Masa of Echo Park (LV's LA)

I love a good deep dish Chicago Pizza. I have been to Chicago a few times and I know first hand what a really good Chicago pizza tastes like. Masa of Echo Park comes pretty darn close to what I have experienced in Chicago. Thick buttery crust. How thick? How about 2 inches of crust topped with a great sauce and enough cheese and toppings to feed all of your hungry friends. Did I mention that I got full on one slice? 

This pizza joint has an old school meets hipster vibe in the heart of Echo Park and a stone's throw from Silverlake. After our experience at Pizzeria Mozza, I promised my son that  we would venture all over the City of Angels in search of delicious pizzas that tantalize our taste-buds. Masa did not disappoint us, the deep dish pizza was massive and very filling. 

The sauce and the crust were the first things I noticed. The sauce was on top of the cheese and very fresh and flavorful and the crust was scrumptious. The thick  layer of cheese, delicious sauce and a cornucopia of fresh veggies and Italian sausage and pepperoni satisfied our pizza craving. My little guy also wanted his usual cheese pizza, so we tried a traditonal thin crust, which was good, but could not compare to their signature, eat it with a knife and fork deep dish pizza.

 The experience started with a loaf of warm fresh bread

And this farm to table green salad with a variety of mixed salad greens and a Dijon Vinaigrette

How is this for a thick crust?

 Yes, it was soooo good

Much too thick and substantial to eat with your hands. Yep, you need a knife and fork. This is the real deal.

Even my little guy is amazed at this pizza

Deep dish and traditional

My son is on his way to becoming a pizza connoisseur

Whats not to love about Chicago Pizza?

Who knew Echo Park was such a happening area?

Very eclectic vibe.  We liked it:-)

What can I say? good food makes us really happy:-)

The outdoor area on the side and front of the restaurant are perfect for dining out and people watching, but we chose to dine indoors and enjoy the air conditioning.

And of course, I had to linger over a cup of coffee and dessert. I decided to order bread pudding. I have always hated bread pudding. Never liked it.

Until now. This is hands down the best bread pudding I have ever had in my life. Bread pudding made with croissants, a rich custard and hints of chocolate and a whirlwind of caramel. Talk to me now...

Masa is the perfect spot when you want a damn good and filling pizza, but much too indulgent to eat all the time. The cool folks at Masa gave me a tip that if you are dining in, just call in your pizza when you get halfway so that you don't have to wait the 45 minutes it takes to bake your deep dish pizza. Just tell them your name when you arrive and you are seated and your pizza will arrive with perfect timing.  Great advice because by the time we finished the bread and salad, the pizza was on the table.

We really enjoyed our meal and it is the kind of place where you can just relax and linger if you get there before the dinner crowd.

Mini me is thrilled that we get to take some pizza home. This is a great spot to come if you have children. The vibe is relaxed and unpretentious.  Perfect family spot.

Masa of Echo Park

1800 Sunset Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 

213-989-1558

Pizzeria Mozza (LV's LA)

I don't really need an excuse to try great pizza, especially when the restaurant is owned by Mario Batali,  Nancy Silverton, and John Bastianich. But my excuse for indulging in some great wood fired pizza is my six year old son.  He loves pizza. I mean he could seriously eat it every day and never get tired of it. 

So I told him that if we are going to be regular consumers of pizza, he might as well become a pizza connoisseur and experience what an amazing pizza is supposed to taste like, so we plan to explore the best of the best pizza in Los Angeles. Pizzeria Mozza was the first on our hit list of must try pizza joints in the City of Angels.

Pizzeria Mozza is located in the heart of Hollywood on Melrose and Highland

This wall of herbs caught my attention

The ambiance is chic and casual

It is very loud, crowded and energetic. The seating is a little cramped, so it is very likely you can hear conversations at the next table. Did I mention that it is really loud?

We munched on these crunchy breadsticks while I perused the menu

We started with some fresh bread and olive oil. It was quite tasty and my little guy loved it. I always enjoy having delicious freshly baked bread at restaurants. This was so good I was tempted to get some to take home. Low carb eating be damned.

So delicious

The crust and sauce was unbelievable.  Crackling puffy edges slightly charred from the wood burning oven. This Margherita pizza was my son's favorite.

This sausage and fennel  pizza was very robust in flavor with a generous topping of fennel and red onion to balance the sausage.

This was one of my favorites. Pineapple and Speck, which is a thin Italian Ham. This has paper thin slices of fresh pineapple, speck and Jalapeno. I loved the sweet hint of pineapple and that heat from the Jalapeno. Great Flavor combo.

Our pizza spread! Would you believe there was more that could not fit on the table? We love food.

Delicious Coke, but this is not just any Coke. This is Mexican Coca Cola. Their is a huge difference in the taste because Mexican Coke has pure cane sugar and not the high fructose corn syrup that is in most American sodas.

I have never had Jalapeno Peppers on pizza, but it was such a great contrast to the sweet Pineapple

This simple Margherita Pizza was full of great flavor.

This strawberry Gelato pie was tasty, but I was disappointed because I had a hankering for the Meyers Lemon Gelato pie my foodie friends have raved about and they did not have it. It's a seasonal item and I am sure it is amazing.

 Great ambiance and perfect for my little foodie in training:-)  I could not convince him to try the dessert, so I had to eat them both

 The Butterscotch Budino is the signature dessert and I am sure it probably has 5 million calories. It was rich, sweet, and had a nice layer of Fleur de Sel on top. The Pine Nut and Rosemary cookies on the side were the perfect complement.  I could not finish it, but blame it on the pizza.

The left over pizza went home with us and it was great as a midnight snack. I really wanted to be greedy and finish all of it at the restaurant, but as good as it was, I just couldn't. 

The prices are a  little more than most of us are used to paying for pizza, but I thought it was well worth it for the quality of the dining experience we had and the artisan quality of the pizza. You should check it out if you haven't already and be sure to make reservations to avoid a long wait.

Pizzeria Mozza

641 North HighlandAve

Hollywood, CA 90036

323-297-0101

Pizzeria Mozza

800 West Coast Highway

Newport Beach, CA 92663

949-945-1126