Pizzeria Mozza is a bustling, urban,
burst of flavor and color. Open noon to midnight, seven
days a week. Is a perfect atmosphere - whether it be a
business lunch or late night snack. The wine bar provides
a vibrant venue for sampling from a selection of 50 Italian
wines at $50 and under, but don't forget about the ample
offerings of salumi and pizza. An intimate private dining
room is also available for group events and parties.
Ever seen Littleneck clams on a pizza before? Well that's
the kind of culinary chutzpah you can expect at the first
part of two-part 'mangia mangia' melodrama from Nancy
Silverton and Mario Batali. (In 2007, the more mature
Italian sibling opens next door, Osteria Mozza.) As the
two well-respected chef/restaurateurs behind this upscale
pizzeria, Silverton and Batali are doing novel things
to the pizza pie here; for instance, tossing white anchovies,
squash blossoms and fingerling potatoes onto them amongst
other more predictable items. Surrounded by suspended
UFO-like light fixtures, which add a nice effect to the
food bar, the restaurant is small, yet packed with tables
to accommodate LA loyalists as they choose from pizzas,
panini or the "piatti di giorno" -- plate of
the day.
Chef Silverton unerring culinary instincts for
New Italian cuisine make his restaurant one of the state's
best. Loud and festive, this spot is always an exciting
room to enter.
The handmade ricotta gnocchi with duck confit, braised
leeks, carrots and sun-dried cherries is a knockout. Main
plates, including a tender mustard-barbecue cedar-planked
salmon, can triumph or fall somewhat short.