Today I took a stroll down Larchmont Blvd. A somewhat hidden little strip of land with lots of trendy shops and eateries. There are 2 pizza places on this street, Z Pizza and Village Pizzeria. Today I only had room in my stomach for one. I've been to Z pizza, so today it was the Village Pizzeria. A lot of people say this is great. The pizza is pretty spot on to what it should be. The crust is extra thin and not too doughy at the end. The cheese and sauce go perfectly together, the right amounts and the right ingredients. After my standard slice of cheese, I had to get a sausage and green pepper slice. These are my favorite toppings. They have a ton of toppings, including one with not so fresh clams and garlic. There was so much sausage on my pizza that it was falling out the back and the peppers were cut paper thin. The problem with the toppings is, if you get a slice they are thrown on top of the pizza after the fact. They are not cooked in with the pizza.
I had a good long lunch there, sitting outside and sipping a beer watching the people go by. Mid-slice Jason Alexander walked by. I would say the crust got a little too thin at the end and it maybe was a touch too greasy. This combination made it a little hard to eat the first few bites, but it tasted great. Also the place is crazy busy and sometimes you might want to steer clear of the crowd. But it is usually worth it. The best thing is that they now have one on Yucca in Hollywood so I think I can get delivery.
Now since this is one of my top pizzas, I do frequent the place often. The biggest downfall to the place is the inconsistency. I have gotten both slices and whole pies and every time they are different. In fact the last time I was there the slices were so bad that my friend would not finish them. I finished mine, but didn't really enjoy it, ha ha. Some of the problems I have come across are cooking time, especially with the slices. If it is busy I can understand that each slice sometimes will not get as much attention as is needed. So I have gotten slices that have been over cooked and burnt and on other days I have gotten under cooked slices. When they are undercooked it becomes more of a serious issue. The pizza is generally pretty oily which comes from lower grade cheese. When it is under cooked the oil doesn't seep in as much and sits on the top, making it extremely soggy and fairly unappetizing. Add to that fact, you might be getting a slice that has been sitting around for too long. Needless to say, be cautious when ordering a slice. These experiences have all come from the Larchmont location. Getting a whole pie may solve these issues however it can still be cooked to long or to little.
I have less experience with the location on Yucca, but in my experience it is more consistent and they handle their toppings better. They have been open less time so currently I know the owner is there every day to watch over things. So in my opinion getting pizza from there is a better bet.
Village Pizzeria, when you have a pizza that is cooked right and made with love is one of the better places in LA. However slight variations and inconsistencies really change the overall experience of this pizza. I will still go there myself. But when the inconsistencies become more commonplace then it is time to stop.
Below are some experiences that I wrote about at the time I had them, but they basically reiterate what I have already said. Skip to the bottom to see my rating.
My parents have been in town, which is one of the reasons I have been slow to post lately. I took them to Village Pizzeria, more for the experience than the pizza. My experience was different this time and I felt I should add a little update about it.
I tried their special clams and garlic slice and it was pretty delicious. A good combination. The problem is the same as before, they put a lot of clams and garlic on the pizza. No matter what the topping, peppers, sausage, clams, it is a lot, too much really. When you have toppings like clams and garlic, both strong tastes, you notice the amount you are eating. It is hard to really enjoy the essential parts of the pizza when there is so much on top. Plus it makes it harder to eat, especially with their thin crust. I got a green pepper slice of pizza too, and again, I love peppers, but too much.
Visit 7: 9/25/08
I know one update is enough, nobody wants to read all this. I have to say that I ordered delivery from the Village Pizzeria on Yucca St. It was just as good if not better.
And since I don't have any pictures of one of the best pies in L.A. here is the delivery cheese with green peppers.
You will notice in this picture that the toppings were a lot less than the Larchmont location. Which I see as an improvement. They were not cut as paper thin as the ones on Larchmont, but they were actually cooked in the pizza at the same time, which is a huge improvement.
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I ate a slice of pizza here recently and it was terrible. Way below average, reminded me of some of the crappiest pizza back home in NY.
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