Chilly Al Fresco at Pizzeria Mozza
Our fam had a somewhat disappointing experience dining on the patio at Pizzeria Mozza. The food & wine were good. Menu has been paired way down (pasta gone, meat entree gone, chicken wings gone, one of our favorites the potato egg pizza is gone but you can add an egg to any dish for $3). Service was lackluster.
It was 40 degrees and they sat us under a heat lamp with a really low flame. While the limited heat lamps were in full-force at other tables our tank was nearly empty. Our server said the policy is to wait until itâs completely empty before changing. Mm hmm⌠did I mention it was 40 degrees? They finally changed it after a couple reminders. It never fully warmed. So unlike our outdoor experience at Cento Pasta Bar recently. None of this seems to be hurting business as they were packed inside & out when we got there.
The wines were good with generous pours but we had to ask our server for the wine as he only offered us water âstill or sparkling?â He returned with the water and asked if we were ready to order food. Ummm noâŚ
Vermentino di Gallura DOCG âBranuâ Surrau - Sardegna â21 / Primitivo Salento IGT âCriteraâSchola Sarmenti - Puglia â20
Insalata Tricolore, Parmigiano, Anchovy Vinaigrette
Snowy green mountain of goodness. Love the punchy anchovy dressing.
Burratina Pugliese, Semi-dried Tomatoes, Garlic Toast, Olio Nuovo
The smooth, creamy, fresh burrata. The punchiness of sweet, acidic, semi-dried tomatoes & garlic toast, all drizzled w/olio nuovo. Sooo good!
Meat Lover - Bacon, Salame, Fennel Sausage, Guanciale, Tomato, Mozzarella
I had a bite of hubs Meat Lovers. Yum. Itâs all his favorite things - smokey, kicky, porky, pizza. He ordered a side of sauce which was great for cornicione dipping.
Fennel Sausage, Panna, Mozzarella, Red Onion, Scallion
This was the only full slice of pizza I ate. Crust was great. Center was a little droopy in a good way but with the big sausage pieces I was prompted to eat it with a fork & knife. I like the tender & crumbly sausage. Itâs fennel sausage but what stood out to me was the distinct flavor of cumin. Delicious. Iâm not a big sausage eater but Iâd order this again.
Fontina, Mozzarella, Sottocenere & Sage
I didnât try it but it looked yummy.
No sideways & under photos of the pizza as I really wasnât in the mood.
The waiter kinda pulled himself out of his funk towards the end of our meal but again didnât ask if we wanted dessert. We did. He did do us a solid by insisting we take the last roasted dâanjou pear dessert which was incredible.
Warm Roasted DâAnjou Pear, Hazelnut Brown Butter Cake, Hazelnut Honey, Vanilla Gelato
This was something new they were trying out but is now on the menu. One of the best desserts Iâve had in a while. The warm pear is everything! And with the hazelnut brown butter cake, sauce & cool gelato.
Butterscotch Budino & Cookies
I didnât completely trust the waiter when he raved about the pear hazelnut cake, so I also ordered my favorite budino. Itâs still great.
Iâm not over PM. Itâs still a good neighborhood place and a good choice for going out with friends & fam and because of the outdoor patio itâs now easier to get a resy. But I need to temper my expectations of the current menu and also not book in the winter if only the patio is available (and probably the hot summer months too).The patio is probably lovely on a spring night.
Happy Eating!