Their first date was over a white clam pizza at Pepe's Pizzeria in New Haven.

The white clam pizza had too thick a layer of cheeses, too few bits of clam.

At the nearest exit, you pull off, pass McDonald's and pull into a place called Pepe's, where the clam pizza is always fresh and the line is out the door.

I've had many good pizzas here; one afternoon, though, the white clam pizza was greasy.

There were plenty of clams on the fresh clam pizza, and plenty of oregano.

A small clam pizza is $6.40; medium $10.80; large $15.20.

And the clam pizza comes absolutely paved with fresh clams.

What's more, Lombardi's also serves great clam pizza, a style original to New Haven that is a worthy departure from New York traditions.

IN the narrow kitchen of his apartment on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, Andrew Feinberg was about to make clam pizza.

Small clam pizza, $10; large clam, $16.