Follow along as Samantha Bakall tries all of Portland's wood-fired pizza

Portland's wood-fired pizza craze started in earnest in 2006 when baked-goods godfather Ken Forkish opened his Ken's Artisan Pizza in Southeast Portland. More than a decade later, wood-fired pizza is everywhere, with dozens of metro area restaurants, including some of the region's best pizzerias, dedicated to chewy, charred crusts.

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Over the next few weeks, follow along as we try every wood-fired pizza in the Portland metro area, everything from classic Neapolitan pies to super-seasonal farm-to-table pizzas to Roman-inspired square slices. As long as they're cooked in an oven with wood, they're fair game. See what we've tried so far:

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Stephanie Yao Long | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Ken's Artisan Pizza

This has been one of Portland's best pizzerias for years and on our most recent visit, it didn't disappoint.

304 S.E. 28th Ave., 503-517-9951, kensartisan.com

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Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Ken's Artisan Pizza's margherita pizza

Sitting at the bar, I overheard the bartender tell a couple that the back of the oven at Ken’s Artisan pizza can reach temperatures of more than 1000 degrees. When the margherita ($13) hit the table, I could feel the heat coming off the pie, so much that it felt like sitting over a space heater. This is a beautiful pizza. It has a great chew and crunch, the crust unyielding in the center and smelling like a great loaf of bread. The cheese had a creamy, salty bite balanced by a sweet tomato sauce.

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Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Pizzeria Otto

The Roseway neighborhood hit the jackpot with Pizzeria Otto, a narrow restaurant where pizzas fly out of the red-and-black-tiled oven in less time than it takes to pick a drink off the affordable beer and wine list.

6708 N.E. Sandy Blvd, 971-373-8348, pizzeriaotto.com

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Pizzeria Otto's margherita di bufala

After 18 pizzas, we wanted to eat this entire thing ($15). It’s chewy, yet crunchy and somehow cloud-like crust was beautifully charred. The sauce was lightly sweet and the mozzarella di bufala (it’s a $3 upcharge and worth it) was milky soft, pulled into harp strings and had a salty bite.

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Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Stickmen Brewing

The recently opened Tualatin beer hall from Lake Oswego's Stickmen Brewing is the only location where you can find wood-fired pizza. The vast space is anchored by 25 taps and more than a dozen different pies.

19475 S.W. 118th Ave., Suite 1, Tualatin, 503-486-7197, stickmenbeer.com

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Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Stickmen Brewing's margherita pizza

A very thin-crusted pizza, Stickmen’s margherita pizza ($9) had very little sauce and very little char, except one side that spent a little too much time near the fire. Though the pizza as a whole was kind of dry, its cheese pulled into nice strings with each bite.

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Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Mi Famiglia

A popular downtown Oregon City restaurant, Mi Famiglia has been open for nearly 10 years, serving a menu of wood-fired pizzas, sandwiches, salads and more.

701 Main St., Oregon City, 503-594-0601, mi-famiglia.com

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Mi Famiglia's margherita pizza

Somewhere, margherita pizza’s true nature got lost. Most simply, margherita pizzas are topped with the colors of the Italian flag — red sauce, white mozzarella and green basil. In the past couple days, we’ve started getting pizzas that are definitely not margherita pizzas, but that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily bad. Take Mi Famiglia’s ($12), which is definitely not a margherita pizza with its lack of sauce, slice of tomato and balsamic glaze drizzled over the top. The toppings are fresh and the crust is well-charred and cracker-like, but this was more a mozzarella flatbread with toppings than pizza.

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Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Big O's Wood Fired Pizza

Big O's Wood Fired Pizza, a no-frills pizza shop whose centerpiece is a mosaiced wood-fired oven, was opened just outside downtown Beaverton on Broadway in October 2015 by aspiring helicopter pilot Owen Morehart.

12305 S.W. Broadway St., Beaverton; 503-596-2196; bigospizza.com

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Big O's DIY margherita pizza

Another margherita ($8) that got a little lost in translation, Big O’s was basically a (pretty good) cheese pizza with sliced tomato on top. The sauce had a nice oregano punch, but if I hadn’t seen the oven in person, I wouldn’t have known this was wood-fired.

