Italian food, is perhaps, the best food out there. That is fact, not an opinion (just kidding). I don’t know how the Italians managed to perfect their culinary creations, but I’m not complaining. Unfortunately, the food tends to be so heavy that I usually have a hard time finding people who want to indulge in it like I do. However, when the opportunity arose to try a new Italian restaurant in Newport Beach (well, new to us) to celebrate a good friend’s birthday, I jumped on it. Pizzeria Mozza in Newport Beach is the real deal folks: fresh, unpretentious, and authentic. In fact, it was so authentic that I couldn’t even pronounce my order (or, equally important, my wine)!
The menu is set up so that you can order a few “small plates” to share, and a personal pizza (10″ each). Or you can order a larger pizza and less small plates (or none if you’re crazy). They also have various other entrees, but it was clear upon arrival that this place is known for its pizza. We opted to start with a small plate, so we chose the….get ready for this…FRIED GOAT CHEESE. Yes, you heard me correctly. We made the unfortunate mistake of only ordering one order (which is only one helping, about the size of two quarters), served over a generous helping of lentils, topped with fresh basil. It was literally one of the best things I have EVER tasted. We were talking about it throughout the entire meal and the rest of the night for that matter!
From there we each decided to order our own pizza. He ordered the pizza with bacon, salame, fennel sausage, guanciale (a type of Italian bacon), tomato, and mozzarella. I ordered the “Bianca” with fontina, mozzarella, sottocenere (a type of TRUFFLE cheese), and sage. It was absolutely incredible. I was tempted to eat my whole pizza (and trust me, I could have), but I had be lady-like, right?
For dessert, we decided to indulge (as if this whole meal hadn’t been one massive indulgence) and order gelato to celebrate his birthday. We ordered one scoop of three flavors: pistachio, mint chocolate chip, and “Gianduia” (a type of Nutella kind of gelato). I feel as thought this goes without saying, but it was heavenly.
The whole night was perfect from start to finish: the food, the wine, and the service. Not only that, but I love this type of activity. One of my favorite things to do is explore these types of things-new restaurants, parks, sites, etc. Sure, the world is huge and I cannot wait to travel it and see the 7 wonders and what not, but when you’re on a budget and don’t have much time, start small-explore what’s right outside your front door (and a few miles down!) There’s something really special about having knowledge about where you live and what’s around you in your own city/county. Whether it’s a nice restaurant, a hole in the wall dive, a cute little antique shop, etc. I encourage you to check it out and cherish what’s right there in front of you! It clearly paid off for me in this instance!
-Allison
