Mother Dough [los feliz]

mother dough

4648 Hollywood Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90027

Almost everywhere in LA was completely booked for reservations on Valentine's Day, so Andrew and I decided to finally go to Mother Dough, which is a place that never takes reservations. In light of MD's recent notice for best pizza in LA, we figured there might be a long wait (especially on Valentine's Day) so we tried to get there right when they opened at 6pm. We got there around 6:20, and there were still a bunch of tables open to choose from even in the tiny restaurant space. 

As it was Valentine's Day, it was mostly couples in the restaurant, and we sat next to maybe the worst couple in the world. The guy was clearly either writing a pizza blog or planning his next Yelp review, and the girl was okay other than the fact that she had bright pink hair. They ordered the burrata salad, and were seated probably 15 minutes before us. We opted to skip salad, obviously, and our pizzas came out before the table next to us. It was honestly very amusing to us while eating our pizza to hear the guy freak out about not having his pizza. We had almost finished our own pizzas when their pizzas arrived, and it got even better. The girl ordered the prosciutto/arugula pizza, and the guy ordered one of the special pizzas (not sure which). The guy clearly wasn't listening to the waitress when she was describing the pizza to him, because apparently there was something on the pizza that was "his least favorite ingredient ever." It might have been horseradish, which I know was on one of the specials, but Andrew said he was picking out something green. Regardless, he hated it so much he made the girl switch pizzas with him and he ate all of hers. She also noted "your pizza does have a funny taste" but she continued to eat it. Still waiting on the guy's yelp review... 

As for our pizza, the dough that the place is so famous for seemed very inconsistent. Although "artisan" pizzas are not supposed to all be perfectly the same, my dough and crust was very thin and charred, while Andrew's was soft and much better. His pizza was also basically the same as my Margherita, but with sausage on it. He actually asked the waitress if he could split the pizza, as we had seen in Yelp reviews, but she said that they don't do that when the restaurant is "busy" and only would be like a half margherita/something else, meaning half of the pizza just wouldn't have the extra toppings. Andrew thoroughly enjoyed his sausage, and I thought his pizza was better than mine because his had the same amount of cheese AND toppings, and his pizza dough was much softer. My margherita was okay, there was a sufficient amount of cheese, but next time (if there is one) I would definitely order something else. 

In searching for the other diners' Yelp review, the only one I came across from Valentine's Day was a guy who came at 10:30 and they were closed. When we tried to come to mother dough last, it was a Tuesday night at 10:30 so it seemed more understandable that they would not be busy and would close early. But that they closed early on a weekend night AND Valentine's Day seems wrong. Basically, don't ever expect this place to be open until their stated operating hour of 11pm. Being ranked LA's best pizza seems to not be doing much for the place, but the place doesn't seem to be doing very much to show they deserve that ranking. It definitely wasn't the worst pizza I've had in LA, but it surely was not the best. More consistent dough (especially since that is part of their namesake) and consistent hours would get this place a higher rank in my book. 

No wait on Valentine's day/night, 

you can basically see the entire restaurant from this photo.

Don't know what this door is for, not the restaurant

I must say I am into the typography and no capital letters

If you squint really hard, mine might be a heart shaped pizza.

Also, look at the thin (basically no) crust in the bottom left.

Margherita ($15)

(very oval) Sausage pizza ($18) 

Crust: inconsistent between the two pizzas, but very good on the Sausage

Sauce: decent amount, not overpowering

Cheese: Margherita could have had more, but Sausage had good amount with the sausage

Recommend: not the Margherita, get something with toppings

Best Part: good quality ingredients

Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana [marina del rey]

Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana

13455 Maxella Ave

Marina Del Rey, CA 90292

After spending an afternoon in Venice, I thought that we might be able to eat at Gjelina without a reservation. However, once we finally got to the restaurant, it was an hour wait which was not going to happen. Since we were already in the area, we decided to visit Settebello which has been at the top of my list of pizza places to try, but just a little farther south than I would normally drive. 

Settebello is in this weird pseudo shopping center that basically has an Ulta, Pier 1, a Ruth's Chris and Yard House. It seemed pretty commercial, especially since I was pretty sure that there was another Settebello in Pasadena, so I was a bit hesitant that it would be Italian restaurant type pizza again. A lot of Yelp reviews about the place seem to all be about "soggy pizza" where everything falls off in the first bite - clearly written by people that are expecting something like CPK or even Domino's - so we didn't let that cloud our expectations. 

Our waitress did a great job of explaining the pizzas to us, that they are cooked quickly in their 1000 degree oven (straight from Naples) so that they are still a little soft when they come out. She also explained to us what "DOC" stood for, but we basically forgot right away. It's something like "domestic origin control." Anyway, she explained that the DOC marker meant that it was up to Italian standards, and the bufala was authentic Italian. 

