L.A. Eatery Pizzeria Mozza Opens on PCH

The word of Pizzeria Mozza opening in Newport Beach has been buzzing louder than a queen's party at a beehive, and finally—after a long wait—the L.A. eatery has opened its doors on Pacific Coast Highway. 

Pizzeria Mozza is owned by famed celebrity chefs Mario Batali, Nancy Silverton and Joseph Bastianich. The trio has gained quite the cult following at its first location—in L.A. on Highland Avenue—of foodies who swear by their artisan pizzas and savory La Brea Bakery breads, and the same thing seems to be happening here too.

It is not your typical Newport Beach restaurant. In order to snag a table, you're going to want to put 949-945-1126 in your iPhone or BlackBerry pronto. That's the reservation line, and don't be surprised if you get a busy signal. People from all over SoCal are traveling to eat here. 

I stopped by for lunch Saturday afternoon, and it was packed. The decor is simple, modern and very orange—reminiscent of the orange Crocs that Batali always wears. 

Since it was a hot summer day, it was only natural to order a glass of white wine chilled to perfection. I ordered the Friulano, Bastianich's wine from his winery in northeast Italy. It was probably one of the best white wines I've ever had. The glass of wine was $14 but was served in a glass accompanied by a mini carafe, which equaled at least another glass of wine. 

The paper menu is simple, easy to understand, has enough choices to ponder and will make you lick your lips a few times. There are small appetizers, salads, meats and cheeses, breads, sandwiches and, of course, the pizza. 

Everything is meant to be shared, which is great, because the portions are generous. Because of the La Brea Bakery connection, it was only fitting to order one of the bread dishes. The Pane Bianco, drenched in extra virgin olive oil, was divino. I am still dreaming about it now, days after devouring it. 

Nancy's chopped salad was a colorful blend of fresh salami, garbanzo beans, lettuce, golden tomatoes and sweet pepperoncinis. I've never met Nancy, but I already love her. 

The list of pizzas is long and mouthwatering. The choices ranging from egg, bacon and potato pizza to the fennel sausage with red onions made for a decision only eenie, meenie, miney and moe could handle.

Moe won, so I chose the Bianca pizza with fontina, mozzarella, sottocenere and sage. Actually I'm going to give credit where credit is due—to Steve Geary, owner of the Crow Bar and Crow Burger Kitchen,  who recommended I order this one. He had the privilege of dining here during friends and family week. Pizzeria Mozza was waiting on its liquor license, which finally kicked in on Thursday, before opening to the public. To date it only serves beer and wine, but it is hoping to soon be serving full bar. 

The pizza was delizioso, mainly because the ingredients taste so fresh and the flavor of the pizza dough is beyond words. I was told by our server that this is Silverton's favorite pizza. The lunch would not be complete without dessert. The homemade gelato is tempting, and so is the banana gelato pie, but it was the caramel coppetta that shot at my heart like a cross-eyed cupid. Ice cream served on a crispy thin waffle with marshmallow sauce and salted Spanish peanuts is surely what they must serve as you arrive at the pearly gates.  

You know it is a good restaurant when you start planning on the next time you are going to dine here and what you are going to order. The great thing about Mozza is it has two bars—a pizza bar where you can watch the chefs make your pizza by hand and place it in a wood-burning oven, and a wine bar where you can wine and dine on bar stools and chat it up with the bartender. I can imagine this will be quite the singles scene in days to come. And you can't have too many of those in Newport. 

A fine meal indeed, and a perfetto addition to Newport Beach. Pizzeria Mozza is located at 800 W. Coast Highway.