A Slice of Manhattan in Beverly Hills

The westward migration of New York restaurants to Los Angeles continues. Mezzaluna, 9428 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills, (213) 275-6703, stuck a couple of palm trees near the front door, but it’s basically the same restaurant as the popular Manhattan original: a neighborhood pizza joint for the incredibly chic.

Carpaccio comes in several guises--with artichokes, with avocado, even briefly sauteed, for those who like their raw meat cooked. Pastas are the simple, rustic sort. And pizzas, which emerge crisp and thin-crusted from the sculpted mouth of a fire god--actually a wood-burning oven--come topped with things like pancetta and onions, or radicchio and smoked mozzarella.

No reservations are accepted--the idea is to drop in and hang out. While you wait for a table, count the Mezzaluna logos. The cheerful renderings of Italian half-moon-shaped chopping blades (sort of an 18th-Century version of a Veg-o-matic with smiley faces) pop up in the most unusual places.