Late Night Stop at Pizzeria Mozza

Osteria and Pizzeria Mozza. *sigh*

I've wanted to visit both establishments since they opened. Moreso, Osteria Mozza. However, I was frightened away by all of the horror stories surrounding getting a table. I'm not one who really likes rejection, so I've put a much-needed visit on the back burner indefinitely. I've heard that Pizzeria Mozza gets pretty packed as well. The lines forming outside the entrance as I pass the restaurant on the way to the Arclight only confirmed the talk. Since, I'm not into standing in lines; I've put that off as well. That is...until recently.

After a happy hour drink at J's Lounge and a couple of cocktails (and more cheese than I care to admit) at an event on Sunset, my hunger overcame me. While trying to decide where to grab a late night bite, I summoned up a little courage/

"I want to go to Pizzeria Mozza"

I figured its 10pm on a Thursday; surely, I can get in without waiting. After the short trek over to the restaurant, I opened the doors and saw a packed (and quite lively restaurant). Semi-defeated, I asked for a table and luckily the host pointed to two chairs at the bar. I grabbed them quickly and thanked God for loving me. As soon as I sat down, three other parties came in and had to wait. Score!

It's totally as cute as can be. The reds, orange tones, and dark wood. The decor certainly added to the warm and intimate, yet lively feel of the restaurant. The table setting was an adorable paper placemat chock full of pizza trivia (I LOVED that! BTW, did you know that those crazy Costa Ricans favor coconut on their pizza?). The silverware was presented in an adorable little paper bag. Adorable, just adorable. One of the things I loved most about Pizzeria Mozza was the thoughtful touches. There were hooks under the bar to hang my purse. There was a little foot rest that prevented my legs from dangling all night. The wait staff was phenomenal. True professionals. My water glass was never empty. They were attentive. They gave helpful suggestions. In short, they were the epitome of awesome.

I had the insalata mista to start. It was a simple salad of mixed greens and a light, sweet dressing. But, salad is salad. At Pizzeria Mozza, it's all about the pizza. I selected the Speck, bufala mozzarella, olive tapanade & oregano pizza. The waiter informed me that the items were added to the pizza after the dough was cooked. I admit, I was a little put off by that. I mean, come on! I was dreaming of gooey, hot mozzarella. There's nothing better than that! But, I absolutely love everything on the pizza, so I ordered it anyway. It was really good, but still a little different and surprising. The pizza crust was delicious and extremely flaky. I thoroughly enjoyed eating every bit of it. The cheese was nice and soft, elevated by a little dollop of tapenade atop each piece. With the addition of the deliciously generous slices of speck (smoked prosciutto) and fresh oregano, the flavors melded together to form a truly delicious pie. Full, from two consuming two pieces, I decided to take the remainder home. While, I found the hot and cold aspect interesting and still enjoyed the flavors, I'm looking forward to popping it in the oven for a few minutes and enjoying it hot.

As mentioned before, I've heard a lot of "talk" about Pizzeria Mozza. In all of the talk, there was one item that was mentioned time and time again. The Butterscotch Budino. Although, I was full, my inner foodie would not let me go without tasting it. That's not to say that our waiter didn't prod us a bit. The couple next to us ordered the budino. The waiter asked us to watch them take their first bite. If we were on the fence, their reaction would seal the deal. It did (not that I needed much convincing). The dessert arrived in a glass. The majority of it filled with a deliciously smooth and creamy butterscotch pudding. It was a serious pudding. Not that overly sweet stuff that you often find. Sitting atop the pudding was a dark, sticky caramel sauce. The dish was finished by a dollop of whipped crème fraiche and fleur de sel. I loaded my spoon, making sure to get all of the elements of the budino. It was simply sublime. I guarantee I will have dreams about that dessert. It also came with a couple of tiny rosemary pine nut cookies. The cookies were savory and a nice accompaniment to the budino.

So, in short…I enjoyed Pizzeria Mozza. At the end of the meal, the waiter asked for our opinion of the dessert. As we sang the praises of all things butterscotch and caramel, he made a statement that mirrored one of my cardinal food beliefs, “If you are going to eat something, it should be good. Don’t waste a meal on bad food." His statement only served to confirm what I already assumed about Pizzeria Mozza. It’s a place where people who love food can enjoy simple food done extremely well. Their love and respect for food is very present. You find it in the décor. It exists in the staff. It’s present in the people dining there. But, it’s especially there in the food.

Pizzeria Mozza
http://www.mozza-la.com/pizzeria/about.cfm

Endless Summer Barbecue Sunday's at Ford's Filling Station

Last Sunday, a friend and I decided to go to Ford's Filling Station for dinner. My last visit was earlier in the summer with one of my food groups. The outing was a progressive dinner, and the organizer chose Ford's for our 1st course. The memory of all of the wonderfully prepared dishes led me there. I had to stop myself from salivating at the thought of their simple, yet delectable flatbreads (white shrimp and jamon serrano were superb). How could I forget their lovely roast beef salad? Because I enjoyed so many dishes during my last visit, I had no idea how to settle on one dish with visions of all of their yummy food dancing in my head.

