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Today’s post is for the Parellis and any other pizza aficionado who insists that their pizzas are cooked with a wood fire. Los Angeles has many places, but as any transplanted New Yorker will tell you, quantity does not qualify as a measure of quality. My favorite pizza place in Los Angeles is Antica, in Marina del Rey, but because it is Naples style, the crust is thin, and the toppings are not Americanized, so I tried Pitfire Pizza for my ex-NYer friends and those who want a US pizza, not an Italian one.
My friend Robin loves the Burrata Pie, for $9.95 made with Burrata Cheese, Tomato Sauce, Wild Arugula Caramelized Onion, Hazelnut, and Pesto Drizzle, but when she saw the special artichoke, arugula, fennel, and fennel sausage pizza, she got that instead of her usual. She loved it, but I was less impressed. I liked the toppings, but felt it was too dry to stand alone without any tomato sauce or tomatoes.
I chose the Merguez with spinach & Feta, Huntington Lamb Merguez, Wilted Spinach, Roasted Pepper Harissa, Feta, Red Onion for $9.95 and throughly enjoyed it. The crust was tender and thick enough for American tastes, the toppings were piquant and fresh, and I liked the overall combination.
Everyone has their perfect pizza, and my taste may not be yours. Pit Fire has good quality ingredients, hospitable service, and a casual atmosphere that welcomes families; you could do much worse in Los Angeles.
Since I was attending the French Film Festival COLCOA (City of Light City of Angels) all week, there were times when I could not go further than a few blocks for food in between movies. There is The Counter for burgers across the street, and Veggie Grill for vegans, two blocks away, and Trader Joe’s for ready made food, but I opted for the place I had not yet tried, Pizza Fusion, literally right next door.
It was more attractive simply because they advertised specials for Earth Day, they use organic ingredients, give all their employees who work more than 20 hours a week medical benefits, offer free sustainable classes for kids every month, and they even offer gluten free options for pizza, beer, and brownies; I don’t see either Veggie Grill or Trader Joe’s offering these kind of options and benefits.
On one break, I had a large Fusion Salad ($8.99), made with Arugula, romaine, cucumber, red onion, tomatoes, basil, shaved carrots and toasted crostini (all the green items are organic and you can omit the crostini for gluten free diets). I chose the balsamic vinaigrette but it was drowned in Italian when it arrived; they switched it out for another one as soon as I tasted it and asked for a replacement with the dressing on the side. Everything was freshly prepared and had the added “feel good” component of being organic, so I knew no pesticides were in my plate of greens.
Because this is after all a pizza place, I had to come back for a pizza, so I opted for personal sized ($8.99) a multi grain crust (you can also choose an organic white) made with sauteed spinach, roasted portobello mushrooms, goat cheese, and Italian sausage (which was hormone & preservative free). They offer several cheese options, from organic Mozzarella to Daiya vegan.The tomato sauce is organic and very tasty and although this is not a classic pizza, I enjoyed the thin crispy crust and the flavors I combined. I would order this again as an alternative to the traditional American “pizza” any day.
I saw the stuffed mushrooms ($6.99) on the appetizer menu and had to try them. They are criminis (mini portobellos) stuffed with sausage, goat cheese, and herbs and they were my favorite of all the things I tried here. They would be perfect paired with a glass of the Malbec ($8) and during happy hour from 4-7pm they offer specials on either their beers (they offer flights of beers), wines, or appetizers.
Convenience is always a good reason to try something, but when it is combined with ethical actions that combine healthy food with happy employees in the community, that is a reason to come back.
I have been wanting to try Antica Pizzeria ever since I saw the twitter posts from @ChefLudo and @FrenchChefWife; when a chef and a pizzaphile (Krissy) both rave about a pizza, it’s time to go for a taste. Even better than their posts was the actual experience of both the restaurant and the pizza.
Antica Pizzeria has two locations in Los Angeles, one on Third Street and one in Marina Del Rey (where I went). Do not confuse them with Pizza Antica in the new Santa Monica Place Mall. The major difference is that Antica Pizza has the one of the four VPN designations in California.
