Oak Fire Pizza -- thumbs up for good people

Oak Fire Pizza (a.k.a. Stone Fire Pizza)
(310) 659-8848
829 N La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90069

Hours of Happiness: 4:00-7:00 M-F (and sometimes noon-7:00 on Saturday -- call first to check)

Food - 7
Prices - 9
Service - 8
Bonus -- +3 for being really good people (see below)
Total - 27 -- add it to your HH circuit

Nobody can explain to my why Stone Fire Pizza changed its name to Oak Fire Pizza (I suspect a letter from a lawyer was involved, given that there's a Stonefire Pizza in the Valley), but it doesn't matter -- this place still has great pizzas, good service, a terrific outdoor space (although PLEASE make the patio no smoking until 7:00 p.m.) and a GREAT Happy Hour.

My companion and I arrived at 4:30, with the intent of trying everything we could stuff and taking a lot home. It worked. We waddled out a few hours later, sated and pleased, but not ecstatic. To be brief, here's what we had:

A mojito -- mediocre ($5)
2 Blue Moon Ales ($3.5 each)
Stuffed Filet Skewers -- too dry and not enough gorgonzola ($6)
Grilled Chicken Skewers -- also a bit overcooked ($5)
Crab Stickers -- OMG! Get these. Don't ask, just get these ($5.5)
Beef Carpaccio -- it's almost unfair to review, because this is one of my favorite dishes no matter where I am, but Oak Fire did it beautifully -- perfectly shaved beef, good parm and greens and, thank you Lord, truffle oil. If we weren't experimenting, I would have just had three of these. ($5.5)
Jack Ribs -- a Tuesday special, perfectly cooked, a little overly sweet, but still super-yummy ($6)
Coconut shrimp -- exactly what you'd expect. Done well but nothing special ($4.5)
Jack Meatballs -- another Tuesday special. Very dry and overcooked ($5)
Margherita Pizza ($6.5) -- all their pizzas are pretty good. More CPK than New York style, but very flavorful

The happy hour here is pretty sweet, because all drinks, apps and pizzas are half off (except the deep dish), and for bar food, it's way above average. On Tuesdays, they have special Jack Daniels appetizers and drinks. It's worth a visit.

I also have a very special place in my heart because this particular restaurant donates a LOT of pizzas every year to a charitable organization that I'm involved with, thus the bonus points for being good guys. If you go, tell them you're there because of what they do for Young Storytellers (as well as the crab potstickers).

As far as the scene -- go with friends; preferably a large group. This is not a mingling crowd, but the tables around us were all having fun. If there's a game on somewhere, it will be on one of their small screens. Oh, and during Happy Hour, go hungry!