Pitfire Artisan Pizza, Culver City, CA

Pitfire Artisan Pizza
12924 Washington Blvd
Los Angeles / Culver City, CA 90066
424-835-4088
http://www.pitfirepizza.com/
Small parking lot that is very crowded on Friday and Saturday nights.
Warehouse environment that can get quite loud when crowded. Outdoor seating available.
Order at the counter, and food is brought to your table (self seating). Additional drinks and dessert may be ordered from your server.
3 more locations around LA in North Hollywood, downtown LA, and West LA.

Visited: September 2010, Dinner, Dine-in


Overall, we enjoyed our meal, however we wouldn't go out of our way to eat at Pitfire.

All food is brought at the same time, so even if you order an appetizer or soup, it will come as the same time as your pizza and pasta.

We 'started' from the Pantry or appetizer section with Meatballs ($6) which was 3 of their large Hand-Crafted Chicken Meatballs served with their tomato sauce and topped with some grated Grana. The menu says it's served with grilled bread, and well, we got one slice of grilled bread. This seemed rather odd - one slice of bread served with three meatballs? Regardless, the meatballs and the sauce were very very tasty. The meatballs had a nice texture and a very interesting spice mix - it had something sweet that almost hinted of a Middle Eastern spice. The tomato sauce had a great fresh yet rich flavor. I would definitely order the Meatballs again, or try them with the Spaghetti and Meatballs ($9.25).



We tried a couple pizzas. They use a thin crust that is cooked very well, and has a nice char. The pizzas are sliced into quarters, and I noticed some folks eating their slices New York style - folded in half. One problem is that there is quite a bit of untopped crust at the edges, and it's rather lacking (and too charred). If you have sauce leftover from the meatballs, that makes a nice dip. We noticed that folks at other tables were leaving crust edges behind, too.

First was the Pitfire Sausage ($9.95) topped with their very tasty tomato sauce, fontina and mozz, large and small chunks of their sweet fennel sausage (very mild flavored), and crunchy flavorless red onions. While overall, this is a pleasant pizza, it seemed lacking in sausage particularly when compared to the Pepperoni that we also ordered.



The Pepperoni ($9.75) was covered in slices of nitrate-free pepperoni slices which had a nice flavor - herby and with a little snap. A very good pepperoni that wasn't greasy. The pizza was also topped with their tomato sauce, fresh mozz and fresh basil. A very good pizza (except for the crust edge issue).



The Roasted Vegetable Panini ($8.95) was a disappointment. The crusty bread was quite lovely, however it didn't make up for the bland contents. Roasted vegetables should have a caramelization that provide their own seasoning, but alas, no. It was a large sandwich with olive mayo (the only tasty thing), pesto (which seemed nonexistent), roasted eggplant, roasted zucchini, roasted bell peppers (almost tasteless - how is that possible?), those flavorless red onions, melted fresh mozz (added a nice texture), and some lovely, but too plentiful, lettuce. The sandwich was also served with a very large side house salad of mixed greens, shaved Asiago, vinaigrette and homemade croutons. The salad was quite tasty.



They also have a nice collection of bottled sodas. Coke and Coca Light from Mexico so they're made with sugar. And a selection of Boylan sodas - regular and diet. I had the Ginger Ale, which was a nice treat. Interesting bottled and draught beers, and wine were also available.

I'd go back and try more items on the menu, but only if I were in the area.

Ristorante Deneno, Alachua, FL

Ristorante Deneno
14960 Main Street
Alachua, FL 32615
386-418-1066
http://www.deneno.com/
Casual nice. Full bar.
Plenty of parking in the public lot across the street.

Visited: May 2010, Lunch, Dine-in


This adorable restaurant in the heart of downtown Alachua is such a gem! The portions are generous, the prices are very reasonable, and the service is friendly.

We started with the Calamari ($6). A very lovely pile of nicely coated and crisp calamari as well as these little slices of coated crispy lemon slices - quite an interesting flavor surprise. The marinara was thick and spicy, and very tasty.

The have an open wood burning pizza oven, and we had the Portobello Pizza ($6) with lovely portobello mushrooms, and grana padana and mozzarella cheeses, and the Blanca Pizza ($7) topped with garlic, artichokes, and a number of cheeses - ricotta, parmesan, romano, and mozzarella. Both were plate-sized with a very lovely chewy crust and plenty of toppings.

We also tried the very tasty Deneno Burger ($8) that came topped with gorgonzola, red onions, and choice of swiss or cheddar. The burger also comes with mushrooms, but we opted out of those. As the pizza crust was great, the burger also came on a very nice homemade roll. A generous serving of pasta salad also came with.

It was a very relaxing lunch with great good. I'm looking forward to trying other menu items.

Fresh Brothers, Redondo Beach, CA

Fresh Brothers
407 N. Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach, CA 90278
310-374-5678
http://www.freshbrothers.com/
This location is in the big strip mall with Rite Aid and Whole Foods. Also locations in Manhattan Beach and Marina del Rey. Mostly take-out; there is some in-restaurant dining.

Visited: January 2010, Dinner, Take-Out


They advertise Pizza, Salad, Wings, and that's pretty much what they have.

We tried a Thin Crust Miller Pizza (a meat combo thins with sausage, pepperoni, ground beef, bacon and ham), and it was very tasty. Often when there are so many meat products, it gets really salty, but this was done well. Medium was $16.95.

