Lago D'Argento Pizzeria | Silver Lake, Los Angeles

There are worse ideas than carving out part of your restaurant and turning it into a pizzeria.

Everyone loves pizza, after all, and while Tomato Pie is just down Hyperion, the brand-new venture Lago D'Argento is a dine-in kind of place, a pizza-and-a-bottle-of-wine kind of place.

To start, order meatballs ($10) and eggplant Parmesan ($9), which, in spirit, are the same dish: a delightfully gooey, meaty mess swimming in plenty of marinara. The sauce has the depth that comes from hours of simmering, but it has a good kick of fresh acidity too.

Following a Michael Pollan-like rule when approaching the pizzas–eat the ones your Italian grandmother would recognize as pizza–is a good idea. This approach assumes, though, that your would-be Nonna is down with eating a pie topped with braised fennel, leeks and mushrooms ($9).

To drink, eschew the Chianti on the wine list, as it's poured from the same straw-encased bottles lining the wall. Instead, order beer; Lago D'Argento has a solid draft selection, including Green Flash West Coast IPA and Allagash Curieux.

Lago D'Argento Pizzeria, 2611 N. Hyperion Ave., Silver Lake; 323-300-5500 or pizzerialago.com