Not The Pizza Capital Of The World, But It Helps

The Monster once met a person who didn't like pizza which until that point seemed a myth much like the Yeti or the Tooth Fairy or bipartisanship in government. Apparently, this person also didn't like breathing, and smiling, and laughing, and friendship, because not liking pizza doesn't make sense. People like pizza. It's served at birthday parties and get-togethers and company events. Kids clamor for it. Adults crave it. Which brings us to Los Angeles pizza. Much maligned, and perhaps deservedly so, there still remain some tasty places to get your pizza fix. Enter Pitfire Artisan Pizza.

With four locations in Los Angeles, they specialize in rustic pies with farmers' market-sourced ingredients and other fresh items, often with unique twists. There is a nice selection of pies, pastas, salads, and soups along with desserts and fresh lemonade. 

Housed in open, cool settings which sometimes feature deejays, they are inviting restaurants that settle somewhere between totally casual and necessarily hip. The Culver City location also has an outdoor patio perfect for beautiful summer days.

On this occasion, The Monster was going a little order crazy. The folded garlic chicken pizza; the white pie with red and orange peppers, onion and two types of cheese; and a pasta with crab meat, zucchini ribbons, fennel, fresh corn, summer herbs in a white wine sauce.

The folded pie came first, and true to its name it was three pieces folded over and served above a Caesar salad. A few trips back The Monster was clued in to order a side of marina sauce in which to dip the pie in. Highly recommended. And then the white pie arrives. A more traditional pie, it has a bit of kick and a charred crust. 

Lastly, the pasta. A special, it features the tastes of summer and a beautiful contrast in texture between the delicate noodles, the crunch of corn and the zucchini.    

With friendly service to boot, Pitfire might not make you forget L.A. isn't the pizza capital of the world (that distinction goes to Old Forge, Pa.), but it sure can help fill the days when the cravings hit.

Why Go? You believe in the Yeti. Also, the pizza.
Monster Rating: 3½/5 Monsters