Vitello's Italian Restaurant

This evening, Danny and I visited a lifelong favorite, Vitello's Restaurant. We have been eating at Vitello's for 25 years or more.
The restaurant has had it's ups and downs. Yes, it is the scene of the 2001 murder of Robert Blake's wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley. Vitello's is now a lively Studio City Jazz club and restaurant. We have always enjoyed their pizza but it seems that tonight it was better than ever. They have begun to advertise that they cook their pizzas in a wood burning oven. We ordered the House Pizza and a Chopped Salad with 2 generously poured glasses of red wine. The pizza crust was nicely charred and filled with precious blisters. It had a wheaty flavor and nice chew to it. The slice was topped with mozzarella, fresh tomatoes and basil. The sauce was a big let down, sadly, it was flavorless. The salad was good as well but this is my story about pizza not salad.
Vitello's is a special place to enjoy live jazz on a weekly basis. Check out their schedule for a fun date night. They are at the end of a remodel and I would wait until the very end before I visit them again. The construction smells aren't compatible with the yummy odor of Italian cuisine. http://www.vitellosrestaurant.com/

800 Degree Pizzaria

http://www.800degreespizza.com/
This evening, Danny and I visited 800 Degrees Pizzaria in Westwood Village. LA's newest pizza hot spot brought to us by 'Umami Burger' partners. Pizzas are created 'a la Subway' construction.
You start the line with the dough maker, then move along and choose your sauce and cheese, next move is the topping station. Your pizza is placed in their 800 degree fire oven while you make a choice of salads, sides, and beverages.
Next, you pay and in under 4 minutes from dough maker to cashier, your pizza is ready. The prices are a deal. We had one 12" margarita with mushrooms and caramelized onions and a chopped salad, we shared a bottle of Pellegrino. Our total was $18. The crust had a nice flavor but the pizza needed to be left in the 800 degree oven another minute or two. The middle of the pie was soggy and needed a little blistering. Looking around at the other tables, this was the norm. The ingredients were fresh and locally sourced. I love that. Danny and I agreed that, while we enjoyed our visit, we wouldn't drive to Westwood for this pizza again. Our favorite Westwood pizza remains Lamonica's http://www.lamonicasnypizza.com/Home.html

Dinner Sat 1/7/2012 Join us??

http://www.800degreespizza.com/
I'll be at 800 degrees for dinner on Saturday 1/7 at about 6 pm.
Please join us. xxxx