Profile
SkyHighGluten
Freelance wood-fired pizza guy for hire. Currently working for Chef Ori Menashe at his new downtown restaurant, Bestia, kicking out some serious Neapolitan-inspired pies and wood-fired sourdough breads: www.bestiala.com
- Website
- Location: Santa Monica
- Favorite foods: bread and cheese
- Last bite on earth: bread and cheese...and beer
Los Angeles: Village Pizzeria Resists The Winds Of Change
Very fair review, Lance, as always. And funny. I thought I was the only one who found Entourage abhorrent.
Los Angeles: The New California Style at Olio Pizzeria & Café
Never had a bad pizza here, especially when Bradford was there everyday. How often is he there now, Kelly?
Dispatches From The 2013 International Pizza Expo In Las Vegas
Great job Lance, as always. Love the last shot too, 49 of 49. I thought I saw EVERYTHING at the Expo but I guess not.
Eater's Pizzeria Heatmap
What a useless list.
Venice, CA: On Gjelina and the Rise of Cheffy Pizza
@Lance: Ah, yes, the Spice Girl thing. Well, we'll never really know for sure unless one of us gets his greasy paws on a time machine so let's just get back to the meat of your post: cheffy pizza.
I guess the good news for all of us is that LA pizza has come up several notches in recent years mostly thanks to these guys, particularly with regard to the toppings but also the crust. Most chefs have taken a back-to-basics, artisan approach to the dough using premium quality flours, longer fermentation times and of course wood fired ovens. What's not to like, besides the prices?
And, these day, if you don't like the prices you can just go to any of the new generation of fast-casual pizzerias which seem to be multiplying by the minute. I haven't found a decent fast-casual pizza place yet which delivers on the "artisan" promise but hopefully that's just a matter of time.
Venice, CA: On Gjelina and the Rise of Cheffy Pizza
No substitutions, no modifications, no alterations, no deletions, no really. Was it Gjelina or Father's Office who started that whole thing? I thought it was F.O. Whatever the case, these days I mostly see...menu modifications politely declined. So much less sassy, don't you think?
The Pizza Lab: How To Make Vegan Pizzas That Really Work
As much as I hate to admit it, cashew cheese is pretty darn tasty. I've been doing lots of pizza catering lately and the overwhelming favorite (even among non-vegans) has to be this recipe from Real Food Daily, a local vegan restaurant in LA...
http://www.realfood.com/blog/vegan-cashew-cheese-recipe
If you're not paying attention, you might not even notice it's not real cheese.
Daily Slice: Tre Truffle at The Urban Oven, Los Angeles
Oh to have Chris Bianco giving you guidance. Looks like the pies are improving. Nice up-skirt shot too. Keep it up...
For Taste or Nutrition? Charlotte's Pure Pizza Puts You to the Test
Lance, is there anywhere you WOULDN'T go for a slice of pizza?
Daily Slice: Fig and Arugula Pide at Momed, Los Angeles
When you say "sleeker," do you mean that they've cut down on the toppings or is the whole thing smaller? Looks kind of "petite" for $14, no?
Los Angeles: Urbano Pizza Bar Carves Out a Niche in the Middle
Yeah, just what he needs. Some dough dork to come in and start lecturing him on the wonders of poolish. That guy knows what he's doing. He's a tiger shark dressed as a salmon filet.
Chicago Pizza: Floriole Cafe & Bakery Pizza
You hit the pizza on the pepperoni, Kelly. This is what our pizza looks like here in LA, kind of like great bread with chef-inspired toppings. The pizzetta with potatoes, cheddar, walnut pesto and garden grown herbs was up there with the best potato pizzas in NYC and Rome.
Daily Slice: Roasted Tomatoes at The Churchill, Los Angeles
I think Bruce Kalman has found a way to replicate himself on a cellular level. It's impossible for a chef of that magnitude to move from restaurant to restaurant that fast - impossible.
