Move over California Pizza Kitchen
There's no denying CPK founder Ed LaDou did great things for the pizza and since his initial bbq chicken and thai chicken concotions the pizza market exploded and everybody pitched in (although I'll never understand the egg and pea pizza). But CPK became so commercial and the quality's started to drop.
The remedy: Stonefire Pizza Co. on North La Cienega. North of the Bev Center about a mile is this very hip new pizza place with a totally local feel and relaxed environment. It's kinda a low brow meets high brow type of place ie. they serve the great California Cab. Opus One by the glass (it's not cheap).
The trick is to go during happy hour between 4-7 each day when the pizza and the beer (Blue Moon on tap!) is half off. Some of the best pizzas are the prociutto and arugula, steakhouse, no name (sweet sausage and pesto sauce) and the dessert pizza (a decadent layering of cookie on the bottom topped with crushed walnuts, honey, and marshmallows which are toasted in a pizza oven and topped with chocolate and caramel) is absolutely unbelievable, and sure to induce food coma. Good for that special lady, or that special little league team, or grab one for yourself.
