Help with choosing 1 of 3

[gmk1322]

Hello All,

I will be coming into LA on Wednesday and need help with selecting a restaurant for dinner. While coming to LA for a different reason, I will be having a celebratory dinner having graduated with my MA in psychology! As such, I need to choose which restaurant to pick from:

Gjelina or
pizzeria mozza or
rustic canyon

It will be for two people and I am just curious which of the places is at the top of their game right now and which will give me the best food. All of your advice is greatly appreciated!

[gmk1322]

Hello All,

Thanks for the quick responses and congratulatory postings everyone! I do have a reservation at pizzeria mozza and will be keeping that reservation. I will be coming from Fresno that morning, eating a light lunch at Tender Greens before going to UCLA and then to the restaurant for dinner later. Breakfast at John O'Groats on pico - my last LA breakfast before moving to Baltimore :(

[Servorg]

You'll be smashing blue crabs with a wooden mallet before you know it! ;-D> Pizzeria Mozza is a great choice. I've been going to JOG's every Sunday morning for the last 6 weeks for breakfast (I think I've only skipped a couple) and eating my way though their various pancake offerings. The only one I really didn't care for was the one with coconut and mango. Other than that they've all been absolutely delicious. I'm in serious love (I may well marry them) with the buttermilk pancakes with added chocolate chips (no whip cream) and two eggs and two strips of bacon. Drool.

[gmk1322]

haha that is the ENTIRE reason I'm going to JOG, my faves are the 7-grain granola with either banana and/or blueberries, the pumpkin spice, and the lemon (hello curd!). They have consistently outperformed almost every place I've been to (and as a pancake lover I could swear they changed the recipe at the Griddle, didn't do it for me last time, too bitter). Thankfully I found Miss Shirley's Cafe in Baltimore, and while no JOG pancakes, I think they are a good sub for when the cravings hit.

[TonyC]

For celebratory purposes, I'd much rather do O. Mozza than pizza. Pizza & crostinis don't shout "hey look at me, I graduated, and I shall rid you of your angst."

[gmk1322]

I know, I'd love to do the pasta menu but I have been craving good pizza recently and that is something I absolutely cannot get here in Fresno. If you have been to SF, how does the pasta compare to perbacco (my personal favorite of all time after Obelisk in DC)?

[bulavinaka]

A potential alternative for lunch is going to Gjelina Take Away (GTA) in place of Tender Greens. GTA is Gjelina's take out arm next door and has a reasonable amount of crossover from Gjelina. The downside is you'll either be eating while sitting on milk crates in the little driveway nook next to GTA, walking a block south to the bench adjacent to The Brig (big mural of the former owner/wife of the original bar), or taking it out to what ever destination you choose to eat. Grab some of their baked goods for later - their scones are some of the best I've tried.

[cookie monster]

GTA is an excellent suggestion. Definitely a good place to get your artisan pizza fix. I picked up a prosciutto margarita on my way home from the Venice art walk yesterday. It was outstanding, plus I discovered that making one's way through Venice Sunday afternoon traffic on a bicycle with a pizza box balanced on the handlebars is a great way to make new friends.

[cookie monster]

You can't go wrong with any of those choices. They're all amongst my favorites. Maybe you should see where you can get a reservation? And congratulations on your graduation!

[Thor123]

Congratulations! Do you have reservations? Where are you coming from?

[ipsedixit]

Of your choices, I would rank them this way:

Pizzeria Mozza
Gjelina
Rustic Canyon

... and congrats on the MA!