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Oh, Totonno's if they're open. Just bite the bullet and head to Coney.

Always love Metro, but I'm going to try Vegas Grimaldi's this time. Actually, I'll probably do them both.

There's plenty of reasons to be bummed about living in LA, but missing this is near the top.

Last time I drove to Bianco from LA I stopped at the Grimaldi's in Phoenix on the way home the next day. It was also really good (though I had just had Bianco the night before so that can't help but hurt the taste).

That list is sorely lacking. Obviously Mozza belongs but the pies there would make it on a best-of list for the nation. Vito's definitely belongs, Lamonica's is kind of okay... and the rest are overrated. Casa Bianca is a cardboard pie without the (admittedly good) toppings. Pizza Buona is greasy mom and pop. Mulberry is an expensive sham. Nicky D's is about as average as you can get for a wood-burning oven.

Where's Joe's of Bleeker? It's average in NYC, it's a revelation in Los Angeles. Village is inconsistent, but it's still better than the others. Antica Pizzeria belongs, even Bollini's -- if you catch them on the right night. For a city with so few good options for pizza, it's amazing that gridskipper missed so many of them.

That's a lot of pizza... Really great review, too. I think Mozza's great, but I find myself going less and less. It used to be once every couple weeks, now it's more like once a month. It's no fun to play rezzie games and the walk-in bar can get old when you're paying Mozza prices. More importantly, the pizza is a lot less consistent than it was when Nancy was behind the counter. I know she wasn't cooking, but she put some humanity into that assembly line. If you watch them making the pies now, it's just a speed game. That said, I don't think she (and I believe it's all Nancy -- zero Batali) ever figured out the sauce so the Margherita is lacking... and if you can't get by on sauce, cheese and basil alone, there is something off on the pie. It sure isn't the crust.

Also, it's strange, but that place usually does have lousy service (though to the guy suggesting to waiters that he's in the biz to get better service -- creepy, wrong and I imagine ineffective when dealing most humans with a brain).

Now I usually take my cash next to door to the Osteria, which actually does have great food and service. Maybe when Mozza opens their takeout shop next door I'll hit it more... but Una Pizza Napoletana and Pizzeria Bianco have it all over Mozza in craft and service/ambience.

First off, I agree wholeheartedly with the Pizza Maven. I live a few blocks from Vito's and eat there 2-3 times a week. I'm a big fan of the sausage there and the pesto slices are pretty great (especially that ricotta), but the inconsistent sizing of slices sometimes has me questioning the prices. Though it has slid since the departure of Joe, I think Joe's pepperoni has more punch. Vito's recently introduced a fresh mozzarella pie, but it doesn't work. I usually like the sauce there, but it's not strong enough to balance out the fresh cheese. When you get a bite without mozzarella it tastes watery. Joe's fresh mozz is worth the drive for me. They're both about as good as you can get for NYC wannabes out here. Mozza, as stated, is in another class.

Couple new openings. Cristoni on Sunset. They got some Italian guy who is a master at the wood oven...and when he showed up they had already bought him a Baker's Pride. The crust is too thick and the bottom burns too easily. A real disappointment.

The other new place is Verazzano's on La Brea. Two brothers from Brooklyn and Staten Island opened up their very own place in LA... and it's okay. The sauce isn't as strong as it should be and the crust is hard and thick. That said, the toppings (and fresh mozzarella) were all universally good. Much better atmosphere than Cristoni and most other places out here.

Wonder if she's been to Phoenix...

I had Grimaldi's in Phoenix. Ed Levine reviewed them all "A Slice of Heaven" and wrote that the one in Phoenix was better than the NY branches. It was good stuff, but it wouldn't crack the top of what I tasted in New York.

I live a couple blocks from Vito's and hit it up once or twice a week, Joe's once every three weeks or so. Depending on what kind of pie you get, Vito's is on par with Joe's. The white pies are better than Joe's whites, but Joe's pizzas with toppings are better. Vito's doesn't offer a fresh mozz pie. Both of them are Baker's Pride places so don't get too excited if you're used to wood or coal.

I had Bollini's again (Monterey Park?) and was more impressed the second time. They have a wood oven, inconsistent service. Better than Casa Bianco, probably not as good as Petrillo's if you live out there.

Finally, I went back to Mozza after a big NYC trip and though the crust there still rocks (it has to be among the best there is), I now realize that it's the so-so sauce that keeps it from greatness. Of course the majority of pies there don't come with tomato sauce anyway, but still...

I ran through a ton of NYC pizza over the 4th of July and just had Joe's in SM last weekend. The fresh mozzarella pie is pretty good and I've had about a dozen of them so I know what they're capable of there... but it couldn't hold a candle to anything I had in the city. Sadly. LA pizza is dead for me.

I've actually gone back twice and you're so right about the Rosa. Even funnier, it's my wife's favorite, as well. I kind of dragged her there and when we left she gave a 10 minute dissertation on why Bianco is a master.