Another Hurricane Swell. Also, An Addendum To The Gjelina Take Away Post!

Well, one hurricane swell dissipates, and another takes its place.  It's crazy. This year it seems like one big hurricane after the other down near Baja, and while the courageous and capable surfers are having a blast, the more timid (Jason raises hand here) are making do with swim and splashing around sessions in front of the lifeguard station!  And by the way, it's always important to keep an eye on the lifeguards from time to time, because they may want you to move from one area to another as tides shift or rip currents appear.  One thing I have always tried to do is be in tune with the guards as much as possible.  These guys risk their lives for swimmers and surfers every day so it's important to give them props as much as possible, and also to just be aware and listen to whatever directions they might have.  Anyway, just splashing in the shallow whitewater was it for me today, even though this swell was not nearly as big as the one last week. But you know what? It was fun. It's been scorchingly hot in town, and while the beach was slightly cooler, it was so nice to get into the water for an hour or so and just swim and body surf a little (should have brought the boogie board, but forgot it!).

Also because it was a bit more pleasant out at the beach, and it was lunch time, it meant looking around for a quick bite. Well, the last time I wrote about Gjelina Take Away on Abbot Kinney in Venice, it was about the delicious Brisket Banh Mi. When I was there, I had noted and filed away for future reference the fact that they also had pizza, and that time I also noticed you could get pizza just by the slice. As I've said, I'm a pizza freak.  So I had to try it.

Take a look:

I got my regular pizza slice order: one cheese, one pepperoni.  It's definitely different than the slices at Joe's on Broadway in Santa Monica, say, which are more like typical NY pizza joint slices. These had a hint of smoke so I'm pretty certain they were cooked in a wood-fired oven.  The wood fire was also evidenced by that slight pleasing char on the crust. This crust was thin, and slightly crispy on the bottom, but airy and light at the outer edges. The sauce was zesty, and the cheese was a fresh mozzarella. Also, I think possibly they made the pepperoni in house.  It was crisp, almost like bacon, with just the right about of salt and spice.

Okay, I really liked Gjelina Take Away's pizza by the slice.  It's most definitely pricier than Joe's, or Vito's in West Hollywood (another favorite) but I'd say it's worth it.  So, along with that delicious Brisket Banh Mi they are now two for two.

Find everything you need to know about Gjelina Take Away here: www.gjelinatakeaway.com.  And go!