Top 5 Hamburgers

Bong-o,

I'm not a big believer in this new high-end, designer, pizza fad that's overtaken LA. Like burgers, pizza is a food of the masses. It's one of the highest profit margin, and cheapest to make, items in all of restauranting. So, a $20 personal designer pizza that the size of an appetizer does nothing for me no matter how good it is. When I get a pie, I'm looking to my eat on.

And yeah, I've been to Pizzaria Mozza and a few of the other new high-end places. They are good, but to tell the truth, none of them are any better than this little shack in Pedro - not from an ingredient and final taste POV, and certainly not from a value perspective:

Pavich's Brick Oven Pizzeria (LA Times review)
2311 S. Alma St., (just north of 25th St, on Alma)
San Pedro, (310) 519-1200

This is one of the great thin-crust pizza in Los Angeles. It is a true Mediterranean style pie, but from a Croatian perspective. A light, flakey, almost filo dough like crust with just the right amount of toasting to make it crackle and crunch. Quality toppings bursting with flavor. Terrific cheeses. Most of their pizzas are lightly topped, but they've lately begun to offering "everything but the kitchen sink" versions because that's what people are used to. (picture slideshow)

And get this, their 18" premium pizza is........$18-20. That's right, a twenty spot, maybe even some change back. This sucker is a two or three meal affair, easy. And that's pigging out. Check the slideshow above.

The only downside is that is take-out only. There is usually one or two fold-out tables out front during the day, if you are lucky. But, grab one and head down the street(Alma) 1 mile to a park with a 180 degree view of the entire coast from Malibu to Dana Point.

T Mob and Tvad: Thanks guys. TM: I agree with you. In Italy, where I have spent some time on sabbatical, you could buy a feshly made pizza for about $6 with real tomatoes from Naples and buffalo mozz. cheese. Simply made but choice tasty ingredients. Hard to imagine that fetches $20 here.

I travel to NYC every other week, so I am a little spoiled, by all the great slice joints--Emporio, Lazzos, La Pizza Fresca, L & M etc... Lots of cool Neopolitan style pizza places are spreading up--Keste is particularly hot--made it to #1 in New York Magazine after only being open four months. My favorite non-NY pizza places is Serious Pie in Seattle and A16 in SF. Have not taken the time to drive up to Mozza as I live in Laguna Beach and it would be a hour and half haul on a good day. San Pedro is a easy 45 minute shot so I will check your recommendation out.

I have spent a fair amount of time in Santa Maria (Jockos), Austin (The Salt Lick) and Memphis (A & R) sampling some great Q. I especially like a website called www.choppedonion.com that covers all the great backroad barbecue joints in the South. Tasty-Q sounds like my kind of joint. Just never think to go up to South Central.

Bongo,

My girlfriend grew up and still lives in Laguna up on the hill - Temple Hills Dr. So, I make it down that way fairly often. Have you tried Eva's(formerly Drew's) Jamaican on the south side of town. I haven't been in a long time, but I do remember it was as authentic, and good, as I've ever had in Southern California. Their jerk meats & Calaloo soup are out of this world.

I seem to remember Mozambique being pretty good in it's prime, especially the chicken livers in Peri-peri sauce. Actually, Peri-Peri on anything is good.

In Italy, where I have spent some time on sabbatical, you could buy a feshly made pizza for about $6 with real tomatoes from Naples and buffalo mozz. cheese. Simply made but choice tasty ingredients.

Pavich's makes a classic "Margarita" just like in Italy and it is fantastic. But, most people will recommend the "Croatian". Half & Half would not be a bad way to go first time.

D-Mob and Bong-o, I agree on the high end pizza being an oxymoron. I grew up in Chicago, where one of the few great foods was Pizza. I love Chicago, great town, but not the best food town in the US, especially in the low to mid price range.

Anyway, Houston has the worst pizza in of anywhere I have ever been. Great food in general, huge diversity because of the huge foriengn population, but man, pizza here sucks. So we have gotte a few of those "High End" pizza places opening in very nice parts of town. I have a problem paying $40 for a pizza. Especially when I think of how you can walk into those little shops off the squares in Rome and get a great slice for about $2.50. Now that's pizza!

I love NY pizza too, same type deal. Different than the stuff in Italy, and much different than the deep dish (can you say Gino's East) in Chicago, but equally as satisfying.

BTW, my company's office in Cali is in Newport Beach, right off of MacArthur. Bongo I owe you at least lunch, but beer and dinner would be better, next time I am there, for my red card rant on the rap thread. I still think rap sucks though.