Los Angeles: Urbano Pizza Bar Carves Out a Niche in the Middle
Man, I can't believe they're already on chef #3. It seems like only yesterday that I met Bruce Kalman at the SM Farmer's Market and we became locked in a conversation pre-ferments and he seemed very excited and now...poof, he's gone. Anyway, very fair review as always, Lance. Oh, and thanks for your Chi-town suggestions. Pequod's and Vito & Nick's both exceeded expectation. And don't forget to add (relative) newcomer bakery and cafe Floriole to your list for kick-ass potato, cheddar and walnut pesto pizettas!!!
Chicago Pizza: Floriole Cafe & Bakery Pizza
I just so happen to be going to Chicago THIS weekend. What are the chances??? I am so adding this place to my pizza crawl...
A Pizza My Mind: Fast Casual Pizza
That fast-casual spread sheet is a nice touch. Someone did their homework.
Farm to Factory Tour of Bianco DiNapoli Tomatoes
Wow! Amazing. Beautiful photos too, Kelly. Next year, let's stand on the side of the highway and scoop up all of those roadside tomatoes and make the best Highway Ragout anyone has ever tasted...
Photo of the Day: World's Largest Deliverable Pizza
This reminds me of the opening of Annie Hall, except the opposite is true...two elderly women are at a Catskill Mountains resort, and one of them says, "Boy, the food at this place is really terrible." The other one says, "Yeah, I know, and such small portions."
A Sandwich a Day: The Fried Chicken at Son of a Gun in Los Angeles
Whoa, I've been dreaming about this sandwich. This looks like some serious competition to my favorite, the smoked-then-grilled chicken sandwich (on a hard roll, not soft) at Baby Blues in Venice. Topped with coleslaw and homemade BBQ sauce? Yum!
Daily Slice: Pizza Bread at Little Gourmet, Los Angeles
Looks good in a really bad way. Yum.
Mother Dough: Is "Good" Good Enough in Los Angeles?
I gotta say, I walked into that place one time and saw the line out the door and watched ONE guy trying to stretch, top and bake every pie and...as fast as he was, I walked out. People were waiting in line for 1/2 hour + and tables were waiting at least that long too. To me, he is some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy. If Paulie Gee and Roberto Caporuscio can train guys to do it just as well (Roberto actually says that he has a guy who might be faster than he is), then why can't this guy? Does anyone ever wait for more than 10 minutes for a pie at Keste? Not when I've been there.
Possibly this guy would reach the greatness that Lance says is missing if he concentrated on specifics instead of trying to do everything well. Easier said than done for some, including myself. Oh well. We can't all be Anthony Mangieri...
Top This: Pollo (à la Trattoria Neapolis)
Great job, as usual, Kelly! There seems to be an ongoing debate on Slice about chicken on pizza and I think Trattoria Neapolis has put the final nail in that coffin. That argument is now dead, according to me, but it appears that it took a village...or, more specifically, a restaurant owner with vision, a Sicilian pizzaiolo with fast hands and some juicy California oranges to make it happen. Finally.
Poll: Do You Shake Garlic on Your Slice?
Now that we are all adults (we are all adults, aren't we?), it's time to move up to some quality garlic powder.
If you're not still putting this stuff on your pasta...
http://www.chefodonnell.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Kraft-parmesan.gif
You should be putting this stuff on your pizza...tah-daaah...
http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysgarlic.html
'Cheese Pizza' vs. 'Plain Pizza' vs. 'Margherita Pizza'
One time in the 80's, before I knew anything about anything about pizza, I went to Joe's on Bleecker St and ordered a "slice of cheese pizza." The guy at the counter (original Joe's son, probably, not the "fake Joe" in LA) gave me a long, hot stare and corrected me in front of the whole line: "You mean 'a slice', right?" Right. Never forgot that one.
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Great interview, Lance. Really though, did you inject him with some truth serum before the interview or what? This guy is an open book. Amazing.