I decided to go for the Margherita DOC over the regular margherita, mostly because of my mistake at Olio when the regular margherita paled in comparison to the one with buffalo mozzarella. Andrew ordered the pizza carbonara. 

The pizza was great. Cheese is probably the most important factor to me in judging how good a pizza is, and Settebello's did not disappoint. The crust/dough of the pizza was also soft and a little bit sweet, which was a welcome change after the pizza we had at Wildcraft. Andrew also compared the dough to that of our favorite pizza place in San Francisco (il casaro in North Beach), so it must have been great. The pancetta on Andrew's carbonara was also very nice and crispy. Usually when pizzas come with several toppings, there is less cheese throughout, but not at Settebello! Overall the pizzas were both really great, both had more than enough tasty cheese and sauce to leave us both happy at the end. 

Naples oven and extra bar seating

Interior bar

front: Margherita DOC / back: Pizza Carbonara 

Pizza Carbonara: crushed tomatoes, pancetta, egg, cracked pepper, EVOO

Margherita DOC: crushed tomatoes, fresh buffalo mozzarella, 

basil, parmigiano reggiano, EVOO

Nice fold with plenty of cheese still on the pizza

Location above a Yard House

Crust: soft and slightly sweet, cooked to perfect folding texture
Sauce: tasty and not overpowering
Cheese: deserving of DOC stamp, plentiful throughout
Recommend: Margherita DOC definitely, but probably all pizzas are great and I can't wait to try more!

Best part: no wait, delicious pizzas with lots of authentic cheese

800 degrees [santa monica]

800 Degrees

120 Wilshire Blvd

Santa Monica, CA 90401 

This 800 location is across the street from my office, so I am here basically every Monday and Friday for lunch. There is usually a huge line during lunchtime, especially if there is a good "instagram special" that day. Usually I get the same toppings as I would any other day (broccolini and mushrooms) but that is too boring to continue to blog about. I decided that I would have to start trying the instagram specials if I had any hopes of generating new and original content. I started following the 800 degrees instagram account, and started checking every day. 

Today's pizza sounded like a good start for me, it still had one of my main toppings (broccolini) and the extra ingredients were still basic and healthy. It was also on the regular margherita pizza. When I saw it had smoked provolone, I worried that it would replace the pulled mozzarella. Luckily that is part of the standard margherita and was not replaced! 

To get the instagram special, all you had to do is say "I'll have the Instagram special" to the pizzaiolo and they will take care of the rest. There are no substitutions or add-ons to the special, which is fair because the pizza is 50% off. 

"instagram special, february 2, 2015"

"green" pizza with spinach and broccolini. I couldn't really taste the smoked provolone, but could definitely smell it. 

Everything you need to know in one photo. 

Overall the Instagram special is a really great deal, getting a quality Neapolitan pizza for $5 cannot be beat. However, any pickiness and you might be waiting a while for 800 to post a pizza of the day that suits your tastebuds. 

Wildcraft [culver city]

 

Wildcraft 

9725 Culver Blvd

Culver City, 90232

Andrew and I had planned again on going to Mother Dough, but Los Feliz just seemed too far away. In my yelp search, I came across Wildcraft which was close by in Culver City. The first photo I saw of the OG pizza looked amazing, and it had splotches of delicious looking pulled mozzarella. Some of the other photos did not look as good, so I didn't get my hopes up too much. We decided to drive down to Culver City and check the place out. We sat outside on the patio that was nicely lit with lots of string lights. The whole vibe of the restaurant and the surrounding restaurants made it feel like a hip little area, different from the rest of the city. 

We decided to get different pizzas, I stuck to the most reminiscent of a margherita, "red" "OG" pizza, and Andrew ordered the "red" bacon topped. I tried to keep my expectations low about the pizza, but it still disappointed. The crust was sourdough, which was not made clear in the menu, and the sauce and tomatoes were also very acidic. The cheese may have combatted the acidity of both the crust and the sauce, but there was just too little of it and it didn't have much of its own flavor. Andrew's bacon pizza was much better because the sweetness from the bacon did quiet the acidity of the sauce, tomatoes, and crust. All in all the pizza was just not the kind of neapolitan style that we are used to, but that was sort of to be expected. The most important point to takeaway is that the pizza at Wildcraft was that of an Italian restaurant, and not an actual pizzeria. Expect pizza a la CPK - although I would rather get a pizza there. 

