Friday, March 09, 2007

First impressions: Il Capriccio Pizza

Eating L.A. is nothing if not obedient. The commentor in the item below tipped me that Il Capriccio Pizzeria was finally open, so I called in an order on the way home from work. I didn't have a menu so I just got a sausage and mushroom, which seems kind of like the baseline pizza for judging purposes. Immediate points for having my order ready when I arrive and getting the order right, something Nicky D's and Hard Times sometimes fail to achieve after years of operation. The large 16" pie feels strangely light in the box, and indeed, when I get it home, it's not a lot of pizza for $17. I reheat it for the full effect. The toppings are not copious either, but once it's warmed up I find that the proportions of cheese to toppings to crust are nearly ideal, unlike at Mozza where the crust overwhelms. The crust, made in the wood-burning oven, has a nice tooth to it and a good flavor. There's lots of interesting sounding combo pizzas available -- a Spicy Mama Flora has rapini, sausage and garlic, while the Funghi di Bosco has shittake and porcini mushrooms and fontina cheese. Other toppings include pine nuts, mussels and bufala mozzarella.
I don't want to pass judgement until I've tried another pie, preferably consumed fresh out of the oven (there's a few tables available). But this pizza definitely has possibilities, if you don't mind paying the price. Delivery will be available in a week or so, and they're open until midnight on weekdays and 1 am on weekends.
Update: It's worth eating in the restaurant so you can get it fresh out of the oven, and the rapini topping is excellent. However, I still think the crust is too thin in the middle, which promotes sogginess, and it's still kind of pricey for a large that barely feeds two. B plus for effort.
Update #2: The third time was the charm, I guess -- I hit on a winner with a Paesana, pictured above, with red pepper and eggplant. Crust was thicker, the medium was as big as the first two larges, and it was just $13. On another visit, the Funghi di Bosco with shitake and pornini mushrooms was delicious also.
Il Capriccio Pizzeria
4518 Hollywood Blvd.
323-644-9760

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I live close by the new Il Capriccio Pizzeria and have had two pizzas now, I think the pizza is generally mediocre and not really worth the price. Nicky D's definitely has the better pie.

Anonymous said...

It was 'eh' at best. They also overcharged me by $13 then "forgot" what they did with my receipt. They gave it back in the end, but it was a hassle.

Anonymous said...

I am a native New Yorker (and thus always in search of pizza worthy of the name) living in Los Feliz. Until Il Capriccio Pizzeria opened, I ordered Hard Times whenever the urge arose. However, I am now willing to worship at the wood burning oven of this excellent pizzeria. I'd be happy eating the the crust alone, if I had a nice Chianti to go with it. I'm not sure what these other people are talking about (but I'm guessing they're soft crusters from the west coast). Take it from someone who went to grade school across the street from Ray's on Sixth Avenue; this is the real deal. I especially recommend the Capriccioso (the house speciality).

Anonymous said...

Mediocre pizza. Tried 3 times: soggy, bland sauce, won't go back.

Anonymous said...

I just had a pizza at Il Capriccio and it was sublime. The proportions were just right. The toppings were bursting with flavor. The woodfired crust was toothy and crunchy and simply delicious. It rivals the Mozza pizza. I've had lots of pizzas at Nicky D's and they always always let me down. Thank goodness, there's another better option in the neighborhood.

Anonymous said...

Also, as a NY transplant, this is as good as I've had in LA. On only one visit so far...I did the Capricciosa (tomato sause, prosciutto, fresh mushroom, and artichoke). I had high hopes (as I always do when trying a new pizza place). And when it arrived, I said to my wife..."this could be good." It just looked right...bubbled crust with hints of char. Not oversaturated with stuff. Dry crust...not soggy. The sauce was tangy and yes the crust itself worked all by itself. I will be back. And by the way we got a Napoli Salad which was fresh cut Romaine lettuce with lemon and olive oil. Very fresh and delicate. Salad, Medium Pizza and two drinks...$22. Reasonable.

I'll be going back...

Anonymous said...

So a few things. 1.) Il Capriccio over charged for delivery, (yes they charge for delivery). Then overcharged for their pizza. I ordered a large pizza with black olives and goat cheese on one side and kalamata olives, tomato, and basil on the other. They charge $18.00 for the pizza then an additional 7.50 for the toppings. Totaling 25.50 for the pizza then $4.00 to deliver to echo park. So it cost 32.50 for a pizza. But that is really not the biggest issue. The issue is when I called they said they were too busy to answer my questions regarding my bill and when I called back they hung up on me (many times). BUT THERE'S more significant info. I called the Vermont location to find out that they are actually not affiliated with them any more and have told them they they need to change their name, which they have obviously not done. So I would be weary if I were you. There are many other, BETTER, pizza places to order from that deserve your hard earned money.