After pizza, ice cream. Any questions?

But then, everything at Picco is first-class, from the charming wine list put together by Il Capriccio's co-owner and sommelier, Jeannie Rogers, to the beautifully seasoned food, and, of course, that awesome ice cream. You may never want to go anywhere else.

All that, and a cool room to boot: a retro-inspired soda fountain on one side, where you can eat ice cream or drink wine, and a 49-seat dining room on the other. Designer Peter Niemitz did the room, which includes faux linen walls, brown Formica tables with leatherette banquettes, and fire-engine-red chairs.

What distinguishes Katz's pizzas is not just best-quality toppings -- like margherita ($9), the classic tomato-and-basil round made here with mozzarella, provolone, and romano cheeses -- but the crust. The dough is thin on the bottom, a little puffy and blistered at the edges, and perfectly cooked. I ask Katz why pizza is so rarely cooked properly, and he explains most ovens can't get hot enough, or with enough uniformity. That's why he spent a fortune on his.

As it happens, his Alsatian pizza ($11), a riff on the famous bacon and onion flammkuchen made all over Alsace, is better here than it was anywhere I had it in its native land. The onions are golden brown and spread in a very thin layer, with sour cream and Gruyre cheese, the mixture studded with bits of good bacon. Roasted vegetable pizza ($11) is stunning, with its strips of eggplant and red pepper, but the special chanterelle pie one night ($15), with slices of mushroom and fontina cheese, knocked us out.

Picco salad ($4.50) is a mixture of red leaf lettuce with roasted pepper and olives. The beautifully seasoned vinaigrette just coats the leaves. A fresh-tasting corn chowder ($3.25 and $4.75) is laced with fresh herbs.

Four sandwiches ($7) are offered on sourdough. B&T, LLC comes with thick strips of bacon and slices of tomato with avocado, slaw, and a chipotle mayonnaise.

You can't leave without dessert, which arrives in tall, footed glasses and comes with a long ice-cream-soda spoon. The brownie sundae ($4.25) includes a moist chunk of bittersweet brownie, a dreamy hot fudge sauce made with Scharffen Berger chocolate, divine vanilla ice cream, and real whipped cream -- the perfect post-pizza confection.