The night before Thanksgiving my boyfriend and I were hungry, but didn’t know where to go. We didn’t want to drive far and we didn’t want to pay too much. We found ourselves at Pitfire Pizza Company in Westwood. Neither of us had been there before and had no idea what to expect. We walked in to a spacious restaurant and quickly realized it would be in our best interest to claim a table to sit at without the help of a server. Within first glance you can tell this place is listed somewhere on the internet as kid-friendly. Every other table was filled with a rugrat sitting in a high chair. Surprisingly, all the children in the restaurant were well behaved. We did get to hear one misbehaving child get his 3rd and final warning from the table across from us. Awkward, but amusing since we were only spectators.
Although they had interesting sounding pizzas and pastas (and later I found out they had a special pizza with pumpkin on it!), in order to share I had to eat one of the only two kinds of pizza my boyfriend prefers: cheese or pepperoni. I chose the latter. He went up to the register, placed our order, took a number, and came back to the table.
As you can see, or rather can’t see, there is not a plethora of pepperoni and those that are there are hiding under the cheese. It was a crusty pizza, but not crunchy more just..chewy. It was good and filling. I also ordered some Fiery Chicken Soup - chicken poached in a spicy red chile broth with red onions, hominy, topped with avocado, roasted corn and red cabbage. Sadly, it came out looking like it does in the picture - spilled over the sides and with a plastic fork. A plastic fork? (WTF.) With a mission statement starting with “Just because it’s a fast world doesn’t mean you have to eat fast food,” and promotion of organic foods in their menu, it made me a little concerned to find a plastic spoon in my soup. If you know me, you probably are aware of my anti-plastic stance. Or just recognize that I try to avoid using it as much as possible. Aside from the presentation of the soup, I found the taste to actually be very slightly spicy and delicious. It has been a long time since I have eaten anything with hominy in it and I found it to hit the spot.
In the end, my boyfriend and I enjoyed the food. We both are willing to come back again. A fun, relaxed atmosphere. Perfect for lunch or dinner. Also, I didn’t find out until the end, but they sell Auntie Em’s amazing cupcakes. I was surprised and excited to find that the cupcakes so close to my heart have made their way to the west side of Los Angeles. Of course they were sold out of Red Velvet, but it was okay because I was way too full from pizza and soup. Besides, Bigg Chill is just down the street.
Pitfire Pizza Company
2018 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 481-9860
Not so long ago I was having a high stress day. I was driving home from an important meeting and was sitting at a red light. My foot was on the break for a good 10 seconds. And then out of nowhere, bam!, someone had rear ended me. I screamed in terror. Apparently, the man who hit me was looking for an Altoid. God damn you curiously strong mints. My bumper was bruised with screw driver marks from his Mercedes license plate. The man said he would pay for it and we decided to not involve insurance. I immediately went to my body shop (cars like to hit my car) and got an estimate of six hundred and three dollars. Because the man said he would pay, this wasn’t the problem. The problem was that it would take three days to repair my bumper. I needed a drink. In order to forget about the bad, my roommate and I went to find some good. Good in 5 dollar glasses of wine at Bodega’s Happy Hour. Sadly, the happy hour used to be 4 dollars a glass but had gone up a dollar since we had last gone.
The layout of the bar is relaxing, hip, sexy, and kind of dark. It is bigger than the flagship Bodega in Pasadena. The service is usually always attentive and friendly. They always have a wide variety of wine options with different kinds of reds, whites, and sparkling. They also keep it interesting by rotating the wine list every few weeks. When I arrived at the wine bar, I planned to order wine that I would not normally order (like the episode of Seinfeld where George does everything opposite of how he would normally do it and everything comes up roses). Instead of tuna salad, I ordered a a pinot noir. Sadly, I was too shook up from the accident to think to write down the name of the wine or the pleasant adjectives used to describe it on the menu. What I do know is that the wine is always pretty good and hits the spot, especially when you’re having a bad day. I do consistently find their red wines to be more on the light/thin body side of the spectrum.
