Midtown Lunch

A few weeks ago Coly’s Stromboli opened up in Downtown L.A. (at 456 Hill) and I couldn’t help but be excited by the description posted on Blog Downtown: “Imagine a calzone, a slice of pizza and a burrito had a threesome and somehow made a baby named Strombol”.  For some reason that particular description caused me to ignore the fact that I’ve had access to stromboli all my life (they can usually be spotted getting stale behind the glass of mall food court pizzerias.)  But I’ve never seen a place that specializes in stromboli.  Perhaps they’ve unlocked some kind of  pizzazonerito magic that has previously been undiscovered!?

I’m no pizza historian, but for those who have never had a stromboli, I believe that it’s pretty much a calzone that is rolled instead of being folded over, and has sauce inside the log instead of having it served on the side for dipping. Coly’s menu features 8 versions (5 meat, 3 veggie), all $6.50 and they’re made to order- which is a double edged sword. Despite being one of only two people in the place, my lunch took close to 10 minutes to make.  On the plus side, it was super fresh (unlike the “classic” stromboli of my youth.)

I went with the chicken parm, which came out nice and hot, filled with sauce and cheesey chicken parm goodness. 

As promised, the inside was saucy but they also gave you an extra side of dipping sauce.  I would have preferred it to be a bit more browned on the outside, but that’s just me.  All in all it was a tasty lunch and if I worked in the area, I would likely be back.  But next time I’ll probably call my order in.

Coly’s Stromboli, 456 S Hill St, 213-627-9990