Had a red sauce dinner last night at East Village old-schooler John's of 12th St, where the spiedino mozzarella Romano--a giant, garlicky, cheesy loaf drenched in marinara--was the throwback guilty pleasure of the meal. Another charming antiquity: The owner, Mike, stopped by the table to make sure we enjoyed our meals. He also divulged that the booths across from the bar will soon be removed to make way for a brick oven. Surely, it will add another dimension to dishes like their classic baked manicotti. But the real question is: Does this mean that this John is going head-to-head in the pizza game with another long-standing John?