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The Rock Wood Fired Kitchen

A rock n' roll-themed wood-fired restaurant, The Rock Wood Fired Kitchen has locations across five states, with three restaurants across the Portland suburbs and Salem.

2295 N.W. Allie Ave., Hillsboro, 503-747-5804; 22401 N.E. Glisan St.,

Wood Village, 503-328-8498; therockwfk.com

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The Rock Wood Fired Kitchen's DIY margherita pizza

There’s no margherita on this menu, but the restaurant was kind enough to make one for me ($12.95), even though it wasn’t really a margherita. Though a little bland, this was was a decent pizza from a chain.

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Handsome Pizza

One of The Oregonian/OregonLive's 101 Best Restaurants of 2016, Handsome Pizza, on Northeast Killingsworth's ever-growing restaurant strip, has been pulling beautifully blistered pies from their wood-fired oven for nearly two years.

1603 N.E. Killingsworth St., 503-247-7499, handsomepizza.com

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Handsome Pizza's Di Fara pizza

Handsome Pizza’s Di Fara stylistically falls somewhere between New York City and Naples. Pies, available in two sizes ($12/$23), arrive wonderfully charred with stringy, browned cheese on chunky, lightly acidic tomato sauce under a chiffonade of fresh basil. The crust, made from flour milled in-house, has an excellent sourness and chew.

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Nostrana

There's a reason this gracious Southeast Portland restaurant has a wall filled with accolades, including a half-dozen James Beard Award nominations and The Oregonian's 2006 Restaurant of the Year honors. Chef Cathy Whims and her team serve fine-tuned salads, beautifully blistered Neapolitan pizzas, wood-charred steaks and faithful Italian pastas inspired by Whims' mentor, the late Italian cookbook author Marcella Hazan.

1401 S.E. Morrison St., 503-234-2427, nostrana.com

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Nostrana's margherita pizza

And there’s a reason that Nostrana continues to draw nearly two hour waits on the weekends, more than 10 years since they opened. The margherita ($12) here boast a super chewy crust and unbelievably milky and soft mozzarella -- pulled in house -- balanced by a lightly acidic tomato sauce. We would’ve liked a longer fermentation in the dough, but overall had a good rise and good char.

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Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Pizzeria La Sorrentina

Pizzas have come a long way under La Sorrentina owner Daisuke Matsumoto. Matsumoto's dream of cooking authentic Italian food for a living has taken him and wife Amy through Japan, Yakima, and Sorrento before culminating in a Kickstarter campaign that helped launch the royal blue, Hazel Dell cart.

1015 N.E. 78th St., 360-980-1651, lasorrentinavw.com

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Pizzeria La Sorrentina's margherita pizza

Pizzeria La Sorrentina’s margherita ($8.50) had a good crust and good char with a lot of cheese and a sweet tomato sauce. But with that much cheese, it made everything a little soupy. We also could've used another hit of salt and more basil. But we enjoyed the pizza from this cart that calls a ramshackle Hazel Dell parking lot home.

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Nonavo

This sleek, white-walled pizzeria almost feels out of place in downtown Vancouver. But with its super-casual vibe to its affordably priced bottles, this brand new pizzeria, that's yet to celebrate its first birthday, will be a place to keep an eye on.

110 W. Sixth St., nonavopizza.com

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Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Nonavo's margherita pizza

Nonavo’s rustic margheritas ($10) are still a bit of a work in progress. They’ve got a super chewy, almost fluffy crust with a slightly spicy tomato sauce and a healthy dose of basil. But we also found some bites were a little gummy, maybe needing just a few more seconds in the beautifully tiled oven.

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BRIX Tavern

This perennially packed Pearl District restaurant is probably better known for its screaming happy hour deals than its menu of wood-fired pizzas and American standards.

1338 N.W. Hoyt St., 503-943-5995, brixtavern.com

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BRIX Tavern's tavern margherita pizza

Somewhere, BRIX went wrong with their “brick oven fired” pizza. The margherita ($14.95) that hit the table almost seemed slid out of frozen pizza box, with no char at all, save for a few spots on the bottom of the floury, cracker-like dough. But, buried under a heavy hand of both shredded and blobs of mozzarella was a very tasty, almost meaty roasted tomato sauce. We just can’t get past the flavorless and chalky crust.

