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Coal-fired pizza, a food trend that is enjoying a small resurgence, has arrived in Gaithersburg to a warm welcome.

"I'm someone always looking for something new," says Coal Fire co-owner Dennis Sharoky, who was hooked after stumbling onto a little place that had coal-fired pizza and realizing nothing like it existed in his area.

"I was in the restaurant business. I knew I could do this," he recalls.

Sharoky and his partner Brian Kannee did research in New York, Florida and the western U.S., learning about the challenging 900-degree ovens in which the pizzas cook. It took about 18 months to start a product line and another six months to perfect a signature sauce, one of three sauces offered.

The original Coal Fire opened on April 22, 2009, in Ellicott City. A Gaithersburg location opened May 13, with a custom-tiled Wood Stone oven and 90 seats, divided between 65 in the dining room and 25 in the separate bar. Sharoky calls the large black-and-white '30s and '40s-era photographs covering the walls "conversation pieces," while attractive Venetian-style hanging lights offer subdued illumination. A Plexiglass area in the corner of the counter allows children to watch the pizza being made.

The music one day is Nat King Cole's '50s hit, "Unforgettable." The pizza, too, is equally memorable. The 12- or 16-inch pies are very thin. The fresh dough is aged in the refrigerated walk-in to develop complexity.

"Mozzarella is made five days a week, if not six," says Sharoky.

Add-ons — no more than three recommended to ensure a perfect bake — include pepperoni, sausage, ground beef, chopped basil, sweet peppers, banana peppers, fresh roasted red peppers, green peppers, jalapeños, mushrooms, red onions, black olives and anchovies.

Our pizza Margherita is hand-tossed, brushed with olive oil and classic Italian plum tomato sauce, topped with sliced fresh mozzarella and finished with a chiffonade of fresh basil. Delivered on a short-handled wooden paddle with a serving spatula, it is set atop a metal stand. The pizza is bubbly, foldable but firm and, as the menu says, "charred to perfection" around the edges. The dough exhibits no inherent flavor, allowing the sauce and toppings to shine.

The Rustic Red pizza pleasurably pairs the sweet and spicy signature sauce with roasted red peppers, red onions and fresh mozzarella.

Spicy sauce jazzes up the third suggested pizza, the Ring of Fire, with its vibrant banana peppers, Italian sausage and mozzarella.

Delicious as the pizzas are, there's more to like.

People-pleasing oven-baked wings served in a ceramic casserole are seasoned with rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper on a bed of pizza dough triangles slathered with roasted Vidalia onions.

We deconstruct the sweet and hot pepper calamari, asking for the jalapenos and the sweet and hot pepper sauce on the side. The move pays off. The sweet pale yellow sauce is a hit, too, but the small portion of calamari vanished all too fast.

"Everyone needs a hero and here are ours," proclaims the menu. These heroes, called Coalby's, range from beef brisket, grilled marinated chicken and oven roasted turkey to homemade meatball and Coal Oven roasted vegetable. Cheese steak, made with quality rib-eye from an Ellicott City butcher, is grilled with roasted onions and melted provolone and served on a fresh-baked eight-inch roll.

Beyond Coalby's, five salads include a grilled Caesar with grilled romaine, while the pasta lineup features angel hair with white clam sauce, pesto, garlic shrimp, or meatballs and marinara. Penne is mated with spiced chicken and andouille sausage or roasted red pepper and chicken. All of these plus the roasted veggie delight — which can be paired with chicken or shrimp — are served with a small salad and bread.

We spy the baked crabby mac on a nearby table as we leave. It looks tempting, but it's too soon for a verdict from the diners.

The menu is limited to pizza and wings Friday and Saturday between 10 p.m. and midnight. Happy hour in the bar from 3 to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday (you must be 21 or over) brings half-price 12-inch pizzas.

Who could ask for anything more?

Coal Fire

116 Main St. (formerly 305 Kentlands Blvd.), Kentlands Square, Gaithersburg

301-519-COAL (2625)

Hours: Sun.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-midnight

Style of cuisine: Pizza plus

Appetizers: $3.95-14.95

Entrees: $10.95-17.95

Credit cards: All major cards

Carryout available; Accessible

www.coalfireonline.com