And, no, it's not DiGiorno.

It's Malibu Beach pizza from The Upper Crust, 300 Towne Center Drive in Evans. This specialty pizza is topped with feta cheese, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, with a homemade garlic sauce - perfect for vegetarians.

For carnivores, The Upper Crust serves a variety of meat toppings on its pizzas, including Italian sweet sausage, capicolla, Canadian bacon, ground beef, ham, salami and pepperoni.

The restaurant also serves 14 types of pasta, several specialty salads, subs, grinders and wraps. Appetizers - from beer-battered mushrooms to sour cream and chive fries - and beer and wine also are on the menu.

In addition to the highly recommended Malibu Beach pizza, I sampled the Caesar salad and the ravioli. I used to detest croutons - I was strictly a bacon bits type of girl - but in recent months I have discovered that I like croutons, if they are crunchy. Soggy croutons will ruin a salad, and I was pleased to find that The Upper Crust only serves the crunchiest of croutons in their Caesar salad.

I had to dig in a pool of sauce to find the ravioli. Less is more. One good thing about the dish is it is served with four garlic bread sticks, a nice touch and very useful for sopping up the sauce.

The biggest surprise came when the waitress brought out my Coca-Cola in a mason jar. A hollow pasta noodle served as a straw. I had never had so much fun drinking a Coke.

The Upper Crust ambiance is relaxed. Dress casual and expect a comfortable setting. The restaurant makes a perfect place for parents to bring the children after soccer practice or a school play.

The Place: The Upper Crust, 300 Towne Center Drive, Evans (map)

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and noon to 9 p.m. Sundays

Price Range: $1.50-$20.95

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

Phone: 863-3323