Luckily, my "dilemma" was resolved rather quickly. Much to my delight, I found that in addition to the tasty regular dinner menu, Sunday was Endless Summer Barbecue Sunday! Since September 21st, Ford's has offered a special barbecue menu at dinner. For only $18, you have your choice of two meats and two sides. There was no way I could pass up that deal! The meat selections were numerous. There were pork ribs, pulled pork, chicken, sausage, and beef brisket. The side dishes selection was also quite nice. The choices included Tuscan cabbage, succotash, heirloom tomatoes, corn on the cob, and a few other items.

I selected the brisket, pulled pork, Tuscan cabbage (or carvolo pero), and succotash. The portions at Ford's are ridiculous. I was presented with a heaping plate of meat and veggies. I found the brisket flavorful, but a little over done. I was expecting slices of tender, juicy brisket. I was a little disappointed. Even with the addition of the spicy barbecue sauce, it left much to be desired. However, the pulled pork more than made up for the lackluster brisket. The pork was tender and packed with flavor. It was moist and succulent. Everything you expect to find in pulled pork. I could see bits of onion and red bell pepper sprinkled throughout the delicious meat. Mmmm! For my side dishes, I selected the Tuscan cabbage and succotash. The cabbage was very similar to kale in appearance. The greens appeared slow cooked with onions and other spices. They were good, but I did not enjoy the texture of the greens. They were still a little too crunchy for my taste. Sadly, most of them remained on my plate. However, the succotash was AWESOME. This version of succotash included, fresh corn, fennel, onion, and black-eyed peas. In general, I REALLY dislike black-eyed peas. As a girl with Southern roots, black-eyed peas occasionally found their way to the family dinner table. One of the few constants in my culinary dislikes is my loathing of black-eyed peas. I've never had them and enjoyed them...that's no longer the case. I enjoyed them very much as a part of the succotash. They were not the focus. Instead they served the role of a minor, yet important supporting character. So, while Ford's didn't convert me, I'm starting to come around. The dish was absolutely delicious and I enjoyed every bit of it.

Again, I'm enjoying the wonderful restaurants in and around Culver City. Ford's Filling Station is certainly becoming one of my favorites.

Ford's Filling Station
http://www.fordsfillingstation.net/

I'm BACK!

I'm officially returning from my hiatus! Yay! In my last post, I mentioned taking a hiatus due to health reasons. Overall, I'm fine. However, I have to dramatically alter my eating habits. Huge adjustment. Less going out and more cooking at home. Fortunately, I love to cook. This brings me to my main point. The focus of adventuresofawannabefoodie will expand a bit. Prior to the hiatus, I began to expand my focus with the MILK review. Now, I'm just planning to open the doors a little wider. Now, I'll share my healthy recipes and dining experiences, in addition to my fine dining experiences.

Also, let's not forget Top Chef. I literally squealed with excitement when I saw the teasers for Top Chef: New York. I'm looking forward to writing more thorough recaps this year. My schedule was really crazy last year and I didn't have the time to write. This year is different. My schedule is still crazy...just not as crazy as last year.

Hiatus

As you can see, I'm taking a little break. I went to a progressive dinner in July that I need to update, but I just haven't had time to sit down and write about it. However, for health reasons, I have to take a little break.

In the meantime, Happy Eating!

Got Milk! Recipes

I know I'm late. But, here are a few of the recipes from the Got Milk event. Additional recipes are available at .. ENJOY!

ICE BLENDED GREEN TEA
SERVES: 4

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon Japanese green tea powder
1⁄4 cup nonfat powdered milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1⁄2 cup low fat condensed sweetened milk
1⁄2 cup low fat evaporated milk
1 1⁄2 cups nonfat milk
6 cups ice

DIRECTIONS:
Sift together tea powder, powdered milk and sugar.In a blender, add tea powder mix along with the rest of the ingredients and blend on high speed until smooth.


MILKIE WAY MALT
SERVES: 4

INGREDIENTS:
1 quart vanilla bean ice cream
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons malted milk mix
1⁄4 cup caramel sauce
1⁄4 cup chocolate syrup
1⁄4 cup chocolate chips
1 cup malted milk balls
whipped cream to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Freeze 4 glasses. Drizzle caramel and chocolate syrups in each of the chilled cups for decoration. Place one pint of vanilla bean ice cream, 1/2 cup of malted milk into the blender and blend on high until smooth. Pour malt into 2 of the glasses, then repeat the process with the rest of the ice cream and fill the other glasses.Pipe whipped cream on top of the malts and top with the malt balls

