Big Mama's and Papa's Pizza, the joint that Ellen DeGeneres ordered pies from for the starving (as in hungry, people) actors at the Oscars, has been the focus of major post-Oscar buzz.
After all, who could resist the images of Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Lawrence tucking into a slice in all their finery?
Since his unscheduled appearance on the awards show, Edgar Martirosyan -- owner of the West Hollywood joint known for its oversized pies -- told FoxNews.com that he’s been doing brisk business.
“It's gotten more crazy here. A lot of people calling from all over the world: India, Australia, Germany. All over, man,” he said. “From Germany, they are asking me to go there in December for interviews for some news shows and stuff like that.”
But while the star-studded endorsement has helped business, its pre-Oscar reviews didn’t have the place winning any awards. The Los Angeles chain, which has 20 locations and is an apparent staple for staff at the "The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” only had a 3 ½ star rating on Yelp.
So we decided to check out the pizza and give it our own taste test.
I ordered three pizzas: The meat-lovers, the Aro pizza (pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, bacon, pepperchinis and white sauce, sprinkled with parmesan) and the multi-topping pizza made famous on Sunday’s show: pepperoni, mushrooms and olives.
I tried the latter first. This isn't gourmet stuff, but I loved it. The outer crust is crispy. The cheese was generous and stringy. The grease is visible and delicious. I brought a salad for lunch today. It's still in the office fridge. Oops.
The other two pizzas were just as good.
"I give this a ten," said Hollywood resident Chris Johnston, who was first eating a Hawaiian slice.
Another customer thought the bottom crust was a bit too soggy. But in fairness, it was loaded with ingredients. He folded it over and ate it like a pita sandwich, which suited him just fine.
Check here to see the mathematical formula for making a perfect pizza.
You can also order a single slice, which Johnston said is more like eating four slices due to its size. They come in huge triangle slice boxes, larger than a human head, smaller than a horse's. They conveniently slice the single into four pieces to make it more manageable.
Bottom line: if you're a pizza connoisseur, then you might want to go elsewhere. But if you want some pizza with your beer while watching the game, or say, the Oscars, then this place hits the spot.
If you’re in L.A. and want to try for yourself, give yourself extra time. When I was there, Martirosyan was working the phones with both hands, as employees scrambled to keep up with the increased business.
Who knows, it may even become a stop on a star-studded Hollywood tour.
“All my customers came down here," said Martirosyan. "They were taking pictures with me.”
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