Truffle Pizza from WildCraft Sourdough in Culver City
There's always a new pizza place in town in L.A., which is good for the eternal pizza maven in me. I've probably had 800 Degrees more than 10 times now, Sotto more than 20, and probably half a dozen occasions of Hollywood Pies. The last version is arguable the only legitimate Chicago-style deep dish pizza available in Los Angeles. WildCraft opened quietly a few months ago in Culver City, on a stretch that doesn't really need any more restaurants, but also doesn't have a stand-out pizzeria in a vein of Pizzeria Mozza.
WildCraft did a rather modern, refreshing build out of the former Le Saint Amour space that evokes something of a mix between Chego (which is more casual) and Flour & Water (in San Francisco's Mission District). The pizzas are made in a wood-fired oven that's visible from the Culver Blvd. side of the restaurant, which makes the high bar-style seating along the middle of the restaurant an appealing place to sit. They've also adopted these elevated marble table trays that allow for more room, and a place to put things like water glasses, extra plates, and even pizzas if one dares.
This time around, we only managed to order two of the pies, but I felt like they were pretty indicative of what you might expect with the rest of the pizza menu. The Truffle Pizza pictures above was excellent, with meaty mushrooms, fontina (which might be one of the best cheeses when melted), taleggio, fried sage and truffle oil. Yes, truffle oil is mostly detestable, but I'm not as opposed to it as most food writers. It's one of those things that you should only "feel" not really taste, because an over-use of the stuff immediately makes every dish extremely cloying. This pizza was pretty balanced between the toppings and the very sour crust, which becomes apparent with every bite. This dough is a departure from the other types of pizzas available in L.A. and it might not be very popular with the pizza cognoscenti.
We also enjoyed the Spicy Sausage Pizza, which came with tomato sauce, fennel sausage, fior di latte, garlic chips, provoline, and calabrian chilies for spice. The crust managed to get a light blackening though it still was still baked all the way through, unlike some of the specimens that come out of Sotto's oven (still probably my overall favorite in the city). I'll have to head back for some of WildCraft's non-pizza items but overall it's a feather in the cap for Downtown Culver City's rather boring selection of restaurants.
WildCraft Sourdough Pizza
9725 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310-815-8100