Pitfire Pizza Company: Downtown Pies

There are many times during the day when I crave a pizza. Quite often it's the moment I arise from sleep, groggy but grudgingly awake with the wafts of baking dough and melting cheese on the cusps of my dreams. During the workday there's nary an hour when i neglect at least a few thoughts of pizza pie, when I ponder the qualities of a crust or the ideal combinations of toppings.

Sadly, good pizza is harder to find in LA than one would like with the notables being Vito's, Antica, and Mozza. My personal favorite, Casa Bianca in Eagle Rock, is often the subject of debate and wrath from bloggers, Chowhounders, and Yelpers, but I have to give the extra edge to place I've frequented with my old buddies since high school. However, Casa Bianca's pizza is a singular style, with oddly shaped pieces and a crust that's neither doughy nor crispy but decidedly chewy like the crust of a good baguette laced with cornmeal. Heresy, many would say.

Pitfire Pizza cruises along with the standard-issue Californian style much in the likes of Caioti's or California Pizza Kitchen. Think imaginative, market-fresh ingredients with atypical toppings such as duck confit and goat cheese. I stumbled upon Pitfire because of an extremely inexpensive coupon acquired from Restaurant.com for a mere $2 that afforded a hefty $25 gift certificate. With pies hovering $10, Pitfire made a logical choice for a Friday evening meal with friends.


We had the Greens, Egg & Ham, a comical to Dr. Seuss, whose pie was graced with slight-bitter greens, thin prosciutto, gooey eggs and truffle oil. Whoever thought of this breakfast-like combination was a pure genius, as the runny yolks ran off the pie and made for a thick dipping sauce. The signature Burrata Pie featured fresh, creamy burrata cheese topped liberally with arugula, caramelized onions, hazelnuts, and pesto. Crusts on both pies were actually respectable, characterized by a bit of burnt edge and airy ends that were ever-so-sweet and salty. In the likes of Mozza but with only 25% of the complexity. Not bad for a pie that's 30% cheaper and easily acquired (meaning no ridiculous reservation or wait-time).

We also had the short-rib pappardelle but I think Pitfire should stick with the pies. The short-rib was a tad underseasoned and the pasta was completely undercooked. It's my opinion that pappardelle should not be al dente as it clings to sauce better when it's slightly overcooked. Fresh pappardelle does this easily but the dried variety as the one we had needed a bit more time in salted water. My friends also had the shrimp pizza and the chicken calzone. But were good though our pizzas were a little more interesting. Check out Pitfire during happy hours (4-7PM) for a ridiculous discount of 50%. At that price you just might dream of pizza too.

A HUGE bonus was the Auntie Ems cupcakes, which I would consider best in the city. Trust me, I used to work next to Crumbs and Sprinkles and ate at least one of those once a week. Thankfully, I used to LIVE next to Auntie Ems, so I had plenty of those as well. The red velvet is heavenly, moist and not overly-sweet while the cream-cheese frosting was just about perfect.

Pitfire Pizza Company
108 W 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 808-1200