Stella Barra Wine And Pizza Pairings - Hollywood

We don't always drink wine with our pizza, but when we do, it's good to have someone like Jeff Mahin tossing the dough.

Mahin, chef and co-owner at Santa Monica's Stella Barra Pizzeria and a finalist on ABC's The Taste, has opened a second branch of his cool and casual pizza bar, in Hollywood.

As at the original location, the handcrafted pizzas here are glorious: crisp-edged yet chewy; perfectly capable of standing up to a slathering of peppery tomato sauce or melted Gruyère.

But what's eye-catching at the new Stella Barra is the expanded list of old-world Italian and California wines by the glass, which holds some crowd-pleasing finds.

The 2011 Smith & Hook Cabernet Sauvignon ($11 per glass), a booming deep-purple wine from the central coast, stands up well against pizza layered with spicy coppa, smoked mozzarella and roasted fingerling potatoes ($16).

On the more versatile side is a 2011 Zonin Montepulciano d'Abruzzo ($8 per glass), a slightly acidic red suited for both a classic Margherita ($14), or a white pizza topped with shaved fennel, rosemary and burrata ($15).

Want to slip in for a casual bite and a few glasses of wine before your movie starts at the Arclight next door? They're happy to oblige.

Sounds like La Dolce Vita to us.