Results tagged “pizza”

                     

Earlier this month, local record label Manimal Vinyl (see our interview last year with its founder) held its 2nd Annual Manimal Festival at Pappy and Harriet's Pioneertown Palace. "In its second year, the two-day event showcases bands on Paul Beahan's record label... alongside musically bohemian peers," described Daiana Feuer from Papermag. "Manimal's experimental pop catalog -- which began most notably by releasing Bat For Lashes' record two years ago -- lends a unified voice to freak folk and its close cousins, many which are collected on yearly tribute albums to Madonna, The Cure, and in 2010, David Bowie. Manimal's focus mainly follows two streams: The ethereal, spooky soloist tradition [and] the dance beat, taking pop to strange outer space."

After celebrating their grand opening in Santa Monica this weekend, Pizza Fusion also quietly opened their new Hollywood location on Tuesday. "The response we received at our soft opening on Tuesday was wonderful", owner Michele Orlando said. "Hollywood residents are really warming up to our organic and socially conscious approach to restaurant service."

Taste approved, this seasonal pizza at Pizzeria Mozza is crazy good and will only last until fresh artichokes are out of stock (likely by September). This $15 pie is made with stracchino, a soft and creamy cheese, and is topped with shaved artichokes, lemon & olives.

">Eater LA visited finding that they're offering "the A-Z in gourmet Italian products, including the newly launched line of Mozza-brand edibles. Need some EVOO? Dried pasta with unpronounceable names? Canned tomatoes? Or even a cookbook? No problemo. The Batali-Bastianich-Silverton joint venture number three encompasses a small retail area plus counter where the hungry can place takeout orders from a condensed pizza menu, and/or choose from several grab-and-go salads and desserts out of a refrigerated case." Yum! Don't forget to check out their homemade recycled cooking grease soap and bacon pizza!

A new trend for Los Angeles? After learning that Cruzer Pizza in Los Feliz began offering a vegan-heralded brand of very realistic cheese, Daiya, Purgatory Pizza chimes in via Twitter to us saying, "Someone told me they read on LAist that only one place in LA has Daiya. Not true. We have it at Purgatory Pizza too." For vegan blogger Quarrygirl, her favorite pizza place just got a lot better (added bonus: she notes that you can bring your own beer or wine).

Cruzer Pizza in Los Feliz started offering vegan pizza yesterday with a new cheese that vegans are calling "revolutionary." Yes, it's vegan cheese, from Daiya Foods, that apparently melts and stretches like real cheese, says vegan blogger Quarrygirl. "It beats all other vegan cheeses, by far," she wrote in an e-mail to LAist. She also noted that it isn't available anywhere else on the West Coast.

After Pultizer Prize winning food writer Jonathan Gold caused a flame war between the two cities this week, LA Weekly has now highlighted noteworthy comments made on LAist and SFist. Among those noted is Orange County native and SFist Editor Brock Keeling sneaking over to LAist and writing "pst, your burritos are secretly much, much better."

Highland and Melrose is becoming a small, but nice mecca for good spots to eat. With Susan Feniger's street food themed restaurant just opening up, you've got three solid places to eat. The other two include the Red Pearl Kitchen and Mozza, which brings us back to the above photo. It's a goat cheese, leeks, scallions and bacon pizza, to which LAist Lifestyle Editor Julie Wolfson says, "um...yum!"

       

Matt Compton, co-owner of Arb Pizza answers the phone. Someone wants to know if his pizza is true new york pizza. "I'll tell you what," he exclaims. "If you don't like it, come back here, throw on the floor and I'll make you new one."

Here at LAist we loved to sample the culinary offerings of Los Angeles. Sometimes high end restaurants and other times scrumptious street food. In 2008 we went out on a limb and named some of the city's best foods. We leave it to you, our readers, to agree or debate with us about our choices.

                      

On Saturday, locals The Monolators (MySpace) -- covered previously here -- celebrated the release of their new album at Spaceland (MySpace) in Silver Lake, along with Correatown (MySpace), You, Me, and Iowa (MySpace), and Summer Darling (MySpace).

Prompted by our claim that Vito's Pizza is the best in the Los Angeles area, blogger Allen L., who used to bitch about the quality of pizza here some 20 years ago, visited the West Hollywood pizza joint to see for himself...

Tucked in a mini mall on La Cienega just South of Santa Monica Blvd., LAist found the best best slice of pizza in LA at Vito's Pizza. Thin crust, zesty sauce, and the perfect amount of cheese add up to a big slice of heaven. Other pies are topped with amazing meatballs, pesto, or wild mushrooms.

            

Vitello's in Studio City has been a Valley classic for years, serving up simple but extremely tasty Italian food. Despite some of its popular culture references (notably the Robert Blake murder case and when the image of Jesus was found in some Manicotti), the restaurant is a neighborhood icon and consistently a community partner.

Today, Assemblymember Paul Krekorian (D-Burbank) officially unveiled signs marking the Valley Glen neighborhood along the 170 Freeway. Most signs posted on freeways in the East Valley generalize the area and say North Hollywood, whether you're actually in Studio City or some other community. “I hope these new signs will encourage people traveling along the Hollywood Freeway to explore Valley Glen and enjoy its businesses, restaurants and ambience,” Assemblymember Krekorian said in a press release. Our Valley Glen restaurant recommendation: Barone's Famous Italian Restaurant -- it's some of the best damn brick pizza we've ever had.

