I went to lunch at one of those chain restaurants that has a 20-page menu.  I won’t say the name of it for obvious reasons, but I sifted through the endless choices and decided on a pizza.

Why would a self-proclaimed pizza connoisseur order it from a place that also serves steaks, seafood, barbecue, Mexican, Cuban, Chinese, Japanese and at least a dozen other specialties?  Yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking.

As I sat there, I realized how my pizza experience at this restaurant could be a metaphor for the tax consulting profession.

You can get a decent pie from a place like the restaurant I mentioned above.  You can also get decent advice from a tax consultant that dabbles in all areas of taxation.

If you want extraordinary pizza, your best bet is to go to a place that specializes in pizza.  The same goes for tax advice – your best bet for specialized issues will likely come from a tax advisor that has a specialized practice.

It’s not to say that a generalist will steer you wrong.  Just be careful that he/she doesn’t put refried beans on your pizza by mistake.

Where can you find my favorite pizza spots?  Here’s a quick list:

• New York City: Lombardi’s
• Chicago: Giordano’s
• Los Angeles: Mulberry Street Pizzeria
• Orlando: Via Napoli

Observation #1 – Pizza is the flagship of each of these restaurants.  You won’t find any sushi on the menu.

Observation #2 – I didn’t list any favorite pizza spots located in my home base (the DC area).  The jury is still deliberating and bribes are accepted!

Where are your favorite pizza spots?

(P.S. – The picture above is NOT me!!)