* What's new: Ultimate Meat Grill Pizza -- with a smoky, backyard-barbecue flavor —from Pizza Hut.

* The blueprint: Your choice of Pizza Hut crust topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and grilled, smoky steak, chicken and ham.

* What it'll set you back: Total calories: 250 (per slice of a medium pizza with hand-tossed dough). Fat grams: 9. Dietary fiber: 1 gram. Carbs: 25 grams. Manufacturer's suggested retail price: $10.99 for a medium, 12-inch pizza; $12.99 for a large, 14-inch pie.

* The verdict: The Ultimate Meat Grill will put your senses in a lawn chair right next to the backyard grill.

The grilled veggies and meats arrive already grilled at each Pizza Hut restaurant. They are flipped onto the pizza before hitting the conveyor-belt oven. The grilled flavor and aroma are awakened in the oven. The Ultimate Grill Pizza comes in three varieties: Ultimate Veggie Grill, with a blend of grilled peppers, onions and mushrooms; Ultimate Meat Grill, with steak, chicken and ham; and Ultimate Combo Grill, with all of the aforementioned add-ons. The Combo is your big boy. Think teenagers.

The possibilities don't end there, either. All of the Ultimate Grill pizzas are available on hand-tossed, pan or Thin '*' Crispy crust.

The Ultimate Grill pizzas are a gimmick, and the gimmick tastes pretty darn good, but these pizzas won't ever see the permanent menu. They're designed to create some buzz. They're a good change-of-pace pizza. But in the long run, the best pizza is the pizza that changes least.

— Ken Hoffman, The Drive-Thru Gourmet

c. King Features Syndicate