Pizzeria Mozza, CA
Chef: Matt Molina
Cuisine: Italian, Pizzeria
Neighborhood: Los Angeles
Price: $40 per person for lunch (we could have ordered less food though)
Phone: (323) 297-0101
Address: 641 N Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Pizzeria Mozza and its sister restaurant Osetria Mozza are a joint venture of Nancy Silverton, Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich (who also worked with Batali on Eataly). While New York is lucky to have several more Batali venues, including the renowned Babbo, Los Angeles only has the Mozza complex, and it’s definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.
I went to Pizzeria Mozza for lunch and over-ordered on the food. I do not regret the move, because everything was absolutely amazing and I would do it all over. The service was impeccable, and even though my party was 15 minutes late, we were seated almost immediately with no fuss from the hosts. Inside, the pizzeria is very welcoming with the open kitchen and counter seating and gets plenty of natural light from the outside. The tables are situated in a pretty snug manner, but I did not feel imposed upon or overcrowded, as is often the case at New York restaurants.
Menu wise, I definitely advise ordering some appetizers along with the pizzas. Our server recommended a delicious white wine to accompany the lunch. We split 250mL of Arneis from Piemonte. She mentioned it is similar to Old World Chardonnays, and was typically used as a mixing grape until vintners realized it could stand its own. I agree, it was crisp and a bit fruity, but not too sweet. Because of the sheer amount of food (we had a doggie bag we took home), we did not get to desserts. That’s unfortunate, because the gelatos looked amazing.
So here is what we ate:
Breadsticks
I think this was a great take on traditional bread, which I typically overeat and get stuffed with. The breadsticks were a nice snack before the meal, but did not fill us up.
Fried squash blossoms with ricotta
I’ve cooked squash blossoms once at home and baked them, which is a healthier alternative to frying. But I have to admit, these were amazing — crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. I also love the texture and flavors of ricotta, which Jen and I have also made at home before.
Bone marrow al forno
The richest, hands down best bone marrow I’ve ever tasted. The portion size is generous, and the ratio of marrow/bread is unprecedented for me. I loved putting everything together on the toast — marrow, roasted garlic, pinch of salt and wanted to make every bite last a lifetime. Having said that, this dish was split between just two people and was immensely filling.
Nancy’s chopped salad
This dish is definitely the healthiest one we got. The salad was a mix of iceberg lettuce, radicchio, cherry tomatoes, peperoncini, provolone cheese, salami, chickpeas, and red onions with a red wine and oregano vinaigrette. It was one of my favorite salads and I will definitely try to replicate it at home. I think the same ingredients would go well with dark greens like spinach or even bitter greens like endive.
Burricotta with peperonata, olive taggiasche & oregano
Loved the pizza, although admittedly I was stuffed by the time it came. The peperonata was a bit too sweet for my taste, but I love burrata and ricotta cheeses; they work so well in pizza.
Lure Fishbar, NYC
Chef: Josh Capon
Cuisine: Seafood
Neighborhood: Soho
Price: $20-30 lunch entrees, there is a happy hour menu on Monday-Fridays 5-7PM
Phone: (212) 431-7676
Address: 142 Mercer Street, NYC 10012
food comas 