We all know about the four major food groups.  But in the foodie world one of those food groups is pizza!! No not the guys that deliver that bread dough that has a thin spread of tomato sauce and topped with some kind of cheese stuff on it to your house, I’m talking PIZZA!! Now here is a place that’s a fantastic local hang-out with great food. PizzaRev has been open just one year and already has three restaurants and thousands of followers. We can now add two more followers to the list. My teenage daughter Rachel and I visited with founder and chef/operator Nicholas Ekerman at his Studio City location. We arrived in the middle of Saturday afternoon and we were amazed how busy the restaurant was. There was the aroma of garlic and oregano in the air. We could smell the yeast of pizza dough rising. We saw visions of beautiful fresh produce and hand crafted pizzas. Oh boy, we knew we hit gold on this one.

PizzaRev is a place for all ages. There were tables of teenagers munching and chatting, 30 something’s, families with little ones and seniors all relaxing and enjoying great pizzas, salads and drinks. We were greeted by Michelle who cheerfully explained how the restaurant works. This is not your normal sit down at a table and order a premade pizza, this is where you get to pick your own ingredients and have exactly what you want on your own personal pizza that is cooked in 2&1/2 minutes right before your eyes! With all the available ingredients you could build over a million combinations. You walk up right to the kitchen counter and choose your toppings. The staff builds your pizza for you. Now wait till you see what you can choose from to have on your pizza. All the classics are there but with a twist. It’s not just Mozzarella cheese, the cheese is made from Buffalo Milk just like you would find in the best pizza places in Rome. You can also get reduced-fat mozzarella, feta, bleu and ricotta cheese.

While we were gazing over the ingredients and dreaming of our pizzas we were joined by Nick. Nick is no stranger to making great food. Nick grew up in the kitchens of Ritz Carlton in Kaanapali Hawaii and Marina Del Rey in California. He also has some good seasoning under his belt as the F&B at the Malibu Beach Inn. With a background like that no wonder the food is so good. Nick suggested that we try the “Fennel and Sausage” pizza made with EVOO, Buffalo mozzarella, ricotta, sweet fennel sausage and topped with crushed fennel seed. Talk about a great pizza. I was happy! My daughter has no fear in the kitchen. Being the daughter of a chef she has grown up with great food and ingredients. Rachel goes for it with gusto. She designs her own pizza with spicy pepperoni, spinach, artichokes, jalapenos, capers, red onion, olives and who knows what else was on there. But let me say when those pizzas come out of the oven there are a lot of Ooooh’s and Aaaah’s!!

PizzaRev serves a California wines and locally crafted beers. We grabbed some Jones soda and headed for the table. We both took our first bites of the thin crust Roman style pizza and smiles were blooming on our faces. Rachel exclaimed “Oh my gosh, this is the best pizza!” Amazingly when you bite into the pizza with the Buffalo Mozzarella cheese there was not a big string of cheese pulling you back to the pizza. The cheese has a rich velvety texture that was incredible! These pizzas are light and full of flavor. They are just my size. PizzaRev also has salads. Have a Caesar salad or a house salad with fat free Balsamic vinaigrette or better yet build your own salad. Best part of building your own salad is you get to choose from the same great ingredients that you can put on a pizza. Michelle delivered a dessert pizza for the table. This thin crust delicacy was like a churro on steroids and striped with chocolate sauce, caramel sauce and strawberry glaze. Just too much food for us to finish but we gave it a shot anyway.

 So for a great place to connect with friends and family over a great “PIE” stop over at PizzaRev and ask for Nick. Groups and parties are always welcomed at PizzaRev. PizzaRev has a program for community projects called “Pizza with a Purpose”. Each restaurants serves pizza for fund raising for the Humane Society as well as local schools and organizations. Check with your local PizzaRev restaurant for details. PizzaRev serves lunch and dinner daily with locations in Studio City, Northridge and Woodland Hills.

 

By Chef Robert Sturm