day 269: another delicious evening

My usual desolate inbox was graced with the following message a few days ago, "It's booked! Yay!" It was in reference to a Wednesday night reservation at Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali's Mozza Pizzeria in Hollywood. This locale is the hip and delectable restaurant-of-the-moment. Reservations are scarce. It was a bustling scene filled with a varied group of young patrons. With the high ceilings and dim lighting, conversations resonated in the space. Tables were composed to accommodate large parties and intimate couples. Our seat was along the bench at the rear of the dining room, but welcomed the observation of the whole. Although our table was 6 inches from neighbors, it was intimate.

The dinner was another gift of deliciousness from my friend, neighbor, fellow Pisces, Nate, and his girlfriend, Giulia. Nate is a researcher and fine food lover. He will travel to Bell or Arcadia, CA, in search of the perfect Mexican restaurant or Chinese dumpling. So when he recommends a restaurant, be rest assured that you're in for a savory meal.

Mozza did not disappoint. Antpasti included Arancini alla bolognese and Meatballs al forno, compliments of the house. We paired it with a Furore Wine, a full-body white wine. Unfortunately the signature pizza, Squash blossoms, tomato & burrata, was unavailable which meant the antipasti dish, Fried squash blossoms with ricotta, was also not to be devoured. We were a little forlorn, but it encourages another visit. The menu is one to be relished. With words like panna, taleggio, guanciale, bagna cauda, it stimulates your taste buds. I would have been lost, if not, for Giulia. She's fluent in Italian and was able to translate for us.

We chose three pizzas:
-Fennel sausage, panna, red onion & scallions : sweet and a little spicy
-Tomato, mozzarella, sausage, salami, bacon & guanciale : the meat lovers, the right proportions of meat for perfect bite. All three of these meats were discernable in their taste.
-Prosciutto di Parma, rucola, tomato & mozzarella: my choice, I cannot express my love for prosciutto and arugula. The saltiness of the cured meat with the bitterness of the arugula is a lovely pairing. As soon as I read it, I knew it was the dish I would order.

The combination of toppings is amazing, but I have yet to mention the crust. The dough is sweet and bitter. Its the perfect combination of chewy and crispy. The crusts are a little blackened around the edges from the oven. Pizzas are cut into four slices allowing a fold to capture all of the ingredients into a bite.  Mozza is good. Mind-bogglingly good.

Intriguing conversation is par for the course with Nate and Giulia. I'm so fortunate to have met Nate and to have been introduced to Giulia. It was lovely evening capped with a mystical fog that had rolled in. Lovely, lovely, lovely.