During my last trip to New York, I had pizza from 4 different places, fully satisfying my desire for “true” New York style pizza.  All respect given to Chicago and their carbtastic, deep-dish pizzas, New York has the best pizza there is in our great country.  Why is that?  Well, I just saw an [...]]]>

During my last trip to New York, I had pizza from 4 different places, fully satisfying my desire for “true” New York style pizza.  All respect given to Chicago and their carbtastic, deep-dish pizzas, New York has the best pizza there is in our great country.  Why is that?  Well, I just saw an episode of Food Detectives on the Food Network that attributes it to the municipal tap water.  According to their findings, NY makes the best pizza because the most important ingredient, water, is head and shoulders above what LA and Chicago have running through their underground pipes.  The panel of judges in the show were able to unanimously pick the correct pizza in a taste test that was created with Manhattan H2O instead of samples from the other two cities.

This makes sense to me, really, because water is a key ingredient for the crust, which is what usually defines the best pizzas.  Face it, there’s really not a whole lot you can do to make your toppings taste better.  You pull your pepperoni/mushroom/bell peppers out of a reach-in, slice it up, and top off your pie.  Where along that process do you improve on taste?  The pizza sauce and crust are the two parts where the ingredients and how you make it shine out the most.

If what the show found was true, then Chef Mario Batali has found some way to either import better water or outperform the limitations of Los Angeles’ finest.  The crust on each pizza I’ve ever had here (and I’ve tried over half a dozen different kinds) have all been amazing.  The texture, the fantastic crunch, the fresh from the oven taste… it’s a perfect symphony of yeast and H2O.  So good that it almost doesn’t matter what you top it off with.  Hell, it’s so good, I would even get a pizza without meat for that matter.  Fill it up with Brussels sprouts, fermented soy beans, and crickets, and I’ll gladly eat it.  It’s just so good.

Before the pizzas get to our table, we gotta get our appetizers.  For me and my friends, the two must-haves are always the Mozza Caprese (pictured above) and the fried squash blossoms.  The Mozza Caprese is the best I have had anywhere yet.  The mozzarella is deliciously fluffy and fresh, and the presentation is as impressive as the taste.  The squash blossoms are lightly fried to a crisp but with no greasy taste, and they’re also stuffed with a little ricotta.

So many pizzas, it’s hard to remember which one my favorite’s been.  Oh, they’re all good.  Like I said, it really doesn’t matter what your toppings are in this restaurant (prosciutto and rucola pictured).  Each pie comes with six slices, perfect for a group of six.  Don’t come here with seven, as one poor shmuck will be left out.  If you come here with five, there will be fights for the last slice.

The butterscotch budino is the recommended way to finish off your meal at Pizzeria Mozza.  I’m not much of a dessert guy, and each time I only get a spoonful and I’m good, so I can’t comment too much about the taste.  If you like desserts and creamy butterscotch is your thing, get this.  Our group also had gelato and caramel copetta, which were just as pleasing.  I had a glass of the muscato, which was a refreshingly sweet ending to my lunch.

The waits for reservations can be a bit long at times, but I recommend coming here for lunch.  Parking on the streets is free and will be easier, as well as landing that reservation time.  The prices are very reasonable for a group lunch that’s a notch or two fancier than you’re probably used to. If you’d rather not wait for a table and just take it to go, there now is Mozza 2 Go as an option for take-out.

If the pizza crusts are this good here, it only makes me wonder what they would be like if they were made with the ‘superior’ New York water instead.  No, that city already has enough good pizza, Los Angeles deserves a magnificent pizza such as this.

Pizzeria Mozza
641 N. Highland Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Tucked inside the famed Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood lies a tiny burger bar called 25 Degrees. It’s called 25 degrees because that is all the Celsius that separates beef from being rare to well done.  Pretty clever for a burger bar.

A group of 10 friends decided to start here before catching the Fourth of July celebrations [...]]]>

Tucked inside the famed Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood lies a tiny burger bar called 25 Degrees. It’s called 25 degrees because that is all the Celsius that separates beef from being rare to well done.  Pretty clever for a burger bar.

A group of 10 friends decided to start here before catching the Fourth of July celebrations over at the Hollywood Bowl.  Having worked nearby on Sunset for the longest time, I’ve always wanted to give this place a try to see how their burgers stack up in the eternal greatest burger debate.  Lucky Devils, another late night burger joint just down the street, has an amazing Kobe Diablo burger that will knock your socks off… and yet there are many out there that think 25 degrees is better.  I must try.

Finding the place is pretty easy.  We were planning to park at the Hollywood and Highland center and walk up to the Bowl to avoid absurd $20 parking charges and all the traffic that exits the lots up there.  Another great thing about the place is that it’s open 24 hours to fulfill your burger cravings at any hour of the day.

Seating a large group like ours is a challenge.  The restaurant looks like it can’t hold more than 60 people, and offers nothing bigger than a half circle booth so our party had to split in two.  Lucky for us, happy hour runs 5-7 every day of the week, so beers, shakes, and sides were all half off.  They have a small selection of bottled beers and sodas.  I tried their very own 25 degrees red ale which had a good, rich malty flavor and my friend had an interesting kumquat soda that tasted only a hint of kumquat.  Their shakes were all very good… next time I come I will have to try their Guiness Milkshake!

They have three specialty burgers (Number One, Number Two, and Number Three).  I got the Number Three, made of mezzo seco jack, green chili, chipotle, and avocado (pictured above).  I was a little disappointed, hoping for some more kick in it, but the chipotle mayo sauce was fantastic and I was in the mood for avocado that day.  I had a bite of the Number Two, featuring roasted tomato, prosciutto, burrata, and pesto, and it tasted better.  I would highly recommend that one.

Specialty burgers come with sides, of which I liked the sweet potato fries the most.  The sheer quantity of sides that come out will definitely fill you up.  I seriously thought I would never see the bottom of my cone of onion rings, and alas, I never did.  These burgers are no small feat to chow down.

So, where does this rank in my book?  Well I’d probably put it on par with Lucky Devils but a shade under Umami Burger.  The bun at Umami still kills, while the meat of the Kobe Diablo is more flavorful.  I do like the retro Hollywood glam decor of this all-night burger bar, and their shakes and sides chalk up a fantastic meal to go with your tasty burger.  I still have to try Father’s Office, The Counter, and 8oz Burger Bar in the future.

Fireworks at the Hollywood Bowl.  It was a fantastically good time kicking back some wine while listening to the LA Philharmonic and John Fogerty play some good, classic, American music.  I’ll be back next year!  Happy belated Independence Day.

25 Degrees
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
7000 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028

Tomorrow afternoon (Sunday 5/31) at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood, there will be a food event called the GOURMET FIVE YEAR OLD PARTY.  It’s a gathering of over a dozen of LA’s hot and chic dinner spots as they offer up samples of their cuisine.

Guests include the restaurants owned by [...]]]>

Tomorrow afternoon (Sunday 5/31) at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood, there will be a food event called the GOURMET FIVE YEAR OLD PARTY.  It’s a gathering of over a dozen of LA’s hot and chic dinner spots as they offer up samples of their cuisine.

Guests include the restaurants owned by the Dolce Group (Geisha House, Dolce, Ketchup, and Bella), The Kress, Maria’s Italian Kitchen, and Frosting Forever.  For an admission of $40 you’ll be able to help yourselves to as many samples as your heart and stomach desire.  Judging by the photos of previous events, it’s quite a visual spectacle inside the Renaissance too.  Being in Hollywood, you’d expect a well-dressed and outgoing crowd of food lovers.

Sorry, alcohol isn’t all you can drink.

Event is from 4-7pm inside the Renaissance Hotel at the intersection of Hollywood and Highland.

Kids, the greatest thing about a rainy day in LA is the day after.  Famous for its layer of hazy smog, this is the one chance you’ll get to see clear skies in the City of Angels with the gunk washed away.  In the picture above, you would not be able to see the [...]]]>

Kids, the greatest thing about a rainy day in LA is the day after.  Famous for its layer of hazy smog, this is the one chance you’ll get to see clear skies in the City of Angels with the gunk washed away.  In the picture above, you would not be able to see the downtown skyline on most days.  It would look something closer to the picture below.

Runyon Canyon is one of my favorite spots in Hollywood.  Mornings after a wild party, you’ll likely find me laced up and traversing the easy climb to walk off a nasty hangover.  It’s the perfect hike for a casual climber–not too difficult, not very long (lasting about 45 minutes), and offers plenty of enjoyable views.  Runyon Canyon, after all, is more dog park and Hollywood meat market than it is a hiker’s getaway.  If you want to take your bulldog out to get exercise while checking out some hot bods running half-naked, then this is the perfect place to go.  If you’re looking for peace and a lengthy workout, you’d be disappointed coming here.  I’ll write later on my favorite hiking spots which are a bit further out of Hollywood.

Upwards from Inspiration Point

Cell-phone chatter, slobbering dogs, and trendy hollywooders aside, I’ve chosen to come here today to take in the amazing views of Hollywood, the downtown skyline, and the rest of the LA urban sprawl.  You can even see the ocean on a clear day!

In my experience, there’s three fantastic views easily accessible in Los Angeles.  If you’d like to see the westside, go to the Getty Center.  If you want a shot of Downtown, check out the Griffith Observatory.  Finally, Inspiration Point at Runyon offers both and a good look at Hollywood and the Miracle Mile (see above–downtown to left and ocean to right).  If you go off trail a bit, you’ll see a great view of the Hollywood sign too.  Along the trails, in addition to people watching, you’ll also come across smelly horses, possible rattlesnakes, and a randomly placed trampoline.  Bring a friend, as it’s quick and easy enough to catch up on the latest gossip and healthier than going out for a drink.

Here is a link to another article on Runyon: http://www.modernhiker.com/2007/08/16/hiking-runyon-canyon/.  The author does a great job illustrating the trail using Google tools and provides plenty of depth in hiking coverage.

Runyon Canyon is accessible from Hollywood at Vista and Fuller Streets right above Franklin, but it’s always difficult to find parking there among the apartment complexes.  An easier route is to drive down Mulholland, enter from the upper parking lot, and work your way downhill towards Hollywood.  It’s only open during daytime hours and very dog-friendly offering on-leash and off-leash areas.  Happy Walking.