What I'm Wicked Into: Casa Bianca Pizza Pie

Hellllllo!Back on Monday I mentioned that Sam and I had a lil date last weekend at Eagle Rock's Casa Bianca Pizza Pie, so I figured I'd give you the low-down in this week's "What I'm Wicked Into."We were in Whole Foods a couple weeks back when a stranger who caught our ear started suggesting some local restaurants he's been going to for years. That's when he uttered the words "Casa Bianca" and said we had to pay the 1955 family-run spot a visit—ASAP! We'd driven by the small restaurant many times before but had never really given it much thought.That's when we decided to make a date of it and see if it was worth all the chatter!First impressions:Casa Bianca was poppin' on Friday night around 7:30 when we got there. When we were told there would be a pretty long wait, we just walked around the area for a bit and then returned to be seated. The interior definitely screams Italian—red and green colors, framed family photos, a comfortable warmth, lots of tables and booths, pizzas everywhere, and all.the.wine. Sam and I were taken to the back corner booth and as we looked around before our server, Bri (who was equal parts funny and professional), came over, we could tell this was going to be a really chill and delicious night.Wine:We had to get our paws on some red wine (especially after Sober January) and when we saw they had bottles for around $15, we were like, "Whatttttttt? Okayyyyy, twist our arms." We went with the Prodigo Nero D'Avala which was so so good. It was fruity, on the dry side, and honestly, just a really easy sipper to enjoy with a meal.Food:We were starving after waiting for over 45 minutes outside, so we knew we wanted an app. When we asked Bri if we should go with the garlic bread or arrancini balls, she was like, "Arrancini all the way. There are two different kinds, one filled with homemade pesto and another with sausage and ricotta." Stoppppppp. My soul needed that.After we split the two very different and very delicious arrancinis, we also split a "half-small" antipasto with meats, cheeses, olives, lettuce, oil, tomatoes, and a huge dollop of ricotta in the center. By this point, I was in food heaven and I all I could think was, my dad would looooooove this salad seeing as how he's the biggest antipasto-lover I know.We followed that up with what we had been waiting for all night—pizza, baby! Honestly, we hadn't had pizza in a long time, because we've been really cutting back on carbs, cheese, and sugar. So, this really felt like the ultimate reward for being so good lately.We went with the sausage thin crust and it was just divine. It wasn't too heavy and it was packed with lots of great traditional Italian seasonings.When we could feel ourselves starting to slow down, we decided to pack up the remaining pizza slices for the road. Saturday's lunch!Things we wish we knew that we'd love to share:-You can totally call ahead to put your name on the wait list. That way, when you drive over, you don't have to wait much longer—or at all! So cool. Not many places do this.-It's a cash-only restaurant, buttttt there is an ATM available on site just in case you forget.-It's cheap, guys. Our tab came to $40 for a bottle of wine, appetizer, salad, and medium pizza. Like, c'mon. Where in LA can you get a dinner deal like that?-It's simple. There are plenty of white table cloth Italian restaurants, but I would say Casa Bianca feels more like you're in your family's living room, which we dug. It's a no-frills kind of place but that definitely doesn't mean the food was.I would highly, highly recommend going to Casa Bianca if you need your Italian food fix (and this half-Italian girl so did!)Pizza, pasta, sandwiches, salads, wine, dessert.... where could you go wrong?Ciao for now,AriOther "What I'm Wicked Into" Posts:- Sober January- Salt Cave Santa Barbara