Go Eat This Pizza!

Unlike my husband, who has a very unnatural love of pizza that blinds him to any health risks of eating it 3 times a day (he doesn't do this, but not because he doesn't want to), I like a good pizza every now and then. I'm no die-hard and am perfectly satisfied with tracking my order of a artery-clogging American Legends pizza from Domino's. However, I've been known to appreciate the St. Louis style Imo's Pizza which is very thin crust, provel cheesy pizza cut into small squares, as well as the deep dish Chicago-style pizza. My tastebuds are very open-minded, so it was no big deal to try out Pitfire Pizza Company's pizza at 2018 Westwood Blvd. But, wow! I don't know what it is about the Mugnaini Pizza Oven, but that thing bakes slices of Southern Italy that turn out to be the best darn pie on the Westside!

The restaurant is open, airy, noisy, with booths, tables, highchairs, indoor and outdoor -- all of which are perfect for families with kids. Not that unmarried people aren't welcome, but when we went for dinner on a Thursday evening around 6ish, my husband exclaimed, "Wow, I see a lotta critters in there!" If you are drinking parents, you can bring in your own beer or wine and there's no corkage fee, which is a much better move than ordering the $10 glass of cab that I did. Even Pitfire's web site recommends getting your booze at Wally's across the street. And there's a special treat for sparkling water fans: it's on tap and you get a big bottle -- like Vos meets jug -- to take to the table.

As for ordering, one parent should stand in line to order while the other scouts a table. Avoid looking at the glass case of giant Auntie Em cupcakes -- they're expensive with delicious frosting, but dry cake -- and definitely get a pizza for each adult and share one slice of each with the kid. If you have more than one child, get a pizza for every two. We made the mistake of being nice and "sharing" our pizza with our 2-year-old toddler and had to order another mid-dinner. We were fans of the nitrate-free pepperoni, and our 9-year old boy chomped down the margherita pizza. Meatballs were yummy, but not out-of-this-world. And the salad rocked! Yep, even for someone who thinks of eating salad as drudgery, I absolutely loved the Hand Chopped Salad with Grilled Chicken. Everything we ate tasted soooo fresh that I'm pretty sure everything this restaurant makes is delicioso! They also have locations in NoHo and Downtown, so don't wait another meal -- go eat this pizza!