By Eliza Ridgeway

joe hu/town crier Gregorio Hernandez, Spot - A Pizza Place pizzamaker, presents a large pepperoni pizza. Spot - A Pizza Place will open its newest location on Main Street.

Beer and hot pepper usually accompany a pizza, but at Spot - A Pizza Place, scheduled to open today, they are in the pie.

Owner Kelly Marik described Spot’s style as a medium-crust pizza, not New York or Chicago.

“It’s just the best crust around. The ingredients are the secret,” Marik said.

His secret ingredient is Newcastle brown ale, baked into the crust. The alcohol cooks out, but the rich, creamy flavor stays, Marik said, and the yeasty properties of the beer help the crust rise.

“The crust is No. 1,” Marik said. His ultimate goal is “to have people who never eat the crust, eat the crust.”

A no-frills slice of pepperoni pizza from Spot burns with a warm, spicy heat, thanks to a feisty dose of cayenne pepper in the tomato sauce. Marik said the pepper has been dialed back to child-friendly amounts for Los Altos.

East Coasters who miss grinders can get a hot sub, and the menu carries a selection of salads, but Spot essentially sticks to pizza and soda. Two slices and a drink are $5.

Marik broke into the Bay Area pizza market as a partner in Pizz’a Chicago on El Camino. Three years ago, he opened Spot - A Pizza Place in Town and Country Village, Palo Alto. Its location, across from Palo Alto High School and the Stanford athletic fields, made selling pies as easy as pie.

Marik added his second restaurant in Los Altos, hoping for the same success by attracting students from nearby Egan Junior and Los Altos High schools. The pizzeria occupies the former Cruz’n Café site on Main Street. Spot will stay open until 9 p.m., a rarity for the downtown area. Marik said he’s ready to rise to the challenge of nurturing Los Altos’ nightlife and to provide a fun place for its teenage population.

“If you take care of the community, the community will take care of you,” Marik said. “I hope it becomes a teen hangout.”

The restaurant will offer Internet accessibility, with a line of outlets along one wall.

Marik said he got into the business because of his love for pizza. He earned his street credentials as a deliveryman for Domino’s Pizza, and even met his wife at a pizza party 12 years ago. Compared with the many pizzas he has tested and tasted, Marik said the quality ingredients and fresh dough made daily are what put Spot in the spotlight.

Spot - A Pizza Place is located at 133 Main St., Los Altos.