UPDATE: There is anchovy in the tomato sauce! What a bummer!

I eat a lot of pizza. So, when the internet gushes praise on a brand new pizza place, how cannot I not chime in? Today, Foursquare and Twitter blew up with love and attention for Milo + Olive’s pizza (most notable by The Unemployed Eater) so I got my butt over there ASAP. Thinking I could successfully avoid the lunch rush, I was still met with a completely packed restaurant. So I placed my to-go order—got an estimated 30 minute wait time—and hopped over to Sonny McLean’s Irish Pub where I nursed a Affligem Abbey Ale in anticipation.

The dough clearly has a bakery vibe. The crisp shell is reminiscent of Stella Rosa and Mozza while the soft bready inners are like Olio. There is nothing shy about the toppings. The rich sauce rolls heavily across the tongue with stewed tomato pulp. Salty islands of mozzarella and coarsely chopped basil float on top. The sauce clearly overpowers the other elements, but considering the relative dryness of the crust, this works in its favor.

The beautifully tall crisp edge gives way to a sadly saggy center. With so many exciting elements on top of this pizza, the almost pure white underside was such a disappointment. But then again, they just opened and it can take a while to learn the ways of a new oven. The turquoise wood-burning Mugnaini looks promising and Milo+Olive clearly has a great grip on their toppings. Once they get some consistent crisp color on the underside of the crust, this could be a prime Santa Monica pizza spot.

Milo and Olive
2723 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(310) 453-6776
miloandolive.com