Mama Mozza-ria!

After waiting one whole month, the day finally came for Mozza! Yes, I had to call a month in advance to get this reservation...and I finally realized why!

We invited Derrick and Diana along with Derrick's mom to join us for our long-awaited outing....We arrived promptly for our reservations to find out that the place was OVERFLOWING! Not only was it packed, there were tons of people waiting. When we checked in our party of 5, we were informed by the hostess that our table was not yet ready. It didn't really bother us too much since we were not in a rush and we were in great company. I also realized why I was not able to add another person to my party...there was no way they could fit anymore people in there! (I had tried calling a few hours prior to add on another guest but was turned down...)

Twenty minutes had gone by and we saw no signs of anyone leaving...the hostess came rushing up to me and apologized profusely and offered our entire party some prosecco....ummm...hmmm...helllo! Of course! The staff and service was terrific - within 2 minutes, we got our drinks and they even brought over a few bottles of water.

We were busy chatting amongst ourselves and realized that we had waited close to 45 minutes. Once again, the hostess came over to apologize and informed us that our table would be ready in about 5 minutes. She also said that they would take care of us by offering us some appetizers....this is quite unprecedented and definitely a nice surprise/compromise :).

When our table was finally ready, we were seated immediately and our server rushed over to refill all our glasses (to the rim) with prosecso (Prosecco di Valdobbiadene)....WOW! I had not even had any of their food and I was already impressed! Within 5 minutes, as promised, our appetizers came...

Eggplant Caponata

Chunks of marinated eggplant, slightly spicy, with pine nuts, olives, garlic and onions. Soooo perfect with the little bread sticks and a fantastic starter.

Fried Squash Blossoms with Ricotta

They gave us 2 servings of this appetizer....it was unbelievable. The ricotta filling was light and fluffy and despite it being fried, I can taste the freshness and sweetness of the blossom. This is a MUST have!

As we were busy chomping down our appetizers, we placed our order for the infamous pizzas....

Here's what we had....

Prosciutto di Parma, rucola, tomato and mozzarella

This was my pick - I loved it! The saltiness of the prosciutto complimented the peppery taste of the rucola. And the crust...omg...the crust...is divine. Thin, crispy, yet tender and chewy and sweet! With every bite, I was completely blown away by how this crust came to be....

Chanterelles, fontina, scallions and guanciale pizzette

THIS WAS MY FAVORITE!

I don't think words can describe how delicious this pizza was - the flavors of all the ingredients were a perfect balance and the crust....omg..the crust. Underneath the pizza, there was a fine drizzle of olive oil which enhanced the pizza. I didn't want to share this pizza and almost ordered a second one!

Margherita with mozzarella, basil and tomato

Simple and standard - I enjoyed this pizza, however if it weren't for the crust, it would have been pretty blah.

Fennel sausage, panna, red onions and scallions

This was J and Derrick's FAV! It must be a guy thing...I really enjoyed it too and would definitely order this again. I think the guys were kinda craving more and wanting to try another pizza....so we also ordered the Oregano salami, mozzarella, tomato and fresno chillies. This was also a huge hit and although I just took a quick bite, it was definitely tasty!

And of course...for dessert.....last but not least.....

Vanilla Panna Cotta with fresh berries

I think this dessert was gone in less than 2 minutes. As soon as it hit the table, we attacked it...I was still chomping at my last bite of the Oregano salami and practically swallowed it whole to get to this panna cotta....oozing with the taste of fresh vanilla beans and served with fresh berries and a delicious almond-lemon cookie. To die for...

Chocolate Terrine

I am not a huge fan of chocolate, however this was a beautiful dessert. J totally inhaled this and was in heaven!

So that was our experience - I loved every minute of it...the atmosphere was quaint and cozy, the staff was accommodating and the crowd was just a happy bunch of people. Yes the place is small. Yes, you have to make reservations 30 days in advance. Yes, you may have to wait even if you have reservations. But like I said, it is sooo worth it! And I would do it all over again...in a heartbeat...just for that crust alone!

Mozza Pizzeria

641 N. Highland Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90036

323.297.0101

http://www.mozza-la.com/