Lots of surprises at Lucy’s
Lucy’s Pizza Corner was full of surprises. Its Burbank Boulevard location is not in the best Burbank neighborhood — it is attached to a liquor store and its overhead sign says, “Al Forno.” Furthermore, it has no web presence. If you Google it, you only get an address, phone number and basic information. Google “Burbank pizza places,” and you get nothing.
I wasn’t holding out much hope for the quality of the food. But that turned out to be my final surprise. The food was excellent and the restaurant and its restroom were clean. It also has off-street parking. The menu would have to be classified as interesting. This is a pizza house, but it also has a number of chicken, fish and shrimp dinners, 17 different pasta dishes and a variety of cold and hot sandwiches and burgers, including the Lucy juicy burger. None of the burgers are made with frozen meat.
You can get your choice of four calzones for $7.99 — stuffed pizza calzone (up to four toppings of your choice), ricotta (mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce), barbecue chicken (chicken, onions, mushrooms, mozzarella and barbecue sauce) and egg pizza.
You might want to try some of Lucy’s many offerings, but do not forego the pizza. You can use your imagination, or go with one of Lucy’s 12 specialty pizzas. I tried the ala Checca and the Mediterranean pizzas. The ala Checca pizza ($10.99 for the 12-inch) had a nice spring in the crust, yet was crisp and chewy and replete with the well-melded flavors of bright, fresh tomatoes, basil, fresh garlic and olive oil. Tangy marinated artichokes add flavor to both the crust and the topping of the delicious Mediterranean pizza. It also has a balanced infusion of black olives, Kalamata olives, eggplant, feta cheese and fresh basil.
Vegetarian pizza, meat lover’s, Mexican style, pizza con pollo, barbecue chicken, Alfredo pizza, pesto, pizza, Hawaiian, spinach artichoke pie, chicken bacon ranch and white pizza are among Lucy’s other specialty pizzas
I also had to try the fried chicken. I didn’t expect the overall excellence — crispy on the outside, moist on the inside. After all, this is a pizza place. The chicken wasn’t greasy. It had a slight crunch on the first bite, blending together the taste of chicken, the crispy skin and with just the slightest undertone of fat.
Lucy’s also has fish and chips on its eclectic menu. If it is anywhere near as good as the fried chicken, it’s a winner.
It is probably not the kind of place you will go out of your way to try, but if you are in the neighborhood, give it a go. Like me, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
STAN WAWER has been a writer and editor for Southern California newspapers for 47 years and more recently has been freelancing restaurant and travel stories for publications throughout the country.
+++
Infobox
What: Lucy’s Pizza Corner
Where: 3803 Burbank Blvd., Burbank
When: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. No personal checks.
Prices: Eclectic menu. Dinners $9.99 to $12.99. Pizzas $7.99 for a 12-inch pizza to $30.99 for a 30-inch pizza.
Contact: (818) 569-7000. No Website. Free delivery with minimum order $10.