Pizzeria Mozza
Grissini
Arancine alla Bolognese
Mozzarella di bufala , DiNapoli tomato, Genovese basil & olive oil
Caramel coppetta, marshmallow sauce, salted Spanish peanuts, Chocolate Tuille
With my Los Angeles Pizzeria Mozza experience far less than ideal; the result of traffic issues, seating at the bar, and a scene louder and more crowded than I’d have ever guessed I was excited to hear of the recently opened OC location mere miles from a midday meeting on Sunday afternoon; an off hours visit seemingly the perfect way to enjoy the restaurant without all the hassles of my prior experience. Obviously newer and substantially larger than the original with higher ceilings helping to subdue the expected soundtrack of Stones, Stripes, and The Who I arrived to find the restaurant perhaps 1/3 full and seated immediately it would not be long before I was greeted by my server with my order placed. The kitchen efficient but unhurried as I enjoyed a couple of crisp grissini my first item to arrive was an octet of ping-pong ball sized arancini stuffed with supple rice, pork, and cheese resting in tangy Bolognese sauce and focusing my main course similarly on a simple classic the Margherita DOP would arrive mere moments later featuring Silverton’s golden crust with large air pockets and a light yeasty tang plus thick pools of fresh Bufala Mozzarella and bright, unsweetened sauce beneath intensely flavorful basil. A masterful pie whose crust proved amply suited for sopping up the leftover Bolognese there seemed to be only one way to finish off the afternoon, that being with Mozza’s signature budino, but having already tasted the dessert at the LA locale my server convinced me otherwise, dessert instead consisting of the equally impressive coppetta – two scoops of Mario’s stellar caramel gelato atop a chocolate waffle simply garnished with salty peanuts and house made marshmallow whip, the whole experience more than redeeming Mozza in my eyes and fully justifying the critical acclaim regardless of location.
http://www.pizzeriamozza.com/newportbeach/home.cfm