It's Not Just About the Pizza at Vito's Pizza

Although I've been to Vito's Pizza a few more times since my first visit, which you can read by clicking here, this is the first time I've tried food other than their pizza.  But one Sunday afternoon, a couple of friends and I were just a little more hungry than usual. So while we did put in a pizza order, we also shared a few other items.

First up was their Antipasto Salad made up of chopped romaine lettuce, olives, tomatoes, onions, salami, capocollo and provolone florets and mixed with a homemade viniagrette. I liked that the salad wasn't over-dressed and that the veggies were fresh and crispy. You know what's cool though? Check out the meat florets. I'm pretty sure that I've never seen anything like that on a salad or anywhere else for that matter.

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Our threesome also ordered the Breadsticks with extra virgin olive oil and fresh chopped garlic. Even if you plan to carb your way through a few pizza slices, you just have to order these Breadsticks, which were crusty bites of goodness.  I loved that they topped them with fresh chopped garlic.  Just take a look at the picture below to see what I mean.  Dracula, watch out!

Another item to hit the table was their Meatball Sandwich. I just had a small bite, but even with just a nibble, I remember liking it enough to maybe order it at another time.

When it came to selecting our pizza, we had a hard time choosing which of their specialty pizzas to order, so we did the next best thing.  We ordered 4 slices, 1 of each a different flavor, and then Vito's was kind enough to split the slices in thirds.  How nice is that? It even made for a pretty picture.

As for the flavors we chose you can seee from bottom center going to the right, the Pesto and Ricotta Pizza, the Garibaldi Pizza (tomatoes, meatball and jalapenos), Meat Lover's Pizza (sausage, pepperoniand meatball), the Pizza Margherita (fresh tomatoes, basil and mozzarella) and the Mediterranean Veggie Pie (marinated spinach, broccoli, fresh tomatoes, garlic, herbs and ricotta).

Just like on previous visits, I find the crust a little too chewy for my liking, but when I'm in the neighborhood and crazing a slice of pie, Vito's does the trick. As for my favorite pies, one is the Pesto Pizza because I like how the sweet ricotta cheese complements the herby pesto sauce. 

I also enjoy all the greens that come on the Mediterranean Veggie Pie and when I'm on a mushroom crave, Arturo's Wild Mushroom Pizza makes me smile.  But's nice to know that if I'm just not in the mood for pizza, I can make other tasty choices and so can you!

Vito's Pizza
846 N La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90069
(310) 652-6859 


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Vito's Pizza

When the buzz first started several months back about Vito's Pizza being resurrected, there was an air of excitement amongst pizza aficionados of the likes I haven't seen in a very long time. I wondered what was so special about Vito's Pizza. Apparently, it's a pizza joint that serves what many consider the closest thing to New York pizza in the Los Angeles area. My curiosity aroused, I was happy that my friend planned an outing for a group of us to check this place out.

As soon as you step through the doors of this tiny place, you're confronted with a large photo of Vito himself, leaving room for no doubt that this was his domain. Walking past the glass cases, I was amazed at how large the pizzas were. Those suckers were 18" round pies. These were definitely not made for the solo diner, unless you ordered by the slice, which was something you could do if you so desired. They'd even cook your slice to order which is a much better option than getting a slice of pizza after it's been sitting under a heat lamp for an hour or two or more.

Soon we sat down and perused the menu and let me tell, everything looked so good that it took awhile to settle on the two we finally did order. Our choices were Vito's Terra Firma which had sausage, pepperoni, olives, peppers, onions and mushrooms and the Pizza Margherita whose ingredients were simply tomato, basil and mozzarella.

The Vito's Terra Firma came first and was placed on top of a large can and let me tell you, I think the manager was surprised to see half of our group of 6 swarming around the pizza taking photos. The Pizza Paparazzi definitely made its presence known. See what happens when food bloggers dine together. Hehehe!

After our pics were taken, we sat down to enjoy our first taste of the Terra Firma. So I took a slice, folded it, just like I've seen New Yorkers do it on TV and took a bite and then another bite and another bite. Unfortunately, I found the crust, though thin, was more doughy and chewy than I would have liked. I was disappointed. I was looking for pizza dough that was crispy and crusty and I just didn't get that with either of the two pizzas we had for our meal.

I did enjoy the sauce and the abundance of toppings. What I really appreciated was that all the veggies on the Terra Firma weren't cooked to oblivion. They were fresh and crunchy. One thing that was surprising was that I almost forgot that sausage was part of the ingredients. The fact that the sausage was so forgettable wasn't too surprising considering how bland it tasted and the pepperoni also needed more zing. In short, I think the veggies were more of a star on this pizza than either of the meats.

Soon, the Pizza Margherita arrived and after another round of the Pizza Paparazzi doing its thing, it was time to sample this next offering. I wanted to enjoy eating this pizza, but I was less than impressed. The mozzarella part of the pizza was great, but I thought the tomatoes should have been juicier and I found the basil leaves, which normally has a distinct flavor, to be blah. We might as well have just ordered a cheese pizza because neither the tomatoes nor basil added any pizazz to this pie.

After that one experience there, Vito's is definitely not a destination pizza place for me. The crust, as I mentioned, was a disappointment, but what was also missing for me were the bold flavors my palate tends to steer towards. Both pies that we sampled just didn't have the oooomph I was looking for. Even the Good Friday Pizza I took home for the family, which had ingredients like garlic, clams, oregano and crushed red pepper, still didn't do it for me.

Overall, if I was in the neighborhood or with a group of friends who really wanted to dine at Vito's, I wouldn't mind stopping by, but would I make an hour drive from the Eastside? No. There are just too many other better pizza options for me out there.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157603378667958/

Vito's Pizza
846 N La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90069
(310) 652-6859