Map of New Pizza & Italian Places in Sherman Oaks | View Larger Map

     

If you consider having three storefronts in Los Angeles a chain, then PitFire Pizza Company is just that. However, for a chain, their food is excellent. And a few LAist Featured Photos contributors prove that with their photography at each of their locations: NoHo Arts District, Downtown and Westwood.

             

Il Chanti is a hidden gem, I tell ya, because although I had heard that there's a nice Japanese Italian place in Lomita, I could not have guessed that it was THIS good. This is definitely one of the best meals I've had so far this year. There's tons of pictures today, so let's get right to it.

         

Al Gelato sits on Robertson in the southern part of Bevely Hills. It came recommended from a couple of friends, but I initially had doubts because it was billed more as a dessert place, but hey, if they have cake and pizza and gelato all in one place, who am I to complain?

Some of the most fun you can have downtown is at the Downtown Art Walk on the second Thursday of every month (also in the mix is the Downtown Comedy Walk). LAist Featured Photos contributor savemejebus submitted this photo from last Thursday at the new Museum of Neon Art space on 4th Street next to Rocket Pizza. MONA's official opening reception is next month on the 12th, but be sure to swing by on the Thursday prior during the art walk.

There's some great news for pizza fans coming from Pizza Fusion, an all-organic, environmentally friendly pizza franchise: they're setting out to expand throughout California this year, starting with an LEED-certified location in San Diego and moving up through Santa Monica and Thousand Oaks. Why is this cool? Well, the company is setting trends and blazing trails in the sustainability business:

Pizza Fusion, whose motto is 'Saving the Earth, One Pizza at a Time,' practices an eco-friendly approach to their entire existence, including their restaurants' buildout, service and overall operations. Through building only LEED certified restaurants, delivering their food in company owned hybrid vehicles, and offsetting 100% of their power consumption with the purchase of renewable energy certificates (among many other things), Pizza Fusion is setting the standard for sustainable restaurant practices as the most eco-friendly restaurant in America.

Last Friday night at Bordello, Elite Yelpers gathered for drinks and music to wish Stephy S, Community Manager of Yelp.com for Los Angeles (she's like Tom of MySpace, but goddess style), a farewell adieu as she takes on a larger responsibility for the website up at its San Francisco HQ (sister site SFist should feel so lucky). Since May 2006, Stephy has been leading the way for Yelp.com, bringing in the energy for a site that had nothing to a site that now has everything. Today, we spoke to Stephy about food, drink, some other stuff, and... food. After all, when it's your job included writing over 1500 food reviews (1575 to be exact as of this publishing), you're going to have great foodie suggestions.

Tomorrow is the ribbon cutting of the third and newest downtown Famima!! at the California Plaza on Grand Avenue near MOCA. It's about time this part of downtown receive some new food options, even if this is quasi Japanese 7-11 style. However, a made-to-order sushi bar will be the centerpiece of this location.

Ed LaDou, the father of modern California-style pizza, has died of cancer at age 52 in Santa Monica. LaDou is best known for his work at Wolfgang Puck's legendary Spago; LaDou was the first to experiment with unusual and innovative pizza toppings like duck and smoked salmon, and he also helped develop the menu for the casual dining chain California Pizza Kitchen. From The LA Times:

"Ed really set the tone for the pizza," said Mark Peel, a former chef at Spago who now owns Campanile in Los Angeles. "Wolfgang had a great sense of taste, but he was not a pizza maker by any means. Ed was highly skilled, fast and clean; he was an intelligent guy who made a great, great crust. There are people who have built empires on less."

Continue reading "Pizza Pioneer Ed LaDou Dies at 52"

Picture it: North Hollywood, 2007. Two old pals get together to work on an installment of LAist's Neighborhood Project but are easily distracted by watching episodes of The Golden Girls on dvd. Deeply entrenched in a bout of hunger, the two turn to the internets to find a local pizzeria that isn't a great big multinational chain (one of them used to be the LAist Food Editor, after all, and has these lofty ideals about consumerism) and they land on the site of a well-known nearby establishment. The pizza is ordered, delivered, and consumed, and the two are left remarking that it was one helluva pizza.

Today's "Only in LA" column in the Times checks in with the restaurant to see if the myth still holds. Steve Harvey explains, "The trend supposedly began after some very pregnant women from a birthing class dined there -- and then went into labor. All had ordered the romaine and watercress salad. One theory held that the balsamic vinegar dressing triggered contractions of the uterus." A quick call to Caioti confirmed that ladies looking to get their buns out of their ovens still order up what's called simply "The Salad." They are even offered a journal kept by the restaurant so they can record their visit, and those for whom the so-called miraculous salad works sometimes send in photos of their newborn.

Driving down Sunset tonight we saw smoke billowing from what we feared was Safari Sam's. As we got closer we saw that it was not the rock club ablaze nor the 99 Cents store (thank God) but a car in the parking lot. All by itself. As if it had just spontaneously combusted.

I've been pretty excited about Joe's Pizza opening in Santa Monica, so today, we forded crowded, traffic heavy Santa Monica to get a slice. Their new LA outpost is a small storefront next door to a place that sells t-shirts to tourist. The space is spare, functional, white, with a marble counter set in front of the small kitchen. By the time we got there, it was fairly crowded, and we had to wait...

I leaned back in the leather booth and contemplated the great pile of thick mozzarella cheese and meaty red sauce before me. Is this good drunk food? I asked myself. Would the readers of LAist find late-night sustenance in this giant bowl of classic spaghetti-and-marinara? Is this a meal worthy of sopping up the various bitter brews that wreak such havoc on our sobriety and on our mornings after? I looked at the rapidly...