We're still not entirely sure why, but since Two Boots debuted two weeks ago, a seemingly-inordinate amount of buzz has surrounded the Echo Park pizzeria. Maybe it's the restaurant's New York reputation/lineage, maybe it's the current pizza craze, or maybe it's just the simple fact that anticipation built up when Two Boots seemingly took forever to arrive. Whatever the reason, people are talking about Two Boots; so, as promised, here's what they're saying around the interwebs:
Mostly Good News: "I went the first weekend it was open. Sauce was a lil too spicy for me (though I was expecting that) and the crust was thicker than I like in NY pizza, but it was pretty good. Lots of cornmeal. It's not as good as Vito's or Joe's but it's easily top ten in LA. And the vibe in the store is fantastic. If I lived closer I'd be there a lot. That said, the mofos are expensive as hell." [Eater Inbox]
Better News: "A word of caution -- I grew up on Two Boots in NYC, and have always liked their pizza. Is it classic NYC pizza? Nope. But I don't go there for traditional, rather the schizophrenic combo pies, the awesome stuffed pies, and a damn fine sicilian pie. The LA edition doesn't disappoint -- the crust, sauce, and toppings were all as I remember them. Didn't get a chance to order a stuffed or sicilian yet -- next time. Additionally, the space feels right at home in the Echo Park neighborhood. I for one am hoping it stays around." [Eater Inbox]
Bad News, Heinz Edition: "I went to Two Boots. Do not get a Calzone. We waited 25 minutes and it came out with shreds of unmelted cheese of questionable quality. And the stuffing was wrong ... Another thing-- it's bizzare that they display their Heinz tomato paste." [Eater Comments]
Bad News, Lost in Translation Edition: Visited last night on my way downtown. Around 7:30. Pretty quiet, streets were quiet, not a lot of energy. Pizza was ok, lots of corn meal like the original Avenue A 'za, but the sauce had no flavor, actually no character, the deep dish whole wheat crust was a non-starter and the counterhelp was on the surly side. I like the Two Boots in both NY Villages, but this seems a pretty pale import." [Eater Inbox]
Low Expectation News: "Honestly, as excited as I have been about Two Boots coming to town, I wasn't expecting much because of the large number of mixed reviews from NY. But I'm happy to report that Two Boots exceeded my low expectations. My slices had clearly been sitting around for some time, but they were still quite good, with the Cleopatra being our favorite of the two." [Resy For Three]
The Yelp Contribution: "All in all it is the best thing to happen to me since that month where I got free HBO." [Yelp]
General Consensus (?): "Two Boots was never transcendentally good pie but they've got unique toppings and the cornmeal crust can be a nice switch. Ultimately, it probably doesn't merit going out of your way for but if you're passing by you could do worse than pick up a pie from them." [Chowhound]
As always, let's hear any additional opinions in the comments.
[Photo: Flickr/rexsteed]