Vito's Pizza

Though Los Angeles is known more for its tofu than it is for its pizza, not even the most health conscious celebutante can resist a slice of Vito’s authentic New York-style pizza. While New York City transplants often bemoan the lack of tasty pies in Southern California, Vito’s is silently turning heads with the thin crust style pizzas that emerge piping hot and oozing with bubbling cheese from their pizza oven.

The quaint space located near the intersection of Santa Monica Blvd. and La Cienega, is as bare bones as it comes in terms of décor and ambiance. There is nothing trendy about the tiny strip-mall dive that boasts only small tabletops best suited for couples and tiny groups of friends looking for one thing: Good pizza that makes the indulgence on fat grams and calories worth every moan-inducing bite.

What Vito’s lacks in atmosphere, it more than makes up for with charming service and craveably good veggie, cheese, margherita, and white pizza slices. Servers are present and eager to get the smiling patrons slice after slice, and are always on hand when cups of root beer start getting low.

While Vito’s has imported the New York flavor, there is nary a hint of the New York attitude from the affable staff whose banter creates a familiar ambiance in the small space. Everyone is happy to be there, even the typically carb-o-phobic girl in the corner, devouring her veggie slice that is loaded with spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, and glistening globs of ricotta. Vito’s may not be the ideal spot for maintaining a streamlined figure, but it’s the perfect place to spend a low-key Friday night.

Pizzeria Mozza

After hearing all the buzz about Mozza, I knew I had to check it out eventually and after two visits, I can definitely say that it's one of my favorite restaurants in LA. Sure, the way reservations are made are a bit wacky.

You actually have to reserve 30 days before the date you want to dine there; however, if you call the day off, sometimes you may get lucky. You also have the option of eating at the bar, but that can sometimes be anywhere from a 20 minute to more than hour wait. But I believe in the maxim that good things come to those who wait and by my estimation, you are rewarded for all the hassle by the great food that comes out of Mozza's kitchen. So let's talk food now.

From both visits, I was able to try 6 of their appetizers. Of the six, the only one I didn't care for too much was the Broccoflower with Chile and Vinegar. I was expecting more sour-tangy-spicy flavors from this dish, but felt that those flavors were really held back, so everything ended up tasting a little more blah than I would have liked.

As for the other appetizers, three of them really stood out. First, I found the Fried Squash Blossoms to be light and crunchy. Second, while I'm not much of an organ meat eater, I have to say that the Chicken Livers with Capers, Parsley and topped with Bacon had citrusy notes that went well with the peppery bacon. Last, the Marinated Beets were tender, almost juicy and ate well with the more bitter greens that accompanied them.

So far, so good. I was very happy with my appetizers, but what we really came for was the pizzas and luckily, I was able to sample 5 of them. When I saw the pies at my first visit, I wasn't too keen on the speed bump that was wrapped around the pizza's circumference. I prefer thin crusts that will go all the way to the edge if possible. I wasn't looking forward to those last bites that were surely going to be a mouthful.

Main Image: