Pizza Fusion

So a relatively new place called Pizza Fusion opened in Santa Monica. For their grand opening they promised free beer and wine and of course free pizza. I couldn't say no to that, so I made the trip to see what the Fusion was all about. I knew only 2 things about this place going in which is more than I usually do I suppose. One was that they serve all organic food. Which I will get to later. The second was the fact that Pizza Fusion started in Florida and now as a franchise has opened places all over the country, including 6 in California, including one in Hollywood.

Once I got there it was a little crazy. There were a ton of ravenous people who attacked each other every time a new pizza came out and the free beer was basically just a shot. I wasn't surprised, you can't expect to give away whole free beers for 3 hours. So it took me awhile to get some pizza, I wasn't in the mood for fighting so I waited till everyone was full and then made my move. After an hour and half I managed to sample quite a few different pizzas. So for once I have pictures of pizza that actually have toppings on them. Ironically I don't have a picture of the cheese pizza.

The top one was my favorite. It was a veggie pizza with artichokes, red onions, zucchini and portobellos. The bottom picture is a sun dried tomato and garlic one. In between were some of the biggest pepperoni's I have seen.

I did manage to get a few cheese squares. I have to say the pizza exceeded my expectations. The crust was thin and crispy with a good crunch. The sauce was the highlight, lightly spiced but still fresh and sweet tasting. The cheese was good as well a little oily, but its organic oil so its ok... right? It isn't all mozzarella cheese though, it is a mixture with provolone and parmesan. Overall a pretty enjoyable pizza, the dough could have had a little more rise on the outer edge. Giving it a little more of a light and airy texture. Instead it was kind of dense. I really can't complain about anything else, except the price. You get an oblong shaped cheese pizza, which is 18''x9'' for 14 dollars. Depending on the toppings it could go up to $21. I guess this isn't too ridiculous considering you have fresh organic ingredients.

The toppings on the other pizzas were all great, good combinations and fresh flavorful meats and veggies. They have a multi grain crust that was really good actually, and a gluten free pizza which I didn't try. I did have a small piece of the vegan pizza, and I have to say it didn't taste all that different than the regular.

Here is my friend Lily to elaborate on the Vegan Pizza:

A few hours after lunch at the GOLDEN MEAN VEGAN CAFE, I still needed to satiate my pizza craving so I headed to PIZZA FUSION in Santa Monica, CA for some din-din. Pizza Fusion offers an array of tasty organic pizza options and even has a few vegan and gluten free options for those of us with dietary restrictions. I opted for the "Very Vegan" pizza topped with crimini mushrooms, roasted garlic, tomato sauce and your choice of either soy cheese or Daiya cheese (they just started offering Daiya cheese so its not on the menu yet). The waitress was just as excited as I was about the Daiya cheese and told me I made a great choice. Now even though my order was classified vegan the only difference is the cheese - and I've already detailed the goodness that is Daiya. No cornmeal crust here - just your regular pizza dough, so this vegan pizza tastes AUTHENTIC! I'm willing to bet if you didn't tell someone it was a vegan pizza they might never know the difference. I'll definitely be back for more of this stuff the next time the pizza bug bites! Yum!

(For more Lily Vegan Reviews CLICK HERE)

So this may be a chain but it seems to really have a high standard for its food. It is great that it offers such fresh options for food. The whole organic movement is big here in CA and is spreading all over the country. So often this organic concept is exploited for something more than it is. I mean vegetables are by nature organic, so why do we pay more for organic things and why wasn't it organic to begin with. This is a subject I really know nothing about so excuse my ignorance. I understand the way we produce food now is not really healthy from beginning to end. This of course needs to change. So if we want to call the answer organic I'm all for it. I'm happy pizza is included in this organic revolution. So often pizza is thought of as an unhealthy food. When you see the overweight middle America ordering there Domino's cheese stuffed crust it's hard to argue. But pizza in its purest form, eaten in a reasonable portion can be a fairly balanced meal especially when you throw some fresh veggies on it. So I am happy that Pizza Fusion is bringing organic pizza to the mainstream. Which means maybe less people will eat Pizza Hut and more people will appreciate good pizza in all its forms. Or Pizza Hut will just invent an "organic style" of pizza on its own and sell it to you with a x-large Coke.

Pizza Fusion

2901 Ocean Park Blvd. 90401

(6 others in CA alone)

310-581-2901

Price: $$

Overall: Vegan Pizza: