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Pizzeria Mozza,
Los
Angeles California
Pizzeria
Mozza was dimly lit, the music was loud, it cost ten bucks
for valet
parking, and we had to make reservations. Nightclub or pizzeria?
Both Chris Bianco and Peter Reinhart had told us that chef Nancy
Silverton was doing wonderful things with pizza at Pizzeria Mozza, so
we really had to visit while in Los Angeles. And just about
everything about our visit was surprising.
The Pizzeria Mozza
website made it easy to make reservations, so we found an
available time-slot and booked it. Thanks to the trusty GPS, Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza
(the full-service restaurant next door) were easy to find. The parking
valet was friendly, and the idea of valet parking for a pizzeria was
mildly amusing.
But
when we walked in, the dimness, the thumping house music and the
general
trendyness of the place began to annoy. As we waited for a
table amid the
crowd, Cary thought -they'd better have some kick-butt pizza.
We were seated pretty quickly. Lillian liked the color scheme of the
place. Cary is a sucker for paper menus. We could almost hear each
other above the din. Using a combination of vocal projection,
gestures
toward the menu, and the telepathy that comes with 29 years of
marriage, we were able to decide on three pizzas:
 One
made with squash blossoms - a favorite vegetable of ours which we'd
never had on a pizza, tomato and burrata (fresh
mozzarella with heavy cream inside).
This
pizza was deliciously balanced - although the crust was delicious it
didn't overwhelm the delicate taste of the squash blossoms or the
burrata, which Lillian didn't like quite as much as Cary did.
The
creaminess of it is almost decadent.
 Pizza
with rapini (known in the East as broccoli rabe), cherry
tomatoes, olives and chiles - this pizza is usually made with
anchovies, but the staff was very nice about leaving them off.
This pie had a flavor so intense, we can't imagine what anchovies would
have done! We think there might have been garlic salt involved...
And of course, we had the classic Margherita: fresh mozzarella, San
Marzano tomatoes, and basil.
The flavor of the crust here was almost overwhelming. A Pizza
Margherita tends to be subtle, but in Mozza's version, the bread is the
star.
All three pizzas were built on astoundingly delicious crust.
Silverton is a bread baker by training and trade, and it
shows in
what she's been able to do with pizza. Puffy, light
corniciones,
crisp bottoms, and the flavor of the dough comes through without taking
away from anything else (except perhaps in the Margherita).
We loved the pizza. Lillian liked the color scheme, and we
both loved the look of the oven. Unfortunately, as Cary lifted his
camera, a very dapper looking young man (the maitre d'?) told Cary that
he wasn't allowed to take pictures in the restaurant. Cary did not
mention having taken the pictures above.
You'll have to go to Pizzeria
Mozza to see their oven. And while you're there,
try the pizza - it really kicks butt.
Pizzeria
Mozza - 641 North Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 323.297.0101
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