Robbie Mac's

Today I drove into Sherman Oaks for a late lunch.  To a place I used to eat at a lot many years ago, when I was just a boy selling newspapers at the local stand next door.  Everyday I would get a slice.  After standing for 8 hours outside in the heat a great slice of pizza filled my needs.  This time I got more than a slice, I ordered a large 16 inch cheese pizza, for 16 dollars.  A little on the pricey side but the ambience is a relaxing small pizza joint with big TV's for sports and a few beers on tap. 

The pizza was not as enjoyable this time around.  Perhaps driving 20 minutes out of the way to get it, having to pay for it (I usually got free slices) and not being super hungry after a long day of hard work, probably didn't help the taste of the pizza.  This is a good thing, I had it at face value, nothing swayed my taste buds.  

I have had a lot of pizza out here in LA by now, and unfortunately as much as I'd like to praise the pizza I can't.  I was average pizza.  Nothing more nothing less.  The main thing you taste is all the spices, specifically oregano.  They just load it on here, I think the sauce has a strong spicy flavor and then I think they put additional spices on the pizza as a whole.  I love Oregano but after a couple slices it becomes too much.  For a positive, the sauce and cheese had good balance, and the crust was pretty crispy and thin.  They use a more traditional cornmeal bottom with fits the flavor of the pizza pretty well.  Although the crust was not exactly right either, it was chewy and kind of flaky.  It was definitely not a fresh mound of dough that went in that oven, and a very buttery taste as well.  

I think they cook the pizza the way they want to cook it.  They have a definite plan, everything is intentional.  Some people may like this flavor and style of pizza.  But its not what Im looking for.  

Robbie Mac's Pizza - 14502 Ventura Blvd Sherman Oaks, CA

Price: $$

Overall:

 

Pizza Names

I have not seen or eaten at all the pizza joints in LA by a long shot, however I feel I have seen enough to make fun of their names.  Here are some of my favorites and some of the worst. Yeah I'm bored, so what.  

10 Best Names:

10. Asparagus Pizza-While not the best name for a pizza place, definitely original.  I'll give them props for trying

9.  Joe Peeps-The best Italian nickname, it's simple, it sticks and it sounds authentic.

8.  Joe's Pizza-This is simpler.  I'll show respect to a simple common name like Joe being able to stand out in NYC, land of pizza.  I guess the pizza must be that good.  

7.  Big Mama's and Papa's Pizzeria-I like that this place has not only big mamas but also big papas.  With a 36 inch pizza their name has a message.

6.  Bambino's Pizza-The great Bambino.  Babe ruth was not Italian but the word is, I like it.

5.  Pagliacci's Pizzeria-The name is an interesting one.  Has a good ring too it and has a good mascot to boot, a clown.  Plus an interesting history lesson behind it, if you like Italian opera.  

4.  Hard Times Pizza-This is another one that makes you think.  Not so much in the way of Italian, but pizza was a food that came out of hard economic times I suppose.  With the buffalo nickel as their logo it gets a little more specific about the hard times they are referring to.  It is simple and different.

3.  Guido's Pizza-I originally thought this was just a funny stereotypical name for Italians.   Thats why it is number 3.  But I've learned it is actually a given Italian name.  I've never met a Guido.  So now it's not that great.  I still think most people view Guido as a stereotypical Italian so I'm leaving it.    

2.  Pizza Mayven-Speaking of stereotypes, can you guess what kind of pizza this is.   Kosher pizza.  I love this name, it says so much, plus its fun to say.  

1.  Pizza Per Tutti-ok, this is so good it's bad.  It almost made the worst name list but instead it's number one on the best.  I don't know what they were thinking, I dont know anything about it, but it might be the funniest pizza joint name ever.  Where ever you are Tutti, this is for you.   

(Other notable names)

 Lucifer's - not as much the name as their whole devil theme.  It is, "Damned good pizza."

  The Coop - this is a good name for anything

Worst Names:

3. Hollywood Pizzeria Express-Express and Hollywood are two words you don't want to see in a name selling pizza.  Terrible name, and the pizza follows suit.

2. Prizzi's Piazza-This is just too damn confusing.  I had to stare at it for a long time to convince myself that neither of these words said pizza.  The person whos name looks like the word pizza also decided to pair that up with another Italian word that looks like pizza.  Good work, what, they sell Thai food?  I wouldn't be surprised.

1. W Love Pizza and Cafe-This tires me out.  There is a little heart on the sign and a big 'W'.  We Love Pizza ? Right ? Nope, With love Pizza.  Either way, stupid.  Hey at least it's a cafe too.  The place before it was called Pizza Hop, it makes that sound good.

Luckily names don't matter much in the world of pizza.  Pizza could be called asparagus and it would still be good, oh wait, it was. 

Hard times Pizza

I was in Silverlake, on my way to Nicky D’s Pizzeria, when I saw Hard Times Pizza.  When there’s one pizza place, there is always another, so I kept my eyes open.  You know you have a pizza problem when you stop for pizza on the way to getting pizza.

        I stopped in quick to have a slice.  The smell of freshly baked pizza hit me right away, I love that smell.  The place claimed to have authentic N.Y. thin crust pizza.  The front of the menu had a buffalo nickel on it. I suppose to represent the hard times when the buffalo nickel was in mint, between 1913 to 1938, the depression roughly.  I just put that in there to make me look smarter.

Anyway, they had display slices that had been cooked weeks ago it seemed and didn’t look very appetizing.  Thankfully it was only for display, they got my slice from somewhere else.  I got a slice of cheese for 2.17.

I since have ordered a whole pie.  I ordered a 14 inch for $12.  The pizza was just alright.  The sauce was a thicker, heavy sauce that was heavily seasoned with oregano.  There was a lot of both cheese and sauce on the pizza, and had good amount of oil on top.  The crust was somewhat crispy on the bottom but the consistency of it just seemed bland.  The outer edge of the crust was more of the same, there was no puff or bubbles, just flat, boring and plain.  The crust was on the thick side too.  Not thin enough to be "authentic N.Y. style".  The place was average and if I lived near by I could possibly settle for it, but when you have Nicky D's so close I'd go there.  This is different though, and people might and do, love it.  

It must have been hard times indeed.  

Hard times Pizza 

2664 Griffith Park Blvd.  Silverlake 90039

(323) 661-5656

Open: Mon-Sat: 11-11 Sun : 12-11

Price: $

Overall: