Delancey Bar & Pizzeria

I think "humble" is the best way to describe Delancey Bar and Pizzeria. It has an old school, east coast pizzeria feel with its brick walls and dark cherry colored wood.

The dim lighting makes it just as appropriate for a date night as it is for buddies going out for beers and pizza after work.

Wend and I ordered the Stanton pizza, which consisted of Mozzarella, Burrata, olive oil, oregano, and olives. The thin crust was soft, but well cooked, which made for a crisper outside and a chewier middle. With that, the light Marinara and thin layer of Mozzarella cheese didn't fill you up too quickly and kept you wanting more. Plus,on a hot summer night, the creamy and cool Burrata cheese beautifully contrasted all the other hot ingredients that came straight from the oven. Unfortunately, the oregano and olives took a back seat to the sauce and cheeses, but seemed as if this was done purposefully. I don't think of olives or oregano as subtle ingredients, but the subtlety may have been that extra push to make it as enjoyable as it was.

Plenty of food for two with leftovers to bring home, but I ate 5 slices. So, there was none to bring home. I would definitely order this one again, but am looking forward to going back and trying another.

Laurel Hardware

Hardware store turned hot spot! Laurel Hardware closed for good in 2008, after its long run of over 60 years supplying the West Hollywood community with all their hardware needs. The good news is, it reopened this year after nearly four years of being out of commission...as a restaurant!

Don't be fooled, the original sign has remained hanging to keep the community landmark alive.

The classy bar, spacious booths and dim lit atmosphere make for a great date night or fun hangout with friends.

Roommate and I ordered a couple of pies. First, the Classic pizza that consisted of pepperoni, parmigiano-reggiano and pickled jalapenos. The salty pepperoni partnered with the spice of the jalapenos was my type pizza. These came on top of the hard parm cheese and a rather basic, yet still tasty tomato sauce. This was my favorite pie despite the fact that it looked kind of unappealing.

Our second pizza was the Margarita. Buffalo mozzarella, basil and oregano. The crust had a nice crackle on the outside and a warm, soft center. Nothing too special here, but a solid pizza none the less.

Overall, a good meal, great atmosphere and affordable prices. I will definitely be going back.



7984 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90046
(323) 656-6070
www.laurelhardware.com

m'Mozza 2 Go picnic!

Mozza2Go was created to account for the high demand for the best pizza in LA without having to worry about reserving a table months in advance. It offers Pizzeria Mozza's signature dishes for delivery or pick-up. That's right, you can bring the pizza party back to your place! Or pig out in the car if you can’t wait until you’re home (nobody will blame you.)

The tiny shop is located just around the corner from Pizzeria Mozza, with no seating and no room for it either. It’s a little place to get in and out of, with just a few shelves containing some of the finest ingredients for purchase so that you can make your own pizza next time!

With that being said, what else could the genius’ that have created this mini wonderland have up their sleeves? Why, a Hollywood Bowl picnic package of course! And there's nothing quite like a pizza picnic on a beautiful summer evening! Wendy and I had an awesome date night with our pizza picnic and some Norah Jones at the Bowl.

I ordered the Pizza alla Benno with speck, pineapple, jalapenos, mozzarella and tomato. It was a fascinating take on the Hawaiian pizza, and seeing as how I hate Hawaiian pizza, I am pleased to report that it was great! For me, this type of pie usually comes with chunks of pineapple that leave the cheese around it soggy and bits of bacon that just don’t seem to work with the rest of the dish. The Pizza alla Benno however, took the idea and brought it to a beautiful place.

On top of the quality crust, delicious tomato sauce and golden mozzarella cheese, ultra thin slices of pineapple were placed. Then, ultra thin slices of the juniper-flavored ham were put down as another layer on top of the pineapple. Last, or somewhere in between, ultra thin slices of jalapeño (a pattern has formed) were strategically placed around the pie to contrast the taste of the speck.

A delightfully light pizza it was. Wendy got her usual Bianca pizza and dinner/date night was a huge success.

Cowabunga!

6610 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 297-1130
www.mozza2go.com

The Fat Dog's Breakfast Pizza

The Fat Dog has an assorted brunch menu with a Breakfast Pizza that sounded interesting. Fontina cheese with shaved prosciutto, eggs over easy and baby arugula on top of a pastry crust.

I am not a fan of breakfast, nor do I order breakfast pizzas often, but when I tried this I was delighted to find a different style of pie that exceeded my unenthusiastic expectations for a Sunday breakfast. The runny egg over the cheese and prosciutto brought me back to a time when I a kid and loved going to get breakfast with my family. I guess I never really loved breakfast enough to make it myself...hmm. Anyway, the arugula made for a wonderful light garnish, as it usually does, and the pastry crust served for some unorthodox, flaky goodness.

Overall, a pizza that didn't leave you stuffed, but nicely satisfied.


801 North Fairfax Avenue
West Hollywood, CA 90046
(323) 951-0030

post Comic-Con Pizzeria Mozza party!

Wrapped up a lovely Comic-Con weekend with a pizza dinner after getting back into town. Enjoyed 3 wonderful pizzas with Wendy and Jordan. The Margarita Pizza, of course made with the basic, yet delicious elements of mozzarella, tomato and basil. Very simple and very delectable. I've tried a lot of pizzas there, but this was my first time getting the Margarita :)

We also enjoyed my favorite Tomato, Sicilian Oregano as well as the the Bianca Sage pizza.

Gjelina

Gjelina has several different menus during the day, and between the hours of 3 and 5:30pm, their pizzas are the stars! We ordered the Four Onion pizza with Soft Goat Cheese, Asiago, Parmesan, Thyme & Black Pepper. I don't like too much onion on anything, let alone pizza, but the three cheeses along with the light thyme and pepper took what could have been an overpowering taste and made it just right. Not in your face, but still the star of the pizza.

The dough was fantastic as well. It was very light and filled you up without stuffing you. It had a nice char, yet still the perfect softness. I'm hungry for more and can't wait to go back!

1429 Abbot Kinney Boulevard
Venice, CA 90291

mi pizza margarita de la tortilla

Great for a Cinco de Mayo pizza fiesta! I took the easy way out and bought the tortilla instead of making it myself. For the sauce, I took the usual peeled San Marzano tomatoes and blended them. I heated the pureed sauce in a pan with a bit of olive oil, then included the usual sugar, salt and pepper and newly added a few garlic cloves and some basil to enhance the flavor. Once the sauce was good and ready, I put down a light layer on the tortilla, grated some fresh mozzarella over the sauce, put down a few basil leaves, some salt and pepper and then drizzled a small amount of olive oil over the top.