Webisode #6: Back to Pizzeria Mozza
The Difference Between Good and Great
This webisode segment brings us back to Pizzeria Mozza, as we follow the dough from the La Brea Bakery, as shown in the previous two segments, to the waiting hands of Executive Chef Matt Molina and his team of pizzaiolos. So here’s the thing: there really is a difference between good pizza and great pizza and in this segment you’ll get few glimpses into that difference.
I’ve said many times that pizza, even average pizza, is still the most perfect of all foods. But here at Pizza Quest our notion of great pizza (as opposed to good) is defined by one word:
memorable. There are, perhaps, a relatively small number of places in the world that make truly memorable pizza and the word itself can mean many things to many people. Whether it’s the snap of the crust followed by a creamy, custard-like mouthfeel, the freshness and vibrancy of the sauce, the quality of the topping ingredients, or simply the location and friends you hang with–all of these things contribute to the experience that becomes memorable. But, when I use the word, I’m referring to places that change your whole notion of how good pizza can be–that raise the bar and re-set the benchmarks, that change the paradigm. Places that make you want to return again and again, to bring your closest friends; places that you can’t get out of your head. I personally know of about ten such places in this country –there are probably more that I still haven’t yet experienced– and the number of such places are growing, for sure. Pizzeria Mozza is one of those places I would place in the paradigm changing realm (as for the others–well, keep checking back here and eventually we’ll get to those). I hope you get a sense of the specialness of these pies as you watch this episode.
One of the most remarkable things about Pizzeria Mozza in particular is the sheer volume of pizzas that they turn out everyday at this benchmark level. As we saw in the LaBrea episodes, they make well over 500 a day; sometimes even 700. Yes, there are two other beautiful wood-fired ovens in the back kitchen to support the one in the open kitchen, but that’s still a lot of pizza and a lot of intensity. The relentlessness of working at that level for such extended periods of time is something that should cause us to ponder and gape in awe. As the saying goes, welcome to the NFL.
Note: We still have one more episode to show you from Pizzeria Mozza, where we sit at the table and talk with Nancy and some fellow pizza freaks about her vision. You saw a few snippets of this on Webisode #1, but we have more to come. But that’s next time; for now, enjoy Matt Molina and some pretty spectacular pizza!
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I lived in Los Angeles when La Brea Bakery first opened. I would stop there on Friday mornings on my way in to work to pick up breads for the weekend. That was one of my best experiences living there, and I can’t wait to return to try Pizzeria Mozza.
What really stands out for me watching the video is how crisp the crust appears, which stands in contrast to a lot of the knife and fork (dare I say, soggy) pies typical of Neapolitan places today.
On that note, I was just in NYC a few weeks ago and went to Donatella’s and Motorino. Both were good but the crust at Motorino was more flavorful and slightly crispier; though not as cripsy as what the crust at Mozza appears to be from the video. Thanks for sharing!
Another great episode. Thanks Peter! BTW, last weekend I made a batch of dough using the Mozza home baker recipe that they gave us at the pizza class. It really is good! Mine tasted much better than the batch they made at the restaurant. They have some unusual ingredients (e.g., wheat germ and dark rye flour) but the results are great!
Motorino, in NYC and Brooklyn (they have two locations) is really fabulous, as is Keste in Greenwich Village–both places do a very reputable, true Naples-style pizza. But Mozza, while in the Naples-style,, is really not like anyone else’s, which is what I think Nancy had in mind. It’s tricky to do a Naples style with a crispy crust that doesn’t dry out, and they manage to pull it off at Pizzeria Mozza about as well as anyone. Chris Bianco, in Phoenix, manages the same feat. These are examples of what John Arena, in his guest column, called the third level–the artistic expression. I’d love to hear of any other places that our followers know of that fall into this category, or that exemplify a singular expression and create a memorable experience for their customers.
Peter, do you know what temperature Mozza has their ovens?
No, I can’t recall, but it definitely isn’t 800 degrees, as it would be in Naples. One of the reasons their crust is able to crisp up is that the baking time is longer than the one minute in Naples–more like 5 minutes, maybe longer. Don’t know how they pull it off but it works!