Why can’t we go to a pizzeria and enjoy amazing pizza without saying “Great but not as good as ___!” The Chicago-style deep dish pizza at Masa’s Restaurant in Echo Park (Los Angeles) was pretty perfect: Delicate crust with just enough soft / crisp, house made sausage with a ton of fennel seeds and chunks of tomato while not being soupy or soggy. (Just as good the next morning with 5 minutes in the toaster. Sans warm beer.)
The co-owner Rhonda says that people come in and love it. “Have you heard of Zachary’s in Oakland?” I asked. That joint has a cult following of deep dish lovers. She reported that some people come in and say they love Masa’s “but it’s not Zachary’s!”
How funny how loyal we are to our favorite pizzas. In the Bay Area, I love Little Star (famous for its cornmeal crust), which might explain why I loved Masa’s so much. One of their pizza makers hails from Little Star.
It’s just different.
The worst thing you can hear in a relationship is that mysterious answer to “Did you like he / she better than me?” Answer: “It was different.”
Maybe because trying new pizzas isn’t technically cheating on your favorites, but it would be nice if we started saying “It’s different.” Unless it really sucks, that is.
Masa’s isn’t just different. It should be on a top pizzas in the country list for sure!
Pizza memory lane, High Fidelity style
Good times at Golden Boy in San Francisco
Hudson Valley pizza (by Susie)
The perfect food?
