(Photo by Ray Johnson)

I was walking down Sheepshead Bay Road near Voorhies Avenue sometime close to 11 a.m. and a wonderful, garlicky smell permeating the air reminded me that I hadn't had any breakfast. It was as if my feet had a nose of their own, because they immediately brought me to Del Mar Pizzeria at 1668 Sheepshead Bay Rd. Sure enough, there was a hot, cheesy pepperoni pie just coming out of the standard, stainless steel pizza oven. Naturally, I decided against the plain one that had just come out a minute, before.

The pizza-professional swiftly rolled his knife into the pie and asked me if I wanted my slice to stay or to go. I could have just grabbed the whole pie right off the pan, but it was blocked by the glass display. I looked at the normally-busy dining area and noticed there was no one there. The thought of having the place all to myself somehow made me feel like Will Smith must have felt in I Am, Legend.

Here I was, the last person left in Sheepshead Bay (oh, the pizza chef was just a robot - oops, sorry, this is I Am Legend, not I, Robot), about to indulge in my steaming hot breakfast. Figuring there was no one around to call the ambulance should the liquid lava-cheese scorch the roof of my mouth, I blew on it for a second to cool it down.

I chose a large booth with a hanging pendant lamp over it, so I could take one last look at my slice, before devouring it. I sunk into the pew-like bench, hoping to hide behind the soda vending machine, so no one would see me swallow my triangular treat whole. The bottom of the perfect, brown crispy crust hit my tongue and the pepperoni almost slipped right off, but I managed to slurp it right up. That was one good pizza slice. Oh, I meant, pepperoni slice. How could I forget the pepperoni. There was so many of the curled-up, round slivers, I felt like someone was going to run up to me and say, "Hey, hold on right there, you took all the pepperoni from the rest of the pie and put it on your slice!"

Eating even faster and, what I would swear was, seconds later, I was done. There was a pizza clock - which, by the way, looked as though it was fashioned by the chef himself, except with less pepperoni - hanging above the open door to the kitchen, but I hadn't looked at it before my teeth chomped down. I guess I will never know just how many seconds it took me this time to down this Del Mar.

Believe me, though, I will continue try topping my personal best with a Del Mar pizza slice with pepperoni topping - breakfast time, lunchtime, and dinnertime.

(Thanks to Marcello for help with the photo)

Del Mar Pizzeria
1668 Sheepshead Bay Rd
Brooklyn, NY 11235
(718) 769-7766

Between Voorhies & Jerome Avenue