Thanks to Anonymous who tipped me that D’Amore’s Pizza opened yesterday at 8369 West 3rd Street, a day ahead of schedule. I got over there late afternoon and met owner Joe D’Amore, his daughter Christie, who will be managing the West 3rd location (there’s also a D’Amores in Malibu, Tarzana, Westwood, Thousand Oaks, Canoga Park and Camarillo), and his wife Christiana Capetillo-D’Amore, a model/actress who just shot a reality pilot and has an online biz in the works. Also, notably, his daughter is Caroline D’Amore, who I’ve seen modeling at LA Fashion Week countless times, showed her own D’Amore by Marceau Swimwear collection a couple seasons ago, and will be in the upcoming Sorority Row with Rumer Willis. Apparently, Caroline showed up earlier in the day with paparazzi in tow.
This is all to say, this pizza joint is a family affair, and extremely welcoming. Joe was offering up free slices to his new neighboring retailers, who came back with cash for a second go. I was the recipient of this opening-day generosity and had a slice, which had a nice soft-crunchiness to the crust (if that makes sense) and a sweetness to the sauce I liked.
The pizza, the staggering nutritional info, the interior this way!
D’Amore’s Pizza recipe consists of a low-fat rennet-less Wisconsin mozzarella and provolone, flour milled in Buffalo, NY and water from the Italian Alps. Free of trans fats, MSG, partially hydrogenated oils, lard and added sugars, D’Amore’s boasts some pretty amazing nutritional stats per thin crust slice. Check it below: 3.8 fat grams, 166 calories, 11 grams of cabs and the equivalent of three Weight Watchers points. Seems next to impossible, but as Joe says: “I’ve been doing this for 20 years and our clientele pays attention to what they eat.”
Joe says he’s planning to stay open as late as 4am, bringing in the after-hours crowd. There’s no alcohol sold here, so it’s strictly late-night munching and sodas or water. Non-pizza options include paninis, subs, burgers, salads, various parmigianas, piccatas, marsalas, and pastas. Slices start at $3.25, pizzas run around $15-$25, other dishes around $10-$20. And, of course, there’s delivery.
Will definitely return with the husband for a whole pie. I was pretty impressed that its first day out, business already seemed to be running at a clip, which is good for neighboring businesses—Traveler’s Bookcase, Benefit, Le Labo, Polkadots & Moonbeams, etc.
» Eats—D’Amore’s Pizza Hours
» Eats—Panini Cafe Looks Like a No-Go, Surya Space For Lease, Date on D’Amore’s
» Eats—D’Amore’s Pizza Progress
» Eats—D’Amore’s Pizza Hitting West 3rd
» Eats—Pizza Coming to Former Who’s On Third? Space
13 responses so far ↓
1 SinoSoul // Aug 11, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Good to see it’s healthier than the chains. But does that translate to taste that’s on par with the heavy hitters in town?
And it is really D’Amore’s Pizza? Or D’Amore’s fashion boutique?
2 600 Pounds // Aug 11, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Yay! Glad they’re finally open. Wife and I went to check it out last night around 11-ish but they apparently closed it down early.
3 Snarky // Aug 11, 2009 at 1:52 pm
B+S – Having a model/actress running the place (with paparazzi in tow no less) – instead of a seasoned pizza maker (with no paparazzi or even a sense of fashion), does not inspire much confidence in the quality of their pizza and, in fact, is an absolute turn-off to me even wanting to go there now. Your column will do them more harm than good. Glad that Joe’s and Vito’s are still around and incredibly unfashionable.
4 B+S // Aug 11, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Snarky,
A model/actress is NOT running the place; it’s Joe’s other daughter, Christy, who’s the manager and seems very capable and knowledgeable when it comes to pizza. Caroline, the model/actress had visited because, you know, it is her father’s business, which I don’t think is unreasonable. Frankly, I mentioned it because I’ve seen Caroline modeling in Fashion Week so many times, was just putting two and two together. Should D’Amore’s be penalized for what the owner’s offspring pursues professionally? That seems silly…
B+S
5 Bo the Portuguese Water Dog // Aug 13, 2009 at 4:37 am
We really need a walk-in order-by-the slice pizza joint in the hood to compete with Berri’s. Years ago there was a pizza place on the corner of Crescent Heights and 3rd (now Travis Barker’s skate shop) but they just could not get enough foot traffic to cover the high rent. Cupcakes and pizza on this section of third….I hope the local traffic is enough to keep them in the black because the lack of parking is still a real problem.
6 adam d. // Aug 13, 2009 at 7:14 pm
We tried there pizza on Wednesday night. It was OK but a bit soggy and the cashier was NOT friendly. A bit scary was not health department grade and the fact that they said they did not need one. That seems suspect.
7 Koko // Aug 15, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Over $10 for 2 slices of plain pizza and a coke. What a good deal….for Warren Buffet maybe! The cashier should be the poster child for advocating spousal abuse. This place is like Sprinkles for pizza. By that I mean get all hyped up (maybe wait in line too) and pay through the nose for an acceptable albeit mediocre product that costs pennies.
Koko
8 Daniel B. // Aug 16, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Awesome. Had a slice (anchovy & pepperoni) yesterday. It’s among the best I’ve tasted, which includes John’s in the village, Grimaldi’s and even Caniglia’s (Omaha)
9 THIRD STREET // Aug 17, 2009 at 9:13 pm
Stopped by last week to try what every one has been talking about. First DO NOT go there if you do not have time! Not because the wait is long but because the owner will talk your head off. I sat there and watched how people were trying to eat their meal and the owner would not shut up. At one point it got them to stand up in the middle of their meal to walk out to the door to read some random flyer! Pizza is good .. Pricey but who isnt these days. But would stay away when the owner is there or plan on finding out every little detail of how he makes each pizza!
10 Lira // Aug 19, 2009 at 7:36 am
Best pizza i’ve ever had in LA–true NY style up there w/best in NY (John’s in the Village, of course).
And, at these calorie counts, i”ll be spending some serious time here.
11 Bo the Portuguese Water Dog // Aug 31, 2009 at 12:00 am
Tried to order a pie on Sunday night only to get a recording that they had to close for the weekend due to a permit problem…let’s hope they can get this resolved quickly….
12 Eats—D’Amore’s Pizza Closed Due to ‘Permit Issue’ // Aug 31, 2009 at 11:07 am
[...] just opened earlier this month at 8369 West 3rd Street, D’Amore’s Pizza closed due to what its sign above calls a [...]
13 Shops—Signs of Eggy, Sunny Side Up // Jan 7, 2010 at 10:58 am
[...] (on the same block as Benefit Cosmetics, Polkadots & Moonbeams, Traveler’s Bookcase, D’Amore’s Pizza, incoming Magnolia Bakery and more) looks to be coming along, with its new bright orange [...]
Leave a Comment