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Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Heart Pizza

Check pizza off Micah Camden's quickly dwindling comfort food to-do list. In February, the prolific restaurateur (Little Big Burger, Blue Star Donuts) opened the first location of Heart Pizza, a wood-fired, takeout-focused pizzeria, in downtown Portland. Heart's menu is short: a trio of salads, a dozen pies -- half of them vegetarian -- and inexpensive booze to go. Each small pie is made with powder-fine "00" flour dough, topped with creative, often housemade ingredients and cooks in just 90 seconds in imported Stefano Ferrara brick ovens.

417 S.W. 13th St., 503-764-9239; 672 S.W. Gaines Street, 503-954-1706; heartpizza.com

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Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Heart Pizza's margherita pizza

The classic margherita ($12), slathered with tomato sauce and a drizzle of good olive oil, was the best of the three pies we tried on our visit, though skimpy on the fresh mozzarella.

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Renata

Renata, the Oregonian/OregonLive's 2015 Restaurant of the Year, began as Nick and Sandra Arnerich's dream: a warm, friendly Italian restaurant built around great service, fantastic wine and unbeatable pasta.

626 S.E. Main St., 503-954-2708, renatapdx.com

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Renata's margherita pizza (with half bianco verde)

One of the first pizzas we tried, Renata's margherita ($15, $7 at happy hour at the bar) sports a well-charred crust with creamy, browned cheese and crispy basil. We found the crust to be a little too crunchy and in need of more chew, but there was good balance between the lightly sweet sauce and cheese/basil.

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John Valls

Oven & Shaker

The perennially busy spin-off of Cathy Whims' beloved Nostrana,Oven & Shaker combines a creative cocktail bar from Aviation Gin co-founder Ryan Magarian with wood-fired classics. It's the only other place in the city (besides Nostrana) where you can order Whims' incredible radicchio salad, and at happy hour, you'll find it and 12" wood-fired pies for $7 or less.

1134 N.W. Everett St., 503-241-1600, ovenandshaker.com

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Oven & Shaker's margherita pizza

This big-leafed pie ($13) has a chewy, charred crust, sweet tomato sauce and creamy, almost ricotta-like cheese. Eat quickly though because it doesn't take long for the cheese to quickly congeal.

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Fire & Stone

Fire & Stone is an 80-seat, wood-fired restaurant serving a small cafe menu, dinner and brunch in the Alameda/Beaumont/Wilshire neighborhood trifecta. The restaurant, which opened in December 2014, was opened by Jeff Smalley, a baker who kneaded at Grand Central, Baker & Spice and Portland French.

3707 N.E. Fremont Ave., 503-719-7195, fireandstonepdx.com

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Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Fire & Stone's margherita pizza

It's not often that the first question heard around the table after taking a bite of pizza is, "Is there weed on this?" This dry, almost uncharred pie ($13) with its weirdly pungent basil was in desperate need of more of the maybe butter-spiked sauce. Its crackly crust had a good fermented aroma and was topped with milky cheese.

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Roman Candle

When it comes to wood-fired pizza, Duane Sorenson's Roman Candle is in a league of its own. Dedicated to the long, rectangular slices of crunchy, chewy Roman-style pizza, Roman Candle has perfected the modern Italian cafe with its long, wooden communal table, marble-topped counters and glass cases of pastries and rectangular pies.

3377 S.E. Division St., 971-302-6605, romancandlebaking.com

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Roman Candle's margherita slice

Known for their Roman-inspired square slices, Roman Candle’s crispy, cinderblock-sized slices are reminiscent of focaccia, with a thin, but crisp bottom, bready center and rolling bubbly top. Slices ($5) arrive with a side of shears for easy cutting and have a smokey flavor not common in other wood-fired pies. Huge rectangular slabs can be ordered for big groups.

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Lucca

Another neighborhood Italian restaurant, Lucca has been serving wood-fired pizzas, pastas, antipasti and more for nearly a decade.

