I know "pizza" is more of a category than a specific dish, and encompasses food as disparate as crappy takeout square-cut crackers with grease on them all the way to Chicago stuffed pies, but to me, if there is a pizza ideal, it must live in Naples, because Punch's version that they claim is pure Neapolitan is, to me, what pizza should be.

Before Punch's opened near me, I didn't even know Neapolitan pizza was a thing. My pizza preferences were mainly defined by what I had growing up, which was mainly your Pizza Hut Pan Pizza. I mean, I'd had fancy pizzas and flatbread pizzas and such since then, but I liked a thick crust and lots of traditional American toppings.

But Punch blows me away. First it's the flavor of the crust, because it's a good dough, and it's got extra bits of saltiness and the char from the super-hot oven. Oh, that char. Little burnt bits of bread every coupled of bites. It sounds awful, but it's such a good counterpoint to all the other flavors that when you get a bit of it in your mouth the whole pizza just works.

And then there's the toppings. I alluded to this when I talked about the pizzas at Sauce, but the stuff they use at Punch to top their pizzas is first-rate, and it shows. These pizzas are simple. Thin crust, sauce, mozzarella, and a few toppings - just a scattering of them, from meats to vegetables to different cheeses.

And when you hit one, you know it. It's just a little burst of flavor, distinct and separate from the rest of the pizza. It's not some flavor combination, it's a bite of pizza + sliced garlic, or a bite of pizza + mushroom, or a bite of pizza + salami.

That's what I had last night, for the first time, by the way. The salame e funghi - salami, mushrooms, garlic, and fontina cheese. I've developed a love for salamis and related charcuterie in the past few years, and it's amazing what a few thin slices of it can do to one of these pizzas.

The only problem with Punch, at least at the one near me, is actually eating there. It's an awkward space, with little room to walk between the tables, and it's almost always crowded. Even for takeout you generally have to dodge waiters, children, and other customers until they call your number. The place could really stand to be twice the size it is now, with only half again as many tables.

But I still go back, because the food's amazing and the prices, considering what you get, are perfectly reasonable. Oh, sure, if you're hungry enough, all six slices of that $10 pizza will go down in one meal, but usually you'll get two. Not last night, though.