RESTAURANT REVIEW:

One of the first orders of business whenever I arrive in New York City is to take a taxi to Sixth Avenue and 11th Street, home of the original Ray’s Pizzeria.

There waiting for me are slices of pizza that I swear are as big as kites. Little sauce, lots of cheese and a crust that is crunchy and credit-card thin. It is as perfect as food can get and it always saddens me when I leave because finding something comparable back home seemed impossible.

That was until I discovered Al Amira and his café.

Tucked in a little strip mall, next to a 7-Eleven is what I would like to think is an annexed part of New York City. Al’s New York Café is a culinary pizza paradise in a sea of mediocrity.

Many share that viewpoint. During one of what are turning out to be more and more of my frequent visits, a guy in his 30s tells Al that he just moved here from New York and that his pizza is as good as pizza in the city.

“We get that all the time,” Amira said. “We have people come from all over. I have a guy who drives from Temecula.”

I eat Al’s pizza with a knife and fork. It is in direct contrast to the accepted way of folding the slice and taking a big bite. My way is not out of sense of etiquette, but self-preservation. If I went old school and folded, I would finish too quickly and thus be tempted to order more of the decadent, pants-busting pizza. Besides, I want to savor every bite.

I will drive to the end of the Earth for good pizza and this is definitely my favorite in the area, but Al’s is so much more than a pretty pie.

The menu, which is hand-painted above the counter, has sandwiches, pastas and salads, all of which are homemade.

This is remarkable when you realize the cook has nothing but a four-burner stove to work with and little else. The café is about 700 square feet, but Amira and the staff make it work.

On that four-burner, five kinds of pastas and four different sauces are prepared. The chicken Parmesan is fantastic, and the smell outduels the pizzas coming out of the oven.

Meat sauce is another favorite and works well with the tortellini. The alfredo is a must try. It is a chicken breast with a rich garlic cream sauce that is a bit pink and could be the best item on the menu, except for the pizza.

Go on a Wednesday or Friday, and Amira will have lasagna available. Get some baked ziti and chicken cacciatore to go along with it, and your neighbors will think you are from Sicily.

Amira actually provides an extensive catering service and gets requests to provide his food for all types of functions.

The 34-year-old has the energy of a teenager. He is constantly moving, wiping down tables, taking orders from customers, answering the phone, often doing these tasks simultaneously.

Amira is there every time I go, and I am certain he must sleep in the back. It is nice to see his enthusiasm, a passion he has had since getting his first job in a pizzeria in his hometown of Irvine.

Amira bought the restaurant from his brother when he was 21, and it wasn’t making much money. He decided to pare down the menu, concentrate on the pizza, and by word of mouth and help from Newport Harbor High students, the place became popular.

“I financed the restaurant with credit cards,” Amira said. “When I took it over I was barely making any money. Now on Friday and Saturday we do about 75 to 100 pizzas alone.”

Now the restaurant is booming and not many people in Costa Mesa who like pizza are unfamiliar with the place. It will continue to be my pizza nirvana until my next trip to New York City.

ADDRESS: 1673 Irvine Ave., Costa Mesa

PHONE: (949) 722-1212

CUISINE: Italian

SPECIALTY DISH: lasagna

ALCOHOL SERVED: none

ENTRÉE PRICE RANGE: $6.95 to $13.95

FAMILY FRIENDLY: Yes

CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED: American Express, Visa, MasterCard

RATING: ***

JOHN REGER is the Pilot’s restaurant critic. His reviews run Thursdays.