Westwood Village · 10889 Lindbrook Drive · Los Angeles, CA 90024
800 Degrees is definitely a pizza experience to have.
Brought to you by Umami Burger don Adam Fleischman, it’s in a primo neighborhood location just down the street from the Hammer museum in Westwood Village.
I invited a few friends I hadn’t seen in a while to try this new, trending little pizza shop with me and it was the perfect causal place to hang and eat without breaking the bank. Appropriately named for the 800-degree fire that cooks your custom made pizza in 60 seconds, this is fast-gourmet-pizza. Naturally, it’s popular among the neighborhood UCLA students and has quickly landed itself on the radar for LA foodies looking for the next trendy restaurant concept to blog about — myself and The Belly of LA included.
I was warned about the 30-45 minute wait (on any given day) prior to coming here, so the long snaking line around the front entrance didn’t intimidate me. I did find it a bit ironic that I was waiting in line for 40 minutes, for a 60-second pizza. Still, the line feels like it moves quickly — and well, it’s all part of the experience. Just make sure you look at the menu and know what you want to order by the time you get to the front of the line or you’ll get dirty looks from those waiting after you. For the 2.5 hours we were there, the interior was pretty consistently packed full of locals, students and families. Don’t worry about saving a seat prior to getting in line, somehow magically, by the time you pay your pizza will be cooked and there will be a table available for you.
To order: You slowly move down the assembly line of cooks asking you how you would like your pizza. Think Chipotle for pizzas. You choose the base, the cheese and the toppings. They have a variety of beers and wines to wash down your custom pie. Keep in mind that traditional Neapolitan style dough is soft and chewy and a bit “wet” or soggy in the middle. It’s really good – though if you prefer, you can ask for it to be crispy.
Though the place has large ceilings, my friend found herself feeling a bit claustrophobic because of the insane amount of people. I sensed that a bit too. During peak hours, this place is madness. Still, despite the chaos, I am looking forward to future locations of 800 Degrees. According to their website, they will be opening up others soon. It’s a cool concept and the pizzas were actually quite delicious.
In all honesty, you could probably share one pie, get a side from the burrata bar and then save room for some gelato – but no one does that. Everyone gets their own pizza, relishes in their custom accomplishment, and then rubs their belly as they slip into a happy food coma. Come on, now doesn’t that sound appetizing???
BYB Tip: Hours are 11 am to 2 am EVERY. DAY. OF. THE. WEEK. Yes.
Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a chocoholic and a coffee lover. So, naturally I was ecstatic to find a product that combined two of my happy addictions. Choffy is just what it sounds like: chocolate-coffee. It’s chocolate that brews and mixes like coffee.
Since it is only currently available on their website, I asked the (relatively) new company for a sample so I could see just what they were all about. I was sent a bag of their Ivory Coast flavor and another little packet and to-go cup for an on-the-go brew.
Once you open the little black bag you’ll see what looks like a mixture of ground coffee beans and ground up chocolate pieces. However – there’s no coffee in it at all, it’s just cacáo beans! Mmmm, a good chocolate aroma…
The taste is bitter, not sweet and you’ll find it’s richer and more robust in flavor than hot chocolate but not as thick. When I first brewed it, I thought I made it wrong because there was a thin quality to it, more like a black tea rather than coffee. Also, as with any unsweetened cocoa, you’ll have to use some sweetener if you’re used to sweeter beverages. You can add flavored coffee creamer or sugar to your liking. I added some half and half and a teaspoon of organic sugar and it tasted great. There’s definitely a hint of bitterness and there’s a rich tangy chocolate flavor to it.
I chose to use my French Press to brew it – which is always tricky for me since I am terrible at measuring anything. I followed the directions on the packaging and used 2 tbsp. of Choffy for every 6 oz. of water. You virtually make it the same way as you would make a cup of coffee:
Measure the grounds (which were pre-measured in the bag already)
Add (almost) boiling water and pour over coffee grounds, stirring gently.
Let step for 5 minutes and stir again. (Let it sit a bit longer if you want a stronger flavor).
Press down the filter and pour.
Voilá! You are ready to enjoy your cup of Choffy.
Check out this little video that shows Choffy in action!
The Perks
Brewed in small batches, their website states that there are more antioxidants in an 8 oz cup of Choffy than in a serving of blueberries. Choffy uses 100% Premium organic cacáo beans and supplies you with longer lasting energy without the crash or negative side effects of caffeine. I am happily wired this morning as I drink my Choffy and write this post.
Its’ cacáo beans have all of the healthy qualities that dark chocolate has, without the caffeine. It contains Theobromine, which is a healthy stimulant and helps improve blood circulation.
Here are some interesting facts about Theobromine from wisegeek.com.
“Like caffeine, theobromine is a diuretic, and it also acts as a stimulant. In addition to causing the heart to beat more rapidly, theobromine also widens the blood vessels, reducing blood pressure. Unlike caffeine, theobromine does not act as extensively on the central nervous system, so it is unlikely to cause the shakes and tremors associated with excessive caffeine consumption. The compound is also a bronchiodilator, and it has been used in the treatment of asthma…”
At $15 per 12 oz bag, it’s a little pricey to drink everyday in lieu of my $6 bag of TJ’s coffee. However, it’s a perfect special treat, delicious to warm up on a cold winter day, and a perfect gift for chocolate lovers anywhere!
BYB TIP:
There’s no reason to waste perfectly good Choffy! Here’s a recipe for a body scrub you can use when with the leftover Choffy grounds.
Body Scrub
1/4 cup Choffy grounds
11/4 cup oatmeal
1/2 (about a small) mango
1 tbsp lemon juice
Run oatmeal through a blender or food processor until powdery. Then add the remaining ingredients and blend well.
Fellow foodie and actress Lynn Chen asked me to write a guest post on some of my favorite daily hang outs in my neighborhood. When I’m working on a script and want some quiet down time or simply crave a good cup o’ joe, my backyard’s got plenty of great spots to choose from. Check out my article on The Actor’s Diet, here.
With beats serviced by DJ Sample 208, Pollyn’s Adam Jay Weissman, guests got a delicious taste of the best grub both chef’s had to offer for this one night. (If you haven’t heard of Pollyn, check them out! They super rock!)
Here are some pics from the special menu to make you salivate and wish you were there.
This burger was so good, even my 82 year old grandma loved it. She ate the whole thing! Hey Roy, nice job! Grandma approves!
UPDATE: Since this posting, The Tar Pit has closed its doors — temporarily — due to a lease issue. Lucky for those to went to this last hurrah! The rest of us can catch Roy’s culinary delights at any of his four restaurants and Mark Peel at Campanile which is conveniently located down the street.