CORNBREAD WITH RASPBERRY JELLY
SERVES: 8

INGREDIENTS:
1⁄2 pound sugar
2 tablespoons pastry cream powder
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
9 ounces whole milk
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces flour
5 ounces cornmeal, fine or medium ground
5 ounces butter
1 tablespoon baking powder
1⁄2 cup raspberry jam
2 ears of corn

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 325ºF. Place butter in a thick bottom sauce pot and cook over medium heat until butter begins to brown and smell a bit nutty. Set aside. Remove husk from corn, along with corn sills (hairs)and cut the kernels from the cob. Reserve kernels
and discard the cob. Sift together dry ingredients and set aside. Whisk together egg, vanilla extract and milk and set aside. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet, whisk until just combined. Do not over whisk. Add corn and brown butter to the batter and whisk to combine. Pour half of the batter into a buttered loaf pan
(3"x3"x8") or 10" round cake pan. Spoon the raspberry jam down the center of the batter, then pour the rest of the cornbread batter in the pan. Sprinkle some of the cornmeal and sugar on top of the bread to produce a nice crust. Bake at 325ºF for about 30-35 minutes or done. Check by inserting a skewer into middle of the
loaf. Upon removing, it should be dry. Let the loaf cool to room temperature. Remove the loaf from the pan. Note: For easier removal of loaf from pan, cut a piece of parchment or baking paper the size of the bottom of the pan and place in pan before adding the batter. This will help it release from the pan when ready to de-mold.

Way to Go STEPHANIE!

So, I started this post on June 13th, and now it's July 2nd. The finale was a couple of weeks ago and I really don't have much to say about it. I'm glad Lisa lost. I'm glad Stephanie won. I'm sad Richard did poorly. The finale was the most anti-climatic thing I've ever seen. I mean, seriously.

Champagne Tasting at K&L Wine Merchants

So, a couple of weeks ago, I went to a champagne tasting at K&L Wine Merchants! Can you say yummy? K&L, which was founded over 30 years ago,is a wonderful little place.

Every Thursday, the Hollywood location has wine tasting for $10. Because I'm a LA Foodie, it was discounted to $5. Yay me! I thought what better way to unwind from my busy week. Another plus, I might learn a little something other than the fact that I like champagne.

The tasting consisted of six champagnes ranging in price from $30-$80. Also, they were all Bruts. There was the Gosset Brut Excellence ($29.99). It was a a blend of of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. It was nice. I was a little put off because they were not served in flutes and I missed the bubbles. I find the bubbles very exciting. It's really the best part of drinking champagne. The next was the Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve. It was mostly Chardonnay, but still a blend of the three grapes. I found it very aggressive. It also didn't have the usual finish that I come to expect from champagne. It was smooth and you could really taste the fruit. The third wine was the Delamotte Brut Champagne. It was 50% Chardonnay. I really enjoyed this one. It was a little lighter and sweeter. Some of the other tasters didn't like it as much, but who cares. Again, it's all about what YOU like. The fourth wine was the Jacquesson Brut Cuvee#732. This particular producer numbers their wine. This particular wine was from 2004. It contained more Pinto Meunier and very different in taste. I really did not enjoy it. Next was the Laurent-Perrier "Grand Siecle" Champagne. It was a vintage blend of 1995,1996, and 1998 wines. It was 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir. It was not too acidic and VERY good. Mmmm. Finally, we received a special tasting of the Delamotte vintage 1999. It was ok. It just didn't do it for me.

One of the other tasters commented on how unimpressed she was with the choices. Frankly, I thought they were all fine. Of course, I enjoyed some more than others...but still, it was all good. She went on to comment that she really likes Perrier Jouet. Well, I mean come on. That champagne is a little more expensive and I have to agree, delicious. NO contest.

I actually learned a few interesting tidbits about champagne. For instance, I did not know that champagne cannot be released for at least 18 months. Fascinating. Also, I never really thought about the composition of it all. All of the champagnes I tried were blends. I found that most champagnes, with the exception of blancs are blends. Also, I learned about the difference between vintage and non-vintage champagne. Every year, champagne producers must set aside at least 20 percent of the wine for use in a future non-vintage wine. Also, producers get to decide which years will be vintage. Vintage wines are composed of grapes collected all in the same year. See, I didn't know the difference. Now, I do. Pretty neat.

K&L is considered one of the best wine stores in CA, and an excellent source for the online shopper. They have three locations:in San Francisco, Redwood City and Hollywood, California. I had to rush off to a meeting on the other side of town, but I can see why they are so highly regarded. For a moment, I got a little lost in the vast array of wines from all around the World. I had to tear myself away. I found their prices really reasonable (actually a little less than BevMo---my go to place for alcohol. Also, the staff was really knowledgeable and helpful. Always, a plus. I will definitely make my way back over there.


K&L Hollywood
1400 Vine Street
Hollywood, CA, 90028
(323) 464-WINE (9463)
(323) 836-0853 (Fax)
Store Hours: M-F: 10-8pm, Sat: 10-8pm, Sun: 11-6pm