Better then Nagila???

Pizza

Kosher pizza in Los Angeles isn't a very interesting topic. All the places have been opened forever or they are new but suck. Everyone has his or her preference, I know. However, I recently discovered a local slice here in Pico/Robertson and I'm completely hooked. Whereas before, I never found myself craving Nagila for dinner or popping into Pizza World on my way home from dropping the babysitter, I now find myself doing both of those in relation to my new obsession.

Of course I am talking about Shalom Pizza, home to the best kosher slice of pizza in LA (I do not include Valley Village in LA). I lived in this neighborhood for about 6 years, seeing this place and always thinking, "there's that gross looking Persian pizza place next to Haifa, I wonder who would eat there?" I'm not really sure how I ended up trying it out, I think it was a Sunday, I had the kids and was coming from LaCienega park when I decided to meet Chaim Woolf and his kid for lunch. Chaim doesn't like to drive (he's a walker) and it's a block from his place so we met there. As I ate the first slice it hit me "this is damn good pizza!" I continued to systematically inhale about 4 slices, savoring the sweet tomato basil sauce, the salty cheese and biting down on the perfectly crunchy crust. I soon came back, this time meeting Benny Forer with his kid and again I was floored by how good this pizza was. Now I'm constantly coming up with excuses and trying to convince my wife that we should take "the kids" for pizza. As far as my kids are concerned, they don't understand why we don't go to Nagila anymore.

For those of you who have never been to Shalom Pizza, as mentioned before it is a very small place next door to Haifa restaurant (home to the best kosher beef shish kebab in LA) near Pico and Shenandoah. The décor has not been updated in about 20 years by my estimation. The owner is a super nice guy; not sure what his name is. He told me that he learned how to make pizza from an Italian pizzeria owner in New York 30 years ago and I totally believe him. All the pizzas are made by hand the traditional way not by some machine. He makes his dough every evening and lets it rise overnight in the fridge never resorting to frozen dough. He uses the best chalav yisroel 100% mozzarella cheese for his pizza, never adding Cheddar or Monterey Jack as some less reputable places are known to do. He will not sacrifice the quality of his product to save a few bucks. Whereas the pizza at Nagila tastes commercial - perfectly consistent, never varying in taste or texture - each pizza from Shalom has its own personality. One time that I had it, it was a bit salty. The owner attributed it to the freshness of the cheese (he said that as the cheese ages the flavor mellows). He does his best to make his customers happy. As an example, one guy (probably a New Yorker) asked him to make the crust extra thin, no problem – try that at Nagila. If he sees you with a child he won't make the slice too hot so your kid can eat it right away. Overall, what makes this pizza special is the amazing crust. It is crunchy on bottom but soft and almost fluffy above that and has a hint of sweetness. The edge also known as the “cornicione” has perfectly inconsistent bubbles that are light and airy and make eating the end crust my favorite part of the meal.

I haven’t explored much of the rest of his menu – his baked ziti, which is served with a small piece of baked pizza dough, is good although he needs to leave it in the oven a bit longer (I like the cheese to be a bit brown and crispy on top). The calazone that I tasted was made from the same delicious, slightly sweet dough that his pizza uses and comes with a side of marinara sauce for dipping. I don’t really understand why he sells egg rolls but apparently the school that he supplies liked them so he added them to his menu.

I urge all of you to go and try Shalom Pizza as you will not be disappointed. Shabbat Shalom.