Forget the fact that she’s a major babe,* Carla Pellegrino is now doing some major-league pizza cooking at Rao’s for lunch. Great dough, superior toppings, nice char, perfect balance among ingredients — her pizzas are everything you’d want in a first class pie.

How do they compare to the gold standard of Settebello? Well, we’d say Settebello’s dough and crust is a bit yeastier, a tad puffier, and has a touch more tang. The toppings are a dead heat — in that both places use good groceries — but you’ll get more char and smoke from the one’s down Henderson way.

Something the pretenders to the throne don’t get is the importance of striking that exquisite balance between thin (but not too), crispy (but just enough) and chewiness that defines the perfect pizza crust. (Thanks to InTheCards for asking the question…)

Good as her pizza skills are, the gal does a pretty fine tiramisu too. As you all know, we at ELV can’t stand the stuff….but we found ourselves gobbling hers down. Ditto the ultra-rich peanut-chocolate pie — one bite of which will cause your heart to skip a beat.

Much as looking at Carla will. ;-}

Thanks to the largesse of uber-foodie Grace Bascos, we didn’t pay for our meal here. That being said, a meal of a pizza, beer and dessert for two should run you around $40.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

* In Latin, she would be “babia majora”.  If she were a president, her name would be Baberaham Lincoln.