simple but spicy arrabiata: Nothing but hot pepper, olive oil, roasted cherry tomatoes and garlic. The zucca (pumpkin and pancetta) and medilianum (gorgonzola, asparagus, mozzeralla and tomato sauce) are also well served by the sturdy, slightly chewy crust, but montasio (walnut paste, montasio, mozzeralla) could have used some more zip.

Desserts are surprisingly satisfying, but who eats ricotta torte after pizza? A well-made espresso is more than enough, especially if the room is crowded: Lovely and kid-friendly during the day and on week-nights, weekend evenings at Pal? can be a zoo. But hey, there’s always a price to pay for great pizza.

Pal?, 198 Allen St. (Stanton), 212.614.7252; noon to midnight seven days; Amex; beer and wine; salads and fritti $4-10, pizza $8-14 per foot (one foot serves two people); delivery.