 

Cherry cider and Ballast Point "Sculpin" before pizza

Patrons on the patio

front: "o.g." oven cured tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, garlic, basil 

back:  bacon fontina, apple wood bacon, treviso, fontina, oven cured tomato

One slice left standing, never a good sign

Crust: sourdough, not made clear from menu - good texture and flavor

Sauce: very acidic, not a great combination with the sourdough crust

Cheese: minimal, not very fresh tasting

Recommend: maybe a white pizza or the fried chicken

Best part: chill patio seating

Olio Wood Fired Pizzeria [beverly grove]

Olio Wood Fired Pizzeria

8075 W 3rd St, Ste 100

Los Angeles, 90048

Olio was the first pizza place Andrew and I ever tried in LA back when Polish Bar was Polish Bar. We decided to go to change up the pace because Beverly Grove isn't too far from Westwood. I also was really looking forward to getting some Fonuts, but they were closed as they always seem to be any time I am within a 20 foot radius of the building. The pizza wasn't too memorable for me the first time we ate there, probably because we also went to Mozza during that same trip. We ordered the same two pizzas this time, I got the basic margherita while Andrew got the margherita plus. 

The margherita plus apparently is their specialty, which Andrew knew but I did not, and it was miles better than my pizza. Andrew was so generous and traded me two slices of his pizza to enjoy! The difference between the basic margherita and the margherita plus is basically that the plus uses burrata cheese instead of plain mozzarella. Looking at the menu again, it also uses basil infused olive oil instead of plain ol' Italian olive oil. I am not usually a fan of burrata, so I opted for the regular margherita. My pizza was lacking in cheese (for my taste) and my crust was pretty burnt/charred and flaky. I had pizza dust all over my hands and finished pretty much all the cheese in one bite. Andrew's margherita plus had a generous amount of tasty burrata that was present in almost every bite of the pizza. The crust on the margherita plus was also way better, it was not burnt and was much more fluffy, and it felt like the dough was all around thicker and softer for the entire pizza. We also decided to sit outside on the patio which was nice and heated, but slower service being away from the main kitchen.

Patio and view of traffic on 3rd as well as a closed Fonut shop

Comparison between the basic margherita (close) and the margherita plus (far)

Margherita 

Margherita plus with burrata 

Snapchats of pizza or it didnt happen

Crust: good on the margherita plus, too crispy on my regular margherita

Cheese: plentiful and tasty on the margherita plus, too little on regular margherita

Sauce: too much for ratio of cheese

Recommend: margherita plus

Best part: proximity to Fonuts

800 degrees: takeout [westwood]

800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria

10889 Lindbrook Dr

Los Angeles, CA 90024

There is nothing like picking up pizza to go and eating it at home. Enter 800 degrees once more- after a very long day of class I was too tired to venture out anywhere else or even try to find parking, so Andrew and I called in our favorite pizzas and by the time we got there they were ready to go! 800 in Westwood has a special takeout section around the Peet's coffee next door, that is open most nights starting at 4pm for those people who don't want to wait in their line and are looking for cheap and tasty pizza to go. It really does not get much better than this!

 

 Had to resort of a snapchat of the meal because I'm a ~relatable girl~ and couldn't wait to stuff my face into my pizza.

2 artisan pizzas to go topped with both broccolini and mushrooms for under $20 is why 800 degrees ranks so highly in my book

Wood: Handcrafted Pizza [silverlake]

Wood: Handcrafted Pizza

2861 Sunset Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90026

Wood is one of the newer pizza spots in LA, and will probably soon be named the best. The pizza is amazing and it is set up in an old drive-thru mexican fast food restaurant. The ambiance is now casual with cool lighting and reflective table tops, and a view of the pizza oven from most tables. It's located pretty close to Sunset Junction in Silverlake, with a small parking lot (~7 cars) behind the restaurant, visible as if you were driving around the old drive thru. The old drive thru window is still in tact, and makes me smile every time I see it.


This was our second time at Wood. I think this is also the pizza place Ellen had pizza delivered from when she hosted the Oscars. It is fairly new, opening around Oscars time last year. This time when we went, the menu was noticeably more expansive. The first time we went there were around 8 total pizzas on the menu, and this time there were about 16, separated by white sauce and red sauce, each boasting around 8 different pizzas. I ordered the same pizza as last time, the basic margherita. I thought that the pizza was pretty good the first time, but this second pizza stood out to me as even better. The amount of (and quality of) cheese on a pizza is probably the most important factor to me in determining the quality of the pizza. This second Wood pizza was covered in thick cheese and it was maybe the best pizza I've ever had. I also really enjoyed that the pizza was sliced into fours, instead of the usual six slices. The wider slices made it much easier to fold the pizza and eat without all of the ingredients sliding off on the first bite. I finished the whole pizza easily and maybe even before Andrew! Just looking at the pizza now makes me wish we were having it for dinner tonight. My one complaint about this place is that it is located in Silverlake which takes about an hour to get to from the west side, on a good day.

Cute outdoor patio and old drive thru sign

Some dinner party taking over half of the restaurant

So much cheese, and a glass of pinot grigio

Perfect fold

Crust: thick but fluffy

Cheese: more than expected, very plentiful

Sauce: average

Recommend: basic margherita

Best part: CHEESE