Best pizza street ever (and other reasons to love il vecchio in Pacific Grove).

California officials have yet to institute a state-wide Best Pizza Street contest.

When they do, I know who I'll nominate: Lighthouse Avenue in New Monterey (and Central Avenue as it crosses into Pacific Grove).

After all, within a few blocks there appears:

1. Perennial Best of Monterey County readers poll winner for Best Pizza, old-school, no-website, secret-recipe Gianni's (649-1500).

2. Cult hit Tricycle Pizza (www.tricyclepizza.com), which just got its own permanent place for its gorgeous pizza truck after years at farmers markets.

3. Locally owned super-value-spot Pelican Pizza (649-4040), where two-for-one deals happen daily.

Then there's the latest revelation: Popular Rome-inspired Italian spot il vecchio (324-4282) now does fluffy pizza with gooey light mozzarella that evokes the dreamy-creamy burrata appetizer ($9.50).

Wednesday is pizza night, with several options like the "bianca" with sheep's milk feta, fontina, Kalamata olives, rosemary and fresh arugula and the "piccante" with spicy Calabrese salami, tomato sauce, mozzarella and Kalamata olives.

Each is $12.50 for a 9-incher on a sourdough crust made from dough that gets its texture and flavor via fermentation over the course of three days.

Then they're baked in a skillet laced with olive oil to add crunch and color.

Yum.

Side note: My margherita with fontina and basil was elevated to indulgent heights with a dipping sauce that the kitchen was kind enough to improvise when I asked for "something creamy and spicy" for the crusts: They melted pecorino, fontina, provolone and chili flakes into a rich cheesy soup.

•••

There have long been plenty of other reasons to love il vecchio besides the pizza, which helps explain why they are repeat winners in our readers vote for Best Italian in Monterey County.

Those were on full display for a media dinner last week. (It wasn't a Wednesday, but on other nights they frequently do pizza specials, hence the margherita.)

Highlights included a zesty marinated seafood salad bursting with freshness via mussels, tender wild-caught shrimp and small calamari rings and tentacles (a modest $10); rich pulled pork shoulder slow braised in red wine ($18.50); and that oozy burrata alla panna with ripe tomatoes and basil ($9.50).

The values arrive daily with plates like house-ground Peidmontese meatballs ($10.50), four-cheese penne al forno ($14) and sausage polenta plates ($16).

Weekdays come lunch time (noon-1:30pm), they get better still with the ongoing Pranzo di Lavoro, or workers lunch, with a choice of large salads for $13.50 or rotating daily combinations of pasta, artisan green salad and protein for $10.85.

The big salads include the mare (sautéed shrimp, rock cod and calamari in lemon vinaigrette), the contadino (prosciutto di Parma, Molinari salami, tomato, asiago, steamed potato, wine vinaigrette) and the vegan-friendly campo (grilled peppers, zucchini, arugula, spinach, kale, potato).

The daily combos, now available for takeout, include things like Monday's choice of rigatoni with beef-and-pork ragu or rock cod in tomato-garlic to go with butterfly-ricotta pasta and salad.

Easily enough to qualify il vecchio for a bargain-driven piece this summer, "Loving three endless $11 lunches in Monterey and Pacific Grove."

Bonus: They're even doing Sunday brunch 10am-1pm with goodies like peasant-style fried bread ($10), sausage-ham-fontina frittatas ($12) and chopped New York steak with mushrooms and roasted potatoes ($16).