We also ordered from their happy hour meal menu. They offer a few items from their menu for happy hour price of 5-6 dollars: margherita pizza, pepperoni & mushroom pizza, hummus and pita, pepperoni and cheese plate, a bruscetta and olive tapenade, and I think a warm goat cheese crostini. We ordered the pepperoni & mushroom pizza because my roommate had hummus at home (and what’s the point of ordering something you can make/have at home?). We are professional happy hour goers and have tried most of their menu and all of their happy hour menu so I can tell you off the bat the the best options for happy hour are the pizza, hummus, the bruscetta, and the crostini. The cheese and pepperoni is not worth your money; It’s like a cracker barrel rectangle of orange cheese (I’m assuming cheddar) and slices of pepperoni that obviously came out of a plastic bag in the kitchen along with little pieces of toast; nothing special and not very healthy! If you have money to spend, I always enjoyed their smoked turkey breast panini ($10 - w/ goat cheese, tomato, arugula & pesto may) and their big chopped salad ($10 or $13 w/ chicken - mixed greens, mozzarella, mushrooms, jicama, chickpeas, zucchini, & tomatoes with balsamic vinaigrette).
They also offer beer, cold sake, and soju cocktails. What’s a soju cocktail you ask? Soju is distilled beverage native to Korea commonly made from rice (but sometimes potato, wheat, barley, sweet potato, or tapioca)! Soju is clear in color and typically varies in alcohol content from about 20% to about 45% alcohol by volume (ABV), with 20% ABV being most common. Its taste is comparable to vodka, though often slightly sweeter because of the sugars added in the manufacturing process.The liquor licensing laws in the states of California and New York classify soju in the same category as beer and wine, allowing businesses with a beer/wine license to sell it without requiring the more expensive license required for other distilled spirits. The only stipulation is that the soju must be clearly labeled as such and contain less than 25% alcohol. The cocktails are nice, but I find it’s lower alcohol content less fun than regular hard liquor.
In the end, I recommend Bodega Happy Hour to everyone. When it is not happy hour, wine is 8 dollars a glass (which I probably would not recommend). It is a fun to go with friends and co-workers and will always have a place in my heart. The location is kind of hidden and easy to miss. It is a few stores away from Swingers on Broadway. It always looks dark. Happy Hour is from 5-7pm. Street (metered) parking and valet.
List of weekly events:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: Andrew Jackson Night (any bottle = $20, but that’s not much incentive because any other day the bottle = $21)
Wednesday: Modelo Madness - (Modelo in the can = $2)
Thursday - Saturday: DJ’s play
Sunday: Service Industry Night - Happy hour prices and $1 sake shots all night long
Bodega Wine Bar
814 Broadway
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 394-3504
Although we had to fight some mean 210 traffic, my boyfriend and I finally tried Zelo Pizzeria in Arcadia. They are notorious for their cornmeal crust and is one of the only restaurants in (more like near) Los Angeles that comes closest to Chicago style deep dishpizza. We arrived around 6:00pm on a Saturday, arriving a little before a tolerable crowd. The place is small, but gives off a warm vibe; the walls are filled with thoughtfully hip art such as some Basquiat, pizza related album covers, and a shrine to Z-boys (skaters).
I was quite hungry and made the smart decision to order the Beet Salad - Fresh beets, roasted walnuts, blue cheese served on a bed of greens with shallot-balsamic vinaigrette. I read many positive reviews about this salad. And after trying it, I completely agree with the reviews. The mountain of beets are chilled fresh and the walnuts are warm. If this was a movie, the star would be the beets, but the supporting role would be the blue cheese, helping bring the salad together. But, really the full cast deserves credit because the dressing was vinaiGREAT perfect. It’s good that I ordered this too because it came out quickly and was enough to tide me over while we waited for the pizza.
Although they had quite a variety of “gourmet” sounding pizza, I opted for a classic slice of Sausage pizza - Homemade sausage, tomato sauce, marinated green peppers, sauteed onions, mozzarella (like all my pictures please click on the image to see a larger, better version). I ordered the sausage to counter the anticipated sweetness of the cornmeal crust and vegetables. Since it is made fresh to order, we had an awkward waiting period. My poor boyfriend didn’t have a salad and became crankier from hunger by the minute. Words can’t describe how thankful I was when it arrived hot and delicious to the table. The crust was sweet and crunchy. It was awesome, but I would probably order a cheesier option next time. Since these are loaded slices, 1-2 slices is more than enough.
Ultimately, I think the best plan of action would be to order a variety of pies to go and buy some beers. The atmosphere at Zelo is fun, but pizza and beer at home is sometimes hard to beat. Ihope to get the chance to go back again soon to try different toppings (like the Kale or the Corn) and their big puffy Zuccotto dessert. Or, I hope they spread their wings and come out to the west side (wishful thinking).
