Adrian J. Halme '94 says he is not a big fan of wood-fire pizza. Still, he could be found holding court the other day at Caffe Marino, enjoying a meatball sub.

"It just opened. I thought I'd give it a try," Halme said. "Although I was not aware of the pervasiveness of the wood-fire pizza phenomenon, I do not find this trend remarkable.

"Frankly, there's much more of a need for good Mexican restaurants" than there is for more pizza joints, Halme said.

While Halme has nothing bad to say about any of these three Square eateries, he is not sure there is room enough for all of them.

"[The proliferation of wood-fire cooking] is all a symptom of the yuppification of American pizza.

"I don't know if they'll all last," he said.

For now, however, the sudden influx of wood-fire cooking in the Square seems destined to make the lives of hungry Square denizens more confusing. The trend towards catering to distinctive, individual tastes can have its evil downside.

Smoosh-in or mix-in? Cafe Latte or Espresso? Apricot bath gel or avocado soap? Add one more perplexing question to the neurotic shopper's list.

California wood-fire pizza or Italian brick oven pizza? Or eschew it all for a farm-fresh salad? Life in the Square gets more complicated every day.