3449 N.E. 24th Ave., 503-287-7372, luccapdx.com

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Lucca's margherita pizza

There's no way this neighborhood pizzeria has their imported-from-Lucca oven cranked to 900 degrees as our server told us. The borderline under-baked dough ($12) had minimal char and was floury and flavorless. We enjoyed the healthy amount of basil on top though.

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Firehouse

Built inside an old Woodlawn firehouse, Firehouse serves up Italian snacks, beautifully charred Neapolitan pizzas, solid cocktails and the occasional pasta in a brick-and-wood space with a gorgeous patio. Pizzas here arrive with a pair of scissors for easy cutting.

711 N.E. Dekum St., 503-954-1702, firehousepdx.com

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Firehouse's margherita pizza

One of our favorite pizzas we've tried so far, Firehouse's margherita ($14) has a great chew and a salty bite. It's well-charred and has a well-risen, long fermented dough which leaves the crust pliable yet tender. Each pie is doused under a shower of Parmesan that we could almost do without. We'll keep the drizzle of olive oil though.

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Ash Wood-Fired Pizza

A gun-metal-gray food truck with a yellow-tiled oven somehow built inside, Ash serves wood-fired pizzas and farmers market vegetables outside Southeast Portland's Base Camp Brewing. Ash's pies start with a sourdough base from Ted Scharpnick, who began baking sourdough breads at Greens, the venerable San Francisco vegetarian restaurant.

930 S.E. Oak St., 503-816-4639, ashwoodfired.com

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Ash Wood-Fired Pizza's margherita pizza

A well-charred pie with a cracker-thin, chewy crust, Ash's under-seasoned margherita ($8) felt like it was missing some sauce. After our first bite though, the lack of sauce was probably a good thing since it wasn't very good, with a garlicky bite, but super acidic. Good basil flavor overall.

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Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Pyro Pizza

One of Portland's best wood-fired pizza carts, Pyro Pizza has been serving chewy, charred pizzas since 2009. In 2015, owner John Eads opened Pyro's Wicked Wiches, one of The Oregonian/OregonLive's 10 best new food carts of 2015.

1207 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd., 503-929-1404, pyropizzacart.com

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Pyro Pizza's margherita pizza

This pie ($8) has a great, oregano-spiked sauce, but the well-fermented dough was sadly under-baked. Inconsistencies aside, we liked this pie and would come back for another (and another of the housemade sodas).

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Paper Bag Pizza

Meander through the crowds at Southeast Portland's Tidbit food cart pod at the right time and you'll catch Tom Daly, former executive chef at Pastaworks who co-owns the cart with wife Emily Goodman, shaving a blizzard of cheese over a blistered pie before sliding the whole thing into a paper bag. Here at this former Pyro Pizza cart, pies arrive 11 inches in diameter, with a bubbly crust blackened and chewy and local farm veggies, house-made pancetta and sausage arranged over the top.

2880 S.E. Division St., 971-300-7833, paperbagpizza.com

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Paper Bag Pizza's pizza margherita

Another under-baked pie ($9), Paper Bag Pizza's margherita had nicely browned cheese and good char all around. The sauce isn't as flavorful as Pyro's and the extra Pecorino or Grana Parmiggiano shaved over the top added to its bitterness.

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Associated

The former home to hip-hop pizza joint P.R.E.A.M., Associated, from the team behind Jackknife, Bye and Bye and Century, has kept the pizzas slinging, and added a heavy dose of vegan offerings to the menu. Now, you'll find a short list of pizzas, snacks, tacos and creative cocktails at the counter-service space.

2131 S.E. 11th Ave., 503-231-2809, associatedpdx.com

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Associated's "I Want It All" pizza

This super thin pizza ($13) with a decently chewy crust and good char had us wondering where the basil went. "You could play 'Where's Waldo' with the basil," one of my dining companions said. The very little, bland sauce was saved by a good amount of cheese, but this wasn't our favorite pie.

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What did we miss?

Share your top picks for wood-fired pizza on Twitter, by email or in the comments below. If we like what we see, we'll check them out in person.