Zelo Pizzeria
328 E Foothill Blvd
Arcadia, CA 91006
(626) 358-8298
Recently my boyfriend and I went to the Abbot Pizza Company at it’s flagship location on Abbot Kinney. (The other location is on Pico in Santa Monica). Abbot Pizza Co. is quintessential Californian gourmet pizza. Known best for their bagel crust (a mixture of poppy seeds, onion, garlic and sesame) and supposedly as the best pizza on the West side of Los Angeles. However, the bagel crust is not the only option; if you were to order a pie they offer six crust options: Onion, Garlic, Sesame, Poppy, Hot-Crust and The Blend (Bagel). Also, they have a pretty wide selection of toppings (4 types of mushrooms!: shiitake, oyster, portobello, and buttons). The place is very small and filled up quickly with a wide variety of clientel. If we had not have come so early, we would have probably had to sit outside or get our food to go. Or be a looming (drooling) seat hunter.
I took the gourmet route and ordered a slice of the Cheese Bomb - parmesan, romano, fontina, gouda, ricotta & mozzarella cheese on an alfredo sauce.
And a slice of Popeye’s Chicken - spinach, mushroom, onion, tequila lime marinated chicken with mozzarella cheese on a garlic pesto sauce.
They were both great. I thought the cheese bomb was going to be my favorite because I love cheese, but other than the ricotta and mozzarella the cheeses were hard for my palate to pick up. I think I would have enjoyed the cheese bomb more if it had been a red sauce instead of the alfredo. I really enjoyed the garlic pesto on the popeye slice. I have yet to have a bad pesto experience.
In regards to both slice’s crust, I found it to taste more like a big soft pretzel than a bagel. I suppose when you add salt to a bagel, it increases it’s chances to taste like a pretzel exponentially. I would go again; it was good pizza. I want to continue trying their gourmet slices like the Meatless/Sauceless with pizza crust and seasonal vegetables. It’s a great place to go if you’re in Venice and hungry for pizza.
Abbot Pizza Company I
1407 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 396-7334
Hours: 11am - 11 pm
Abbot Pizza Company II
1811 Pico Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 314-2777
Last Friday, my boyfriend took me out to lunch at Mozza Pizzeria. Not to be confused with it’s neighbor and same owners (Nancy Silverton, Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich), Mozza Osteria. We didn’t make reservations, but we arrived early enough to acquire seats at the bar. I preferred the bar because we got to watch the chefs do their magic and we were in close proximity to our waiter for any emergency wine refills.
We sat down and immediately ordered our drinks. I had a glass of the Riesling on the menu (forgive me for not writing down the name).
Bone Marrow al forno
This was my first time eating Bone Marrow and now I am hooked. I am scared that I won’t be able to find it as good and delicious as this anywhere else.
Meatballs al forno
There are normally 3 meatballs on the plate when it is served to you, but we were so excited to try them that I forgot to take a picture until after one was quickly devoured. The bread that came with the meatballs is different than the bread that came with the bone marrow. I’m no bread expert and can’t tell you how exactly they differ other than physical attributes, but I just wanted to point out the subtle yet important differences and nuances of each dish; bread is important!
Egg, guanciale, radicchio, escarole & bagna cauda
Delicious! Very fluffy and chewy bread. Guanciale (Italian for ‘cheek’) is a delicate kind of unsmoked Italian bacon prepared with jowels and cheeks. Radicchio is the bitter/spicy chicory leaf. Escarole is endive (part of the chicory genus), but is a broad, pale leaf that is less bitter than other varieties of endive. Bagna cauda is a warm Piedmont dip made of garlic, anchovies, olive oil, and butter.
Salumi Salami, mozzarella, tomato & fresno chiles
No typo here, Salumi means the meat is Italian-style cured or preserved; the meat has been preserved in salt and spices and is not encased before aging. Salami is a type of salumi (but salumi is not a type of salami). Although you can’t see them very well in the picture, the fresno chiles really made this pizza amazing. Delicious!
Simple and Rich. Although just a sliver of a piece, this slice was packed with thick chocolate goodness. Almost comparable to fudge, but with a better more complex taste. Yum.
Everything was wonderful. You can’t go wrong.
