I Shouldn't Be Eating This - Part II

A few weeks ago, I met my friend Kevin for Dinner in Westwood.  He recommended Pitfire Pizza; I had never been but he assured me it was pretty good.  As with any new place, I had no idea what I wanted and mulled over the menu just long enough to exasperate the people in line behind me.  He let is slip that they had Mac and Cheese, as since I am a wanton man when it comes to that dish, my mind was made up in no time.  We did agree to split it, as it was a generous helping, and I did order a salad to temper the carb and cheese speedball I was jonesing for.

I was amused by their use of Orecciette pasta (loosely translated to 'little ear'), my previous post on htis subject mentioned that I appreciated pasta variation on the standard Elbow variety of Macaroni.  Noting wrong with Elbow, we all have them, but variety is the spice of life, right?  It was sauced with a creamy 5 cheese blend and topped with shredded cheese and breadcrumbs, then broiled.

Compared to Bread Bar, this dish was dry, but not in a bad way; Bread Bar's version was very saucy (yes, you may laugh).  The cheese sauce at Pitfire was made from more traditional varieties, dry aged Cheddars and the like, not the pungent, nutty, buttery, artisan cheeses as with Bread Bar.  It was very similar in flavor and texture to what my Mom makes, so there was a familiarity and nostalgia attached to this as well.

As usual, nothing went to waste, and the plate was clean.  Kevin ordered a Farmers Market platter of roasted vegetable to reduce his guilt, and they were excellent.  Flame grilled with olive oil, well cooked but not mushy or incinerated.  Funny how when you go to a Pizza place, the last thing you end up ordering is Pizza.  But this just means I'll have to return and get something else I shouldn't be eating.

- Ian