Pitfire Pizza: Hearth-Warming Goodness

The first Pitfire Pizza I ate  at was in North Hollywood and I was immediately hooked. My pizza was slightly charred in a wood-fired oven, creating just the right amount of crispness, along with chewy orbs of dough in the crust. Needless to say, I was thrilled when a opened in Mar Vista in early 2010.

The location on Washington Boulevard, just west of Beethoven Street, has a cool, industrial feel to it. A wall on the east side of the restaurant opens up completely to the patio, creating a lovely indoor/outdoor space. On certain nights, a DJ spins some tunes and makes for a party-like atmosphere.

The service at Pitfire is half do-it-yourself. You stand in line to order and take your drink with you to a table. As far as drinks go, they have a refreshing watermelon lemonade and a good selection of beers and wines. A server will then deliver your meal andif you need to order anything else, your server will take care of it.

On our most recent visit, we sat outside, partly because of the great weather and also because it was quite noisy inside.

I ordered the signature pizza -- the burrata pie, covered with arugula, caramelized onion, burrata cheese, hazelnuts and a drizzle of pesto. I really liked the combination of flavors. The tomato sauce was tangy, the burrata creamy and the hazelnuts provided a nice crunch.

I also enjoyed the spring vegetable salad with grilled asparagus, butter lettuce, radish, potatoes, feta cheese and pine nuts, tossed in a lemon dressing.  It was light and fresh, though I wish it had a bit more lemon flavor.

My friend had the sausage and greens pizza, which he found to be rather bland and thought it needed garlic or tomato sauce. The sausage had a fennel flavor, which he did like, but he preferred my burrata pizza.

I know you can’t go wrong ordering the classic margherita with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil or the white pie with creamy ricotta, mozzarella, red onion, basil and pickled peppers. The crust on all the pizzas is always perfectly singed and the ingredients are fresh, local and seasonal.

Besides pizza, the menu at Pitfire includes pasta, salads and paninis. There’s even a kids menu with mac n’ cheese and kid-sized pizza.

Finish your meal with soft-serve ice cream and pay an extra buck for a topping of homemade salted caramel sauce. The saltiness woke up my taste buds and complemented the sweetness of the ice cream.

, 12924 Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066, 424-835-4088

Hours:  Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun. 12 p.m.-9 p.m.

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