Mozza Pizzeria
6602 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA
(323) 297-0100
Last Thursday my roommate and some old friends went to see Vampire Weekend at the Wiltern. Before the show, we stopped at Casa Bianca in Eagle Rock and got some of “the best pizza in Los Angeles.” I have not tried enough pizza in the city to know if this statement holds true, but I do know I like their pizza. I ordered the Wheat Crust with Cheese and Eggplant. I was expecting the eggplant to be cubes or slices that were baked in with the pizza, but they turned out to be isosceles triangles that were either fried or just soaked in some oil before they were baked on top. Regardless of how they were cooked, it worked well with the wheat crust. I don’t know if I will get the wheat pizza again though because it was a little too dry for me. Sometimes in the battle between health and tastiness, you should just go for the tastiness. I learned my lesson! My roommate ordered a medium pizza Half Tomato, Garlic, Artichoke and the other Half Mushroom and Sausage. I got to try a piece of his, and the Tomato, Garlic, Artichoke tasted so fresh!
After dinner we headed over to see Vampire Weekend perform at the Wiltern. For those of you know familiar with Vampire Weekend, they are an “indie” band from NYC that formed after they graduated from Columbia while working full time jobs. Although they fall under the “indie” genre, it’s not your typical indie, not to my ears at least. Nicholas Thorburn (The Unicorns, Th’ Corn Gangg, Islands, Reefer, and Human Highway) calls them “trust fund frat rock,” but I don’t really agree with that….Maybe we’re thinking of different frats. They are bouncy, lyrical, happy, and remind me of summer. The song that gets played most on the radio is A-Punk:
Three interesting facts:
1. They became popular through blogs; Yay, the power of blog!
2. They were on the cover of Spin Magazine (March 2008) with the caption: Year’s Best New Band BEFORE their debut album was released!
3. They were dubbed “the Whitest Band” by Christian Landor, the creator of Stuff White People Like in a Salon.com interview (click on the link to read their interview! I especially like the last question: “The white people who like your site — are you just giving them another way to feel self-congratulatory? “)
It was their second night there and they played a fun set. It was short, but sweet. Even though they do not have many songs to perform (they only have one album under their belt), it seemed like everyone knew them, creating a warm sense of unity. Or something. They did play a few songs that have not been released yet which I found to be catchy and a sign that their next album will have at least one good song on it. As you can see in the picture of the stage, I was not close nor did I try to push my way to the front of the venue. Either I had too much pizza or I am just getting too old to care. Let’s hope the former.
One part of the night that I especially enjoyed was the part where I finally REGISTERED TO VOTE! Yay! Right when you walk into the Wiltern there is a table of people making sure you have registered to vote. I know that in a few short weeks I will be bombarded with numerous jury duty summons, but it’s worth it! I read recently that California has slightly more than half a million registered voters now than it did four years ago. Registering totally got me pumped up! If you haven’t registered, go HERE. In California, the deadline to register to vote for an election is 15 days before each local and statewide Election Day, so that would mean the absolute last day you can register is October 21th, 2008. Anyway, that’s all I’m saying; I don’t care who you vote for or why you’re voting for so-and-so, I’m still going to make fun of you for the other decisions you make in life (like that ridiculous hat you wear every so often….) So you might as well just do it.
Casa Bianca 1650 Colorado Blvd Los Angeles, CA90041 Get Directions(323) 256-9617
The Wiltern 3790 Wilshire Blvd Los Angeles, CA90010 Get Directions(213) 388-1400
Service was fast and friendly and the food was good. Atmosphere was semi-awkward; they had TVs playing horse racing. All pizza slices with toppings were just cheese pizza with toppings reheated on top. There were no premade special pizzas made available by the slice. I don’t know if this is common or if we were there at a bad time, but my slices with toppings reheated on were not as good as they would have been if the toppings were baked initially with the rest of the pizza.
I am glad that there are more independent pizzeria places popping up throughout the city. However, it’s location might not be the most lucrative, it is literally down the road from Casa Bianca, rated as the best pizza in Los Angeles. But, their service is fast and next door to the amazing Colorado Wine Company, making it a convenient spot to stop by before or after sipping a glass of wine.
Brownstone Pizzeria
2108 Colorado Blvd Los Angeles, CA90041 Get Directions(323) 257-4992
The night before Thanksgiving my boyfriend and I were hungry, but didn’t know where to go. We didn’t want to drive far and we didn’t want to pay too much. We found ourselves at Pitfire Pizza Company in Westwood. Neither of us had been there before and had no idea what to expect. We walked in to a spacious restaurant and quickly realized it would be in our best interest to claim a table to sit at without the help of a server. Within first glance you can tell this place is listed somewhere on the internet as kid-friendly. Every other table was filled with a rugrat sitting in a high chair. Surprisingly, all the children in the restaurant were well behaved. We did get to hear one misbehaving child get his 3rd and final warning from the table across from us. Awkward, but amusing since we were only spectators.
