Nick's Pizza's Oakland-Style Slices| San Francisco

Nick Yapor-Cox of Oakland's new Nick's Pizza has quite the fine-dining pedigree.

The self-described sourdough fanatic cut his teeth at New York's four-star Eleven Madison Park, baking around New York and the Bay Area before opening Nick's Pizza in North Oakland two months ago. Nick's considerable training is evident in his pizza, available in both slices and 16-inch pies.

Yapor-Cox's foldable slice is reminiscent of the New York ideal. The sourdough base–a vestige of Yapor-Cox's time working at Arizmendi–lends the crust a sturdy and complex flavor, and the rough-hewn tomato sauce is piquant with garlic, basil and crushed red pepper.

Classic cheese ($2.50 for a slice; $20 for a whole pie) and pepperoni ($2.75 for a slice; $22 for a whole pie) are always available, the latter topped with oversize rounds of crisp-edged meat.

But Yapor-Cox declares himself a Californian, too, with seasonal specials such as summer peach and prosciutto ($28; whole pie only) and an heirloom-tomato margherita ($3 for a slice; $24 for a whole pie), laden with a kaleidoscopic array of fresh sliced tomatoes.

His storefront may be shabbier than chic, with only four tables, but it's inviting and brightly painted. As the restaurant's aptly chosen slogan and web address proclaim, Nick's is Oakland-style, indeed.

Nick's Pizza, 6211 Shattuck Ave., Oakland; 510-658-3903 or oaklandstylepizza.com