We also got a Deep Dish Margherita (fresh mozz, tomatoes, basil, and light tomato sauce). We would have liked more sauce as the whole pizza was rather light on flavor. Medium was $15.50.

We enjoyed both pizzas. but the Miller really had much more flavor. I think the Deep Dish crust took away from the some of the flavor - too much dough to topping ratio.

Their wings are baked, not fried, and are offered as bone-in wings ($7.95-15.50) or white meat boneless bites ($7.95). The wings - both boned and boneless were very tender, and we would definitely get them again. The Mild Buffalo has a nice little kick to it - just enough heat. The BBQ sauce was more on the tangy side, while the Garlic BBQ was a little sweeter.

We also tried the Family Platter ($11.95) Appetizer. It was a sampling of chicken wings (your choice of sauce), mozzarella sticks (flavorful breading and good marinara sauce), chicken bites (your choice of sauce), and french fries (very tasty seasoned wedge cut fries). The one problem in ordering take out of fried items - they were not crisp. A non-crisp mozz stick just doesn't quite have the same impact, no matter how tasty.

In all, we'd go back and try some other pizza options, and maybe the salads.

Tandoori Bistro, Harbor City, CA

Tandoori Bistro Pizzeria Cafe
970 W. Sepulveda Blvd, Harbor City, CA 90710
310-530-2245
Near Vermont, around the corner in the strip mall area near K-Mart. Plenty of parking.
Casual/fast foodish. Order and pick up at the counter. Limited seating.

Visited: Dinner, Take-Out
Most recently: October 2009


This is one of the more bizarre eateries, and perhaps reflective of the mix of food interests that you find in the South Bay. Menu items range from tandoori, pizza, smoothies, wraps, fancy coffees, sandwiches, and breakfast. We tried several items that have intrigued us to go back and try more.

We didn't know what to expect from the Tandoori BBQ Chicken Pizza ($16.99) but is was pretty good. In addition to the chicken, it came topped with bell peppers, onions and tomatoes. The pizza also comes as Tandoori Beef, and we'll probably get that next time.

We also tried a Large Pepperoni Pizza (Mini $3.99, Large $10.99). It was okay and somewhat plain. Most of the flavor from a pepperoni pizza comes from the pepperoni, and it was a bit sparse.

The Large Cheese Steak (Reg $5.99, Large $9.99) was very good. It is made of thin slices of Prime rib with Swiss cheese, grilled onions, and herbs. We would definitely get this again.

The Tandoori Beef Kabobs Medium ($7.99) is a actually a wrap sandwich, and quite tasty. It comes on a tandoori bread with grilled onion, tomatoes, cilantro and a white cheese. There's also a yogurt chutney spread on the bread.

The Cafe is rather small, and we recommend getting take-out.

The Appetizer, Redondo Beach, CA

The Appetizer
1000 Torrance Blvd, Unit A, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
310-792-0077
http://www.theappetizerrestaurant.com/
Southeast corner of Torrance and Prospect. In a strip mall with free parking.
Casual. Large dining room.

March 2010 Update: CLOSED. This location has been sold, and is now a restaurant called Calamari's. The new owner has kept the menu very similar to The Appetizer. The other Appetizer location on Deep Valley Drive in Rolling Hills Estates is still open.

Visited: a couple times, Dinner, Dine-in
Most recently: Dec 2009

This restaurant had been teasing us for some time with a sign out front saying that it would open soon, and many months later, it finally did. What we didn't realize was that this was the next in a series with the first ones open over at the Hughes market, and they still have a location up on Deep Valley Drive in Rolling Hills Estates. Well, this was a first time for us.

The service was still 'new' feeling. Everyone was very friendly and courteous, but I think the kitchen still has some kinks to work out to ensure all of the items come out on time. Maybe they need to add an expo back there.

But, the food was quite good. So what did we eat?

Pepperoni and Canadian Bacon Calzone ($11.45 + $1 extra topping): really, it was probably the best calzone we've had on the west coast. The dough was crisp and soft, plenty of goodies inside, and overall very flavorful. It comes with extra marinara on the side, but not quite enough; you'll probably want to ask for another cup. It's also quite large - good for sharing or for someone who's hungry.

Hot Meatball Sandwich, Large ($7.45): wow, was this good! The bread was very nicely toasted on the outside yet still had enough softness on the inside to absorb the yummy sauce. The meatballs were big and very tasty, and mozzarella melted with gooey goodness. You may want to ask for extra sauce.

Meat Lasagna ($9.95): comes with soup or salad and a big basket of garlic bread. We had the Garbanzo Bean Soup, and while not sure what to expect, the soup was very tasty. Lots of garbanzo beans and mini pasta tubes in a vegetarian broth with plenty of flavor. The garlic bread actually had minced garlic on it - fancy that! It was also very nicely crisp and soft in the right places (they do their bread well). The lasagna was also good. Despite the meat sauce being a little thin, it has a very deep rich taste.

XL Pizza with half pepperoni/sausage and half sausage/mushroom ($17.45): the half with pepperoni had much more flavor than the other side. The sausage is in these tiny little crumbles that cover the pizza well, but just didn't have enough oomph to work well with the mushrooms. Overall, a good thin crust pizza, but need we need to figure out what flavor combos to get.


We will definitely go back; probably for take-out.