Bored with your lunchtime routine? The Magazine is pleased to welcome our newest columnist, David Kim. He'll review luncheon fare from eateries all over town to help add some excitement to your midday repast. In this issue, he visits three establishments that offer sophisticated versions of a perennial favorite. Good Lunch PIZZA by David D. Kim It’s been over twenty years since "gourmet" pizzas debuted, taking a once humble pie upmarket. Now mainstream, this Cal invention is the Yuppie Everyman of lunch menus, offering oyster-shallot-caper combo toppings to the masses, delivery extra. Check out some of the original purveyors, still thriving in a post-Puck era: Caioti in Studio City, CA. CAIOTI (4346 Tujunga Ave., Studio City, 818-761-3588). Since moving from funkier digs in Laurel Canyon, this pizza innovator has set up shop in a brighter, smallish space, not far off Ventura Blvd.’s restaurant row. Founder Ed Ladou, who once spun dough at Spago, pioneered the barbecue-chicken pizza – which even bears a copyright. His restaurant still serves up fancy-sounding pizzas – albeit at budget prices ranging between $8 and $10 – that feature toppings such as lamb sausage, Pacific oysters, and the ever-exotic nasturtium blossom. While these ingredients may no longer set off sparks in the age of California Pizza Kitchen, they feel deliciously indulgent here, so forget the diet. One pizza is plenty for two, especially if you split one of the tasty salads (the full-size Caesar is easily a meal in itself). There’s no beer or alcohol, but a quirked-out drinks menu includes sarsaparilla and orange-cream soda for the temperately curious. And save room for desserts – the lemon hazelnut torte is a crunchy surprise – many of which hail from the divine Sweet Lady Jane on Melrose. ANTICA PIZZERIA (13455 Maxella Ave., Marina Villa Marketplace, Marina del Rey, 310-577-8182). Despite the mall location, this West Sider entices office-bound types with its soaring skylights and pleasant outdoor patio. Neopolitan-style pizzas match the airy setting, serving up fresh, generous toppings on remarkably light, chewy crusts. Try the sauce-free Pizza del Cafone for fresh sprigs of broccoli rabe, smoky mozzarella, and Italian sausage that comes in hearty chunks, not the pathetic pebbles you see at Dominoes. Another hearty selection is the Pizza Capricciosa, strewn with artichoke hearts, mushrooms, and dollar-bill-sized sheets of prosciutto. All are cooked in a traditional wood-burning oven, and several vegetarian and cheeseless options exist for those seeking lighter fare. Non-pizza choices offer a few surprises, such as fish skewers and a papaya salad, along with an extensive array of pasta, meat, and fish dishes. Lunch specials mix and match all of the above, plus a variety of Italian sandwiches, including a Neopolitan cheeseburger (minced meat and provolone); these range between $6 and $10. Antica’s sister restaurant, L.A. Trattoria (8022 W. 3rd Street), offers a slightly different menu but with the same Cal-Neopolitan spin. ANGELI CAFFE (7274 Melrose Ave., 323-936-9086) This original holdover from the ‘80s once spawned three branches, all of which were shuttered in the mid-90s. Straddling a body-piercing shop, the angular minimalism of the restaurant’s architecture is warmed by friendly service, offering a relatively calm respite from the mid-day Melrose crush. Owner Evan Kleiman is a foodie pundit, having written several cookbooks on the kind of rustic food she serves in her restaurant. And what the pizzas here may lack in invention, they easily make up for in simplicity and quality ingredients. Vegetables are organic and wide-ranging, though meat toppings are relatively few. Nonetheless, protein hounds should like the Pizza al Pollo, which layers tender chunks of chicken over silky-sweet roasted peppers. Also good is the eggplanty Pizza Vegeteriana, its smoky mozzarella adding musk to the spinach and mushrooms. Crusts are slightly toasty, yet thicker than your average New York-style pie and better for sopping up olive oil. Carboholics will get their fix with the chocolate-chunked bread pudding, a dessert that breaks every dietary vow. A decent selection of wine and beer rounds out the menu.    Story analyst David D. Kim enjoys sampling exotica, such as fried crickets and yak-butter tea, neither of which tastes like chicken.   Reprinted from The Motion Picture Editors Guild Magazine Vol. 22, No. 3 - July/August 2001   Guild Home | Magazine Home | Top of Page   Copyright © 2001, All Rights Reserved by The Motion Picture Editors Guild, IATSE Local 700