After all the press, Web site posts, magazine spreads, after streams of Jane & Michael Stern fans came and went, I wondered if celebrity had spoiled this neighborhood pizza parlor. Would we be greeted by a tuxedoed maitre d', red velvet ropes or, worse, those awful little portable buzzers that vibrate when your table is ready?

Any possible trappings of fame were quickly dispelled when we parked next to an El Camino with a smashed-in windshield. Joe and I love the Valley--both of us grew up in factory towns just like Derby, and the bashed-in "trar" was a welcoming sight. So were Roseland's worn wooden facade and the warm glow of its neon sign.

(To find Roseland, hidden deep in a residential neighborhood off Route 34, you'll need a map, a divining rod, a mule, two snorkels and a lute. You'll always take the wrong turn, but driving past stately old homes at night adds a little something to the adventure.)

Inside, we were welcomed with a friendly "sit anywhere!" and our waitress promptly brought us a basket of Roseland's homemade hard-crusted bread, still warm. Owner Lina Lucarelli, whose father founded Roseland as a bakery in 1935, greets everyone who walks in. You can see Lina from birth, courtesy of family photos lining the walls.

It's hard to exercise restraint at Roseland, but you must--blackboard specials, including pies and full pasta dinners, are overwhelming. The Lucarellis want to send you home with leftovers, hence the huge portions. You'll want to try everything (including hand-cut lobster ravioli), but take it slow. Split a small antipasto salad unless you plan on serving inmates the next day.

Celebrity has not shrunk the portions or upgraded the china, which consists of mismatched stoneware plates like the ones my mom got for a penny at Grand Union. Wine is sold by the glass and carafe, filled from Taylor jugs.

We ordered the complex and the uncomplicated, starting with a garlic bread special with roasted green peppers, prosciutto, parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar (7.95) on homemade bread. What could be the cement shoes of appetizers is made great by Roseland's buttery garlic bread with thin slices of prosciutto.

An arugula salad ($6.95) is as fresh and uncomplicated as it gets--a pile of bitter greens tossed with extra virgin olive oil, mushrooms, and grated parmesan. Anything more on this salad would've been like wearing Mardi Gras beads to a funeral.

We ordered two pies--a small "plain" ($6), which is served with sauce, grated cheese and garlic. Not a hint of sugar in this sauce, not a canned tomato on its sphere--this is as good a thin-sliced pie as anywhere in New Haven. It's all in the sauce and the dough (also homemade).

From Roseland's long list of classic specialty pies (which are served on a fancy doily instead of plain paper) we chose the humdinger--shrimp, mozzarella, garlic and prosciutto ($23). We called it the "Derby slider" due to its top-heaviness. It's more like eating a shrimp open-faced sandwich then a slice of pizza. Unlike the garlic bread, mozzarella is sprinkled sparsely, used more as a bonding agent than topping.

All red pies are made with fresh plum tomatoes. Lucarelli told us the vegetables are brought in fresh daily. Her father started the business as a bakery, and that doughy goodness can be tasted in every pie.

Another signature Roseland pie is the freshly shucked clam ($14-$23). It also offers imported Italian tuna, fresh tomatoes, capers, garlic ($15); chicken, sausage, hot peppers, mozzarella, garlic ($16); escarole, provolone, chicken, pignoli nuts ($17); chicken, spinach, prosciutto, mozzarella, garlic ($17).

Roseland remains the American beauty that she was. Unadorned, unspoiled and undoubtedly one of the best pizza parlors in the country.

Hours: Open Tues.-Fri. 4-9:30 p.m., Sat. & Sun. 3-10 p.m.


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Extras:

Cuisine Italian, Pizza Meals Served Dinner Parking Available in lot. Payment Method American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Discover Reservations Not accepted. Seating is on a first come, first serve basis. Services Private Parties, Carry Out Spirits Beer/Wine Only Wheelchair Access Entrance is accessible. Restrooms are not accessible at this time.