Upscale pizza and more from Ortica guys

Despite its reputation as a cultural wasteland, the OC has seen a lot of its exports go on to make it big in LA proper, except for Steven. And that chubby chick, who might've been Mormon. For more OC excellence now hitting LA, check out Sotto.

Opening tomorrow in the former Test Kitchen space, Sotto's an upscale Italeria from the guys behind the OC's critically lauded Pizzeria Ortica, in a dim-lit industrial-feeling space outfitted w/ reclaimed-wood common tables and an open kitchen containing a ridiculous handbuilt pizza oven, from a guy who has constructed them for Batali, etc., and happens to be Neapolitan -- so what, the strawberry part of him just gets thrown out? 'Za's all made in the 7ft-plus-tall oven and cooked over a mixture of oak and beech, with results featuring traditional ingredients (a straight-up margharita w/ marinara option; a number w/ sausage, chilies, broccoli rabe & cow's milk mozzarella, etc.) as well as less-traditional options like one with fennel pollen & cured pork cheek, which clearly got just the right amount of oinkment. They've also got other Italian awesomeness including braised goat ragu w/ egg and pecorino; grilled lamb grigliata mista w/ winter greens; and mackerel "in scapece" w/ cauliflower, cured lemons, pesto pancesca, and crispy buckwheat, which is preferable to anything with Alfalfa.

Of course, they've also got full-bar booziness (from the Playa guy) as well as a list of boutique wines from Southern Italy and Cali, though whether any are actually from LA is unlikely, considering it's much harder to grow on The Hills.