VIEW SLIDESHOW: Top This: Buenos Aires (à la Los Angeles Pizza Company)
Take a look at the Buenos Aries. At first it looks like a mushroom and sausage pizza... and to some extent, that's exactly what this is. But that's not run-of-the-mill sausage, it's choripan, an Argentinean beef sausage spiked with nutmeg. And that's not regular sauce under the cheese, it's herbaceous chimichurri. This cultural blend is the motif of Los Angeles Pizza Company, a pizzeria with strong neighborhood ties that continuously incorporates the diverse city around them.
Born and raised in Downtown Los Angeles, owner Oscar Arce always joked about opening a LA-style pizza joint in his neighborhood. When the restoration of the historical Kim Sing Theatre was underway, Oscar had the opportunity to make it happen. Since 2007, they have been immensely popular for their latin influenced flavors—Oscar gives all the credit to his mother, "Mama Lena"—and LAPC is the spot for locals to chow down after a Dodgers game. Los Angeles Pizza Company has recently moved to a strip mall in Echo Park where they are surrounded by friends (like Sunset Beer Company) and family (like Beauty Box, owned by two of Oscar's sisters) while remaining close enough to Dodger Stadium for a pre- or post-game slice. Still in their soft re-opening, we got to visit the kitchen to get a look at this classic pie.
Oscar Arce and a hot hot pizza!
What You'll Need
- 1 portion of dough
- Chimichurri Sauce
- Argentinean sausage or a similar sausage
- Mozzarella
- Sliced mushroom
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Basil
Los Angeles Pizza Company
1498 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026 (map)
213-626-5272; losangelespizzacompany.com
About the author: After nearly a decade in Brooklyn, Kelly Bone landed back in Los Angeles where she writes The Vegetarian Foodie. She spends the rest of her time designing office cubicles... you might be sitting in one right now! Follow her on Twitter at @TheVegFoodie