VPN is an organization (Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana) created to preserve and uphold true Neapolitan pizza. This designation makes sure that when you order a pizza from one of these establishments everything is done correctly, including the use of proper ingredients, like the flour (Tipo 00), San Marzano (plum) tomatoes, all natural Fior-di-Latte or Bufala fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, sea salt and yeast. Only fresh, all-natural, non-processed ingredients (preferably imported from Naples or Campania region, are acceptable), the manner in which pizza is prepared (no machine, not even rolling pins), cooked (wood burning ovens only), even the measurements of the circumference and thickness of the center.
If you haven’t had pizza in Naples, this is as close as you will get to tasting it here in the US. I ordered the Napoletana ($13.50), made with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil, and anchovies. I know most of you shudder at the thought of anchovies, much less want them on your pizza, but it is so rare for me to even find anchovies on a menu that I had to order this classic.
They offer 15 other pizzas ranging from a Pizza Blanca al Prosciutto ($14.50), made with fresh mozzarella and garlic topped with Parma prosciutto and arugula (no tomato sauce); Pizza Capricciosa ($14.95), made with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, black olives, and Italian ham; or for those who can’t decide, Pizza Quatro Staggioni ($14.50), with a quarter section each of the mixed seafood, Margherita, Capricciosa, and Marinara.
Since they make everything to order, it took about 15 minutes for my order, so I had plenty of time to peruse the many articles praising Antica Pizzeria from the Los Angeles Times to Saveur magazine. You can create a meal to go if you are in a hurry from their very nice take out section of prepared foods from Arancino di Riso (rice cones filled with peas, ham, and smoked mozzarella), to meatballs and lasagna. They also offer salads, pastas, rissoti, and freshly grilled specialties if you are not in the mood for pizza; nothing on the menu is over $24 and portions are generous.
But I came for the VPN pizza and I could not wait to get the pizza home before trying a slice.
I felt as if I was in Italy from the first bite; the tomato sauce had a perfectly ripe sweetness, the fresh mozzarella was melted just enough to warm it without making it bubble, and the basil and anchovy were sprinkled throughout with a measured hand, neither overpowering nor underwhelming the cheese and sauce. The crust was so tender and thin that I actually ate the whole thing (ask anyone who has ever seen me eat American pizza and you will hear “she never eats the crust”). Pizza dough made by hand with top quality ingredients and baked in a wood burning oven is a taste sensation rivaled only by the taste of freshly made baguettes still warm out of the oven from a boulangerie in France. If you don’t eat carbohydrates, you are missing one of the great joys of life, especially if you don’t taste the pizza here.
I will be doing my best to bring everyone I know here whether or not they are going to see a movie in this complex on Maxella. Antica Pizzeria gives me hope that perhaps after tasting this pizza American taste buds will reject the processed disks they eat from other vendors. Once you taste something divine, you will never settle for less, and Antica Pizza is one of life’s pleasures,. What is the point of life if you do not experience pleasure?
Everyone has been talking about Mozza since it opened, but the 10 miles in heavy traffic to its location from my house has made it one of the “I’ll get it it eventually” places on my list of eateries. Well today was finally the day I made the trek to Mozza2Go to get a taste of what has been the “hot pizza” place in Los Angeles. It is known for the celebrity chefs behind it and the innovative pizza combinations like this white anchovy, tomato and hot chili ($15):
And the slightly more traditional fennel sausage, panna, scallions and red onion ($16):
Both served on a satisfying chewy thin crust that would have been delicious on its own with no toppings whatsoever, but with the addition of freshly made tomato sauce or home made fennel sausage, the crust becomes spectacular. I do not eat the crust of most pizzas here in California, but I ate ALL the crust of both of these pizzas.
There are only a few things that would have made this the perfect pizzeria for me: first of all, the wait between the time I ordered by telephone to actually getting my pizza was well over 1.5 hours during midweek lunch hour even though I went to pick it up myself, so this is not a quick grab and go experience even though the name implies that it is; secondly, the delivery area is confined to about 3 miles from the location, which makes it inconvenient for those of us not living near Hancock Park to drive through midtown traffic for take out; thirdly, it cost over $30 for two personal size pizzas that were very delicious and well made, but for the price I would prefer to eat at a nice outdoor cafe close to home (like Cora Cafe) where it does not take me 1.5 hours to get my food and another half hour to get home.
All in all, yes, I would definitely eat here again and I am very glad I tasted the pizza from this truly fine venture by Silverton, Bastianich and Batali, if I was in the neighborhood, but I’m not sure I would make the detour again.
