This Hollywood Pizza Shoppe May Be Your New Go-To Eatery
It makes no sense to go anywhere in this cold weather.
Granted, cold in Los Angeles is warmer than cold in many other cities, but it still calls for warmer clothes nonetheless. Knowing that the temperature is dropping below ideal levels makes it hard for me to want to leave the house. However, food is always a good excuse for me to brave any condition Mother Nature may throw at me. Well, any condition that doesn’t actually cause property damage. Since a little cold weather wouldn’t stop me from visiting LN2 Pizza Shoppe, I grabbed a sweater, put the heat in my car on blast, and made my way to Melrose to visit the restaurant.
LN2 Pizza Shoppe opened early this past January under the lead of Chef Chris Robbins. Considered a “modern gastro lounge”, the new restaurant serves a menu of traditional items with creative additions. Before being seated, one fact that was clear was the restaurant was designed beautifully. Deep purple cushioned seats and marble-style table tops opened the interior seating of the restaurant. A few steps into the back patio and LN2 felt like a warm departure to another creative side of the restaurant. Whether a person is looking to be inside the sleek side of the restaurant or its naturistic counterpart, the restaurant is beautiful.
After spending enough time going over the space of LN2, my friend Cyndhia arrived and we ordered.
To start, I ordered a drink. I’ve been leaning away from alcohol recently and decided to transform one of the restaurant’s cocktails into a mocktial. The Blueberry Smash ($15) takes vodka, cucumber/blueberry syrup, lime, and mint, and for the purpose of this dinner I asked to hold the vodka. I was excited to explore the mocktail to see if the drink could be as memorable without the inclusion alcohol, and it was. I loved how citrus and fruit focused the drink was and that it had an underlying sweetness with a layer of extreme tart accent in each sip. It had a spark of vibrancy and that made it a drink I didn’t want to put down, even when the glass was empty.
The Hamachi ($17) and the Meatballs ($14) were the perfect examples of Chef Chris having a unique take on simple plates. The Hamachi (or yellowtail) was made with aji amarillo, kizami wasabi, lime, apple slices, nori, shoyu pearls, avocado, and served with wonton crisps. In each bite it was clear that the dish was a beautiful compilation of striking flavors. It was an array of components that I never would have thought of incorporating into a dish, but was beyond elated to experience. The meatballs, in contrast to the Hamachi, were simpler and less complex. The meatballs were covered in a mushroom glaze, green olives, tomato confit, and Parmesan all sitting on a spread of polenta. What I enjoyed about this dish was that the meatballs were an ideal size and were free of being dry. They were full of a robust flavor and the thick polenta only helped express the flavor more than I could have expected.
The first of three main dishes was the Crispy Chicken Sandwich ($12). Described as better version of Chic Fil A’s chicken sandwich, at LN2 the sandwich borders on remarkable. The sandwich takes jidori chicken, a wasabi dynamite sauce, Brussels slaw, tomato jam, pickles, and butter lettuce. From the moment I tasted the sandwich to the point that it was no longer in my hand, it was perfect. It was the juiciest chicken you could hope to have and smeared with a lovely slaw that blended with the tart pickles so nicely. It was combination of different flavors that worked together harmoniously to make it a sandwich that you can’t resist.
And if you were wondering, yes, it was better than the sandwich at Chic Fil A.
Following the sandwich we split two pizzas: Pepperoni ($15) and Pork Sausage ($17). While a pepperoni and sausage pizza may be the most common style of pizza following a margherita, we ordered them based on the suggestion of the staff. The pepperoni pizza had mozzarella, tomato sauce, and the meat within its title. The small slices had enough cheese on them so they weren’t overdone and were completely free from being oily and greasy. The pork sausage pizza was a bit more involved incorporating fontina, shaved fennel, apricot gastrique, castelvetrano, piquillo, and tomato sauce. I will admit, a few of those ingredients were new to me but tasting them all was not a problem. This pizza is fun because there were so many aspects to fall in love with. The obvious is the succulent sausage, but the thin shaved fennel with a drizzle of the apricot gastrique is the part that had me going back for more.
After having more than enough food, we decided to pass on dessert. From the mocktail to each plate, I fully enjoyed dining in the restaurant. The food may have seemed simple when reading them on the menu, but Chef Chris did such a good job at making them exciting that they were better than I’ve had in many other restaurants. I’m truly glad that I was invited to LN2 Pizza Shoppe because I’ve found a new favorite restaurant and I am eager to get others to love it just as much as I do.
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Address: 7212 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046
Phone: (323) 917-5178
Hours: Tuesday through Thursday – 5:00pm to 10:00pm, Friday and Saturday – 5:00pm to 11:00pm, Sunday – 11:00am to 3:00pm and 5:00pm to 10:00pm, and Closed Mondays
Social: Website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
