The pizza centers of New York, New Jersey and Chicago are "slice cultures": Pop in, point to a slice of pre-baked pie, grab it and go.

Although some independent pizza shops offer slices here, the national franchise-dominated pizza scene in Hawai'i has largely been a "pie culture," which means call ahead, order a whole pie, pick it up or have it delivered.

Z Pizza, a 16-year-old, fast-growing Laguna Beach-based chain whose first Island outlet opened recently at Ward Centre on Auahi Street, is more of the grab-and-go school. However, the brightly colored, spiffy shop does offer a handful of tables inside and out, and a counter where you can perch. And not all their offerings are made available by the slice in the revolving, heat-lamped case next to the register — just whatever they happen to bring out. The chain's specialty is "gourmet and healthful pizza" and they operate about 100 stores with several hundred more in franchise development.

A dozen Z Pizza Creations, of the thin-skinned crust variety, are offered, in addition to four Pizza Standards — pepperoni, American (cheese, meats, veggies), sausage and mushroom, along with ham and pineapple. Z Pizza specializes in doughs made from organically grown wheat, sauce made from organically grown tomatoes and Wisconsin low-fat mozzarella, and bakes its pizzas on hot bricks. They also offer two pasta selections: penne with meatballs and chicken penne pesto ($8.95).

In a number of visits, Advertiser staff members were unimpressed with the standards, but the Creations got steady thumbs up, particularly the Provence (tomato, roasted garlic, mozzarella, artichoke hearts, capers, fresh basil — with chicken sausage added for an addition charge), the Tuscan (roasted garlic sauce, cheese, mushrooms, caramelized onions, feta, truffle oil and thyme), the Santa Fe (chipotle pesto, cheese, chicken sausage, corn, red onions, chilies, tomatoes and cilantro) and the Casablanca (roasted garlic sauce, cheeses, mushrooms, artichoke hearts).

But for my money, it's the Rustica Pizzas that make this place stand out. These are generously sized rectangles of hand-formed flatbread, topped with an interesting selection of ingredients. The beautifully browned and bubbled breads are slightly thick, but never gummy, and there's a toothsome chewiness to them.

There are five Rustica offerings for $11.95 each, of which the Moroccan is my favorite so far: basil pesto, mozzarella, roasted eggplant, feta cheese, caramelized onions and pine nuts. First you encounter the bracing astringency of basil, followed by the smoky lushness of roasted eggplant, the perky acidity of feta, the crunch of onions and the richness of pine nuts. This one left with me and became an irresistible afternoon snack, good even eaten cold.

The Rustica pizzas are large enough to satisfy two modest appetites — or two medium appetites with a side salad. Others include pear & gorgonzola, Mediterranean (cheeses, artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, Greek olives, oregano and pili pili chili oil), chicken curry & yam (with cheeses, mango chutney, raisins and cilantro) and chicken sausage (cheeses, arugula, sausage, marinara).

Salads range from standard greens or arugula to pear and gorgonzola, Caesar or Greek, plus the ZBQ salad, with barbecue chicken, greens, corn and cilantro in a chipotle ranch dressing ($8.95 or $10.95 in an entree portion). My Caesar was nothing special: romaine, croutons, tasteless shaved Parmesan, the mayonnaisey dressing that passes for Caesar in most restaurants. A Greek salad (greens, feta, olives, onions, tomatoes, cucumber, oregano in a balsamic vinaigrette) was much more to my taste, challenging the mouth a little.

One day, I picked up sandwiches for my boss and me: She had the curry chicken (curried chicken salad, cucumber, mango, chutney, arugula, caramelized onions, raisins and cilantro on wheat; $7.95) and I got the pollo Latino (lime-marinated chicken breast, lettuce, salsa and avocado in a mini baguette; $7.50), then we shared bites. Both were good-sized and delicious. The curried chicken was what you'd expect — chopped chicken in a dressing — but the additional ingredients added interest. And the chicken seems to be the real roast or poached thing, not that shot-full-of-saline-solution stuff.

The pollo Latino was not, as I feared (and as breast of chicken sandwiches too often are), an over-thick, uneatable wedge of chicken breast but rather bite-size bits of chicken, coated with marinade, with chopped lettuce and avocado and a drizzling of mild salsa. Although the fact that it was chopped made it another kind of challenge to eat — the bits tended to attempt escape whenever I took a bite — it also assured that the sandwich was moist and offered a melange of flavors. There could have been a more assertive hit of lime for my taste, but the sandwich rated above the usual.

I was less impressed with the ricotta calzone ($7.95), a largish half-moon of pastry filled with ricotta cheese, marinara and arugula. I should have remembered that (a) I don't care for most marinara, preferring "white" pizzas, and (b) ricotta tends to separate and release moisture when heated. The result was a flavor dominated by tomato sauce and a soggy inner texture. Next time, I'll try the veggie, with artichoke and roasted peppers.

The Z Pizza staff is friendly and trained to the sharpness of the curved mezzaluna knives the pizza-makers wield — almost too well-trained. They keep coming over to ask how you're doing, even when you're having a conversation. But they do a good job of explaining the ordering system — pick a slice from the case, OR order a slice or a whole pizza, salad, pasta or sandwich OR choose the day's special — a slice or two with a soft drink and a small side salad for about $8.95. Pizzas arrive in paper-lined baskets, or perched on high-stands that keep the table uncrowded and bring the inviting scent right to your nostrils.

If you're ordering a fresh-made item, be prepared to wait 10 to 15 minutes — even sandwiches take a while here. While you languish, you can watch the flat-screen TV tuned to the Food Network. I picked up some good cooking tips, so it was time well wasted.