From Eater LA Flickr Pool
With so many half star reviews lately, we knew Miss Irene was going to wop us with something big soon, and so we finally, FINALLY, have her gushing thoughts about Pizzeria Mozza. If we were a wagering website, we would've put it all on three stars, which is exactly what the uber-casual, mega-foodie emporium got from the critic. Even if it is just a pizza place, we saw this a mile away. With professionals like David Rosoff and the occasional Joe Bastianich and Mario Batali roaming the floors, and Nancy Silverton right there at the pizza counter, there is no way in hell Miss Irene went unnoticed, which is exactly how she likes it. Her adoration for Silverton's skills is equally overt.
There's something so sensual about Silverton's relationship to food and her aesthetic that's entirely her own — direct, focused, uncompromised. She doesn't primp or fuss over her food. It's not art-directed or scripted. But it is entirely original and recognizably hers.Those few spots at the bar you could get between 3pm and 5pm? Yeah, forget about it now. We know this dining high can't last long, so expect more tepid reviews from Miss Irene in the coming weeks. Until then, the "S." stands for "Savoring every bite."But Silverton is a worker, putting in 12 hours and more a day for months, and a perfectionist about every detail, and in an amazingly short time, she's gotten all the way there.
Other than off-peak hours, this place is jammed. It's loud. It's brash. It's fun. All that, and great pizza, too? That's amore.
ELSEWHERE: LX.TV checks out Tengu Santa Monica; LA.com slinks into Celadon; Poetkitty in SushiZo heaven; OMG, Memphis doesn't wow; Baco Night at Opus; Triplecreme gets X'otik; a Hound at Hatfield's.
