Grubtrotters

Potato pizza? Sounds like a far-fetched idea in carb-phobic Santa Monica. I, too, was skeptical, but let me tell you, this creamy pizza with fontina cheese and rosemary is a decadent delight. It’s one of the highlights at chef Jason Travi’s new coastal Italian restaurant, Riva. (Travi also runs Fraiche in Culver City.)

We started our meal with the crudo, thin slices of raw fish similar to sashimi. A dorade with sea salt and olive oil melted in my mouth, followed by fluke with mint and blood orange. Very nice. Next we tried the tradizionale pizza with San Daniele proscuitto, tomato arugula, red onion and pecorino romano. I’m a huge proscuitto fan so I was shocked to discover that I enjoyed the potato pizza more. The proscuitto was sliced a bit thick for my taste, and there was something so rich and wonderful about the potato pizza. Pure comfort food.

Our group of four also shared three entrees, including the pork chop (pictured below), which was moist and tender.  Mine at home never are. I wish I knew the secret. (Writing that, I realize I sound like that cheesy Folgers commercial from the 70s. “Jim never has a second cup at home.”)

The shellfish diavolo (pictured below) was a messy mixture of lobster, mussels, clams and squid in a hot tomato sauce. The dish also contained fregola sarda, which was a new one for me. It’s a toasted breadcrumb-like pasta that’s apparently better for your blood sugar levels than most starches. Not sure if it made up for the potato pizza, but nevertheless. The dish was just OK. Not as much kick as I had expected.

My favorite entree, by far, was the lamb spezzatino (pictured below), a rich, comforting dish with a wonderful smoky flavor from the mozzarella. Definitely a winner, and it worked well with the 2004 Barbaresco.

Desserts were a mixed bag. I wasn’t a huge fan of the strawberry semifredo (pictured), but the ricotta fritters were amazing. They were like tiny, warm doughnut holes. Quite addictive.

Overall, Riva has a nice, upscale vibe, far less touristy than most of the other places near the Third Street Promenade.  It’s got a bar and a pizza bar, and the place was buzzing all night. With Mozza, Gjelina and Riva, I think LA’s reputation for having crappy pizza is finally an anachronism. — Jenny

312 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, (310) 451-7482

There’s a new website for pizza lovers called PizzaShare that allows users to pick their favorite pizza joints in the area and share that news with others. The concept looks a lot like Sportsfanlive.com’s feature FanFinder, which allows users to find sports bars in their area where fellow fans gather to watch the game. I quickly searched Venice, Calif. and found a handful of listings, including Abbot’s Pizza, for which I cast my vote. It only allowed me to vote once for Abbot’s, which is probably good. Prevents gaming the system. Village Pizzeria seemed to have the most support in the LA area, but there were many pizzerias not yet in the website’s database. This may be a good thing, but some huge chains like Pizza Hut and California Pizza Kitchen were nowhere to be found. On the other hand, neither were many of the restaurants that serve delicious pizza, but are not specifically pizzerias, such as Gjelina in Venice, Riva in Santa Monica and Angeli Caffe in LA. Anyone can add a restaurant to the database, but without reviews, I’m not sure this site is as useful as Yelp. I suppose if enough people populate it, it could be another great resource. Especially if you’re out of town and jonesing for a decent slice. If you’re wondering who wins in New York, by the way, Mr. Bruno’s Pizza and Grimaldi are currently in the lead. – Jenny