Last year, the CT Pizza Trail map was created, recommending the top one hundred locations to enjoy pizza in our beloved state. I’ve been fortunate to have lots of notches on my waistline from a good portion of the places, but a few close-to-home spots have remained on my "gotta-try" list. With an opening appearing in my schedule, I decided to try Julio's Wood Fired Pizza & Grill, in Southbury.

Julio's is the brainchild of Julio and Mari Duque, and initially opened its doors in 1997. The Duques were already well known locally as the owners of Rose's, the heavily trafficked Italian restaurant just down the road in Oxford. Their vision for Julio's was different, a restaurant centered around high-temperature, wood-fired cooking.