Bites Nearby: Gerry's Italian Kitchen

, at 1074 Belmont Street in Watertown (near Waltham), has been serving pizzas and lunch and dinner specials for more than 20 years. It's not quite the North End in Boston, but the pizzas have the classic Italian thin crust and are laden with fresh ingredients, such as tomatoes, garlic, basil, grilled chicken, ricotta cheese, onions, mushrooms, meatballs and sausage. The prices are reasonable, at $9.99 for a medium one and $14.50 for a large.

What to eat: Pizzas are the specialty, with six kinds of large slices ($2.50), including chicken and broccoli; feta, tomato and spinach; sausage and cheese. There are also many whole-pizza specialties (The Milano, The Pomodora, The Alfredo, the Mama Maria) and dinner specials that change daily, such as fried haddock (there's always a fish dish on Fridays and Saturdays), stuffed shells and calzones with chicken and parmesan. For lighter fare, you can have a salad: garden, caesar or Greek, with or without chicken or steak tips.

The vibe: A neighborhood feel. It's clean and pleasant, with prompt service.

Cool factor No. 1: You can sit at one of two clean, bright-red counters and eat while you watch the streetscape or CNN.

Cool factor No. 2: There's a phone number that recites the daily specials: 617-499-7951. (Why don't more restaurants do this?) 

Cool factor No. 3: A shaker of Parmesan cheese is on the counter for customer use.