Stone Fire Pizza - The New Culinary Gem on L.A.'s Restaurant Row - LA's The Place

Stone Fire Pizza Co. on L.A.’s Restaurant Row is the latest culinary expression of proprietor Greg Morris’s love of entertaining. Following ultra-successful ventures Belmont and the Spanish Kitchen, Stone Fire Pizza offers a variety of pizza styles in a sophisticated, upscale environment. Diners can choose from Naples’ thin-crust varieties, the delectable slices that come out of New York City’s red-hot brick ovens, Chicago’s deep-dish specialties, or California’s exotic combinations. But if you think it’s all about pizza, think again, the menu also features a variety of gourmet cuisine. Dedicated foodies, hipsters, and families alike can take in the comfort of both the dining choices as well as the surroundings at the newest entertainment environment created by Greg Morris.
As an entrepreneur, Morris has always had a passion for art, architecture and literature and besides restaurants has also opened successful nightclubs and antique showrooms. Born in Paris with a father who worked as a chef at the legendary Maxim Restaurant, Morris became interested in cuisine from an early age. In the past few years he opened the Belmont, which is both elegant and casual, inspiring diners to wile away the hours as they might at a Parisian bistro, and the Spanish Kitchen, which was named after a Hollywood landmark restaurant popular in the 1940’s and 50’s with a design reminiscent of a Spanish hacienda.
Both restaurants have contributed to the revitalization of North La Cienega Boulevard and helped to establish the area as a lively dining/arts destination. Located directly across from the Spanish Kitchen, Stone Fire Pizza builds on this success and takes it in another direction, one that welcomes all ages and palates. Morris’ expertise in the business also carries over to his service department. His staff is not only professional when it comes to service, but they are warm and welcoming. You leave with a feeling like you’ve made new friends.

The restaurant staff also assisted in putting together an assortment of 28 stone-fired pizzas, including a diverse selection such as the Greek, Sardinia pizza, Vegan Soy pizza, Mesquite BBQ Chicken pizza, the Steakhouse special, Thai pizza, and more traditional combinations, such as pepperoni and sausage or five cheeses. Diners who prefer to dig a little deeper into their pizza can go for a Chicago-style concoction, of which Stone Fire Pizza offers six variations. Coming soon will be a $100 gourmet pizza dinner option – a black truffle pizza with duck prosciutto, shaved Asiago cheese, and top-grade caviar, which they suggest pairing with a glass of prestigious Opus One cabernet, which they offer by the glass. Stone Fire Pizza’s menu ventures outside of the pizza realm with some delectable offerings that include appetizers such as Crab Pot Stickers: fresh lump crabmeat mixed with herbs and mascarpone cheese and served with a smoked tomato-butter sauce and Coconut Shrimp: tempura shrimp rolled in coconut flakes and served with a sweet chili-cilantro dipping sauce. Among their salads are Fennel and Endive Salad: julienned fennel, crispy endive with candied walnuts and gorgonzola cheese tossed with a homemade honey-mustard dressing, as well as Southwestern Chicken Salad: grilled chili-rubbed chicken, red onion, tomatoes, avocado, cheddar cheese, blue corn chips tossed with romaine lettuce and drizzled with a spicy chipotle-ranch dressing.

Among their delightful entrees are the Butternut Squash Ravioli: light raviolis filled with roasted butter nut squash, nutmeg, mascarpone cheese, honey and garlic and drizzled with sage butter and Cajun Pasta: fresh penne with sweet sausage, smoked bacon, Cajun shrimp, spicy chicken, roasted tomato, red pepper, jalapenos and caramelized onions topped with shaved parmesan; or the Roasted Chicken Gorgonzola: fresh corkscrew pasta with roasted chicken (free-range and pulled), wild mushrooms, asparagus tips, sun-dried tomatoes and caramelized shallots. And that’s just to name a few.
Stone Fire Pizza, the former home of 1920’s actor/director Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, is also designed for great night-life action. Diners can drop in any day of the week for two different happy hours (from 4 to 7 p.m. or midnight to 2 a.m.) and enjoy half off all beers, drinks, wine (not including Opus One), and appetizers. It’s a great fit before or after the theatre or movies. The lounge comes equipped with three plasma TV sets, all with deluxe cable sports packages. On Tuesday nights, Stone Fire Pizza will take the extra step of pairing pizzas with wines by the glass.
The restaurant’s intimate atmosphere was created by Morris himself, who has designed each of his unique venues. The overall intention of Stone Fire Pizza’s design was to evoke a home-like setting. The space is both sleek in design and warm in character with the focal point being the main dining area which is accented by the expansive open kitchen. The solid wood counter fronting the kitchen allows guests to take part in an interactive dining experience. Kids, especially, love this. The bar in the main dining room pays homage to Jack Daniels whiskey with rows of Single Barrel bottles all signed by the distiller and packaged exclusively for Stone Fire Pizza.

The restaurant also features a hand picked wine selection which includes the prestigious Opus One Cabernet and there are several Plasma TVs, both indoors or out on the awning covered patio, to enjoy. The décor features walls made from Austin Limestone and accented with Mappa Burl Veneer, as well as Black Brazilian Slate floors and a Brazilian Cherry ceiling. These warm earth tones are offset by the rich red leather seating. All of the cooking equipment and kitchen trim is in brushed aluminum, creating slick, clean modern lines, contrasting to the dark wood feel throughout.
All in all the food, service, atmosphere and environment confirm that when it came to Stone Fire Pizza Morris left no stone unturned.