THE DISCOVERY of a great pizza is the gastronomic equivalent of finding the Holy Grail. Since my very first taste at the age of 6, I've been on a quest. Along the way, I've encountered innumerable makes and styles - some with flavors and aromas wrought from celestial sources, others of cardboard with cheese like Silly Putty.

As with any quest, it is essential to report one's findings so that others may seek enlightenment. The following three restaurants are standouts on the long road to pizza heaven.

PREMIER PIZZA
670 'A' River Oaks Parkway, San Jose
408.944.0664
11am-8pm Mon-Fri.
Sat. 11am-1pm, Closed Sunday
www.premier-pizza.com

In 1985, Barry O'Halloran earned celebrity status when he won the National Pizza Spinning Contest in Las Vegas. From there, he went on to win three consecutive world championships and eventually found himself spinning dough with Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show.

Today, he and his brother, Sean, run Premier Pizza, where their ovens render moist, airy crusts perfumed with yeast and olive oil. O'Halloran adheres to the principles of classic pizza-baking. His Ferris wheel convection oven with six shelves brings the crust through the total realm of the heat, he likes to say. Even heat dispersion produces a supple bread-dough crust that bends gently to the touch, this is the best I've ever tasted.

Sauces are made fresh every morning, with fresh garlic and olive oil, and the cheese is 100% mozzarella from Wisconsin. Crust varies from thin to semi thick. The house rave is the Creamy Garlic Chicken assembled with spicy Alfredo-style sauce, sweet red onions, applewood-smoked bacon, mesquite-grilled chicken breasts and roasted garlic. The enduring glory, a personal favorite, remains the No. 10, a gourmet Italian thin crust pizza seasoned with olive oil, Italian herbs and roasted garlic, topped with mozzarella, Roma tomatoes and fresh grated Italian Parmesan cheese.