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OK, so KT beat me to the punch on a Pizzeria Mozza review, but since Mozza was one of the more hyped openings last year, maybe it deserves two reviews?

We walk into the airy space (huugely high ceilings) and our table for five is waiting. Glancing over towards the pizza oven is a welcome surprise, Nancy Silverton herself is working with the toppings and directing traffic in the kitchen.

Browsing the menu and seeing all the delicious options, we’re glad that we’re at a round table of five and can sample what everyone orders.

The waitress answers a few questions for us. She explains that burrata is a rich, creamy mozzarella cheese; that taleggio is a strong cheese and that the guanciale pizza is the only one that isn’t cut in the kitchen, so that you can cut through the soft egg and let the yolk spill out.

Before the main course, we decide on a few appetizers. Ever since reading about the stuffed squash blossoms, I knew that I was going to give them a try. We also order some arancine — risotto balls filled with cheese and veal — some brussel sprouts and a couple of the salads, one tricolore and the mista.

Brussel Sprouts. One of the table favorites, breaded, but cold, slightly marinated.

Stuffed Squash Blossoms. Good, very tasty, but a bit disappointingly small. Those blossoms are just about the size of a fork.

Squash, aracine and sprouts. You can see the fork for reference, the blossoms are mini! The aracine are a delightful bite.

Water comes in two varieties, sparkling and filtered tap. I like that they give us a full bottle of tap water, but the waterglasses themselves are scarcely bigger than shot glasses, which means I am refilling after almost every sip.

Wine comes in quartinas, small carafs that hold a bit more than the standard glass pour. The wine list is extensive and our waitress touts the “50 wine bottle selections under $50″. Looking across the bar, nearly every patron, except for the tots, are sipping a glass.

After the appetizers, the pizzas arrive. We aren’t in a hurry, and good thing, because there is quite a lag between the two courses. I opted for the mushroom (pardon me, funghi) pizza, with huge slices of the meaty fungus and the cheese is in fact quite tangy.

My partner in crime (and life) has the burrata pie with squash blossoms. The blossoms are the same size as were served in the appetizer. The small size is much more suitable for toppings than for stuffing. The cheese is in fact rich and creamy, when I saw it on another table, I thought it was the poached egg.

I manage to wrangle a piece of the prosciutto pizza from across the table. I am nearing full capacity, but easily eat this half piece shown above. The cool cured meat is a delicious compliment to the crispy crust.

As KT mentioned in her review, Mozza also serves a daily (but scheduled) special. Perhaps in a hit tip to the Vatican, Mozza serves a fish special on Fridays. This is the Santa Barbara Sea Bass, covered in greens and herbs, and swimming in olive oil. The flesh is moist and bursting with herb-y flavor.

It takes three table members to summon up enough room to put down the butterscotch pudding and I am told it was well worth the effort. By the end of the meal I am pleasantly full and tap out before dessert.

There are a lot of reasons to recommend Mozza. The service is friendly and helpful. The ambiance is lively, well put together and a good mix of intimate and open. The food is unique and packed with quality ingredients. This is in no way a traditional pizza joint, so stop the comparisons. If your kids aren’t adventurous, I wouldn’t force Mozza on them, but on the other hand it may be an easy way to expand their palette.

I too look forward to an easier time making reservations. It would be nice to be able to make a same day phone call. It did look like there was easy access to the bar, although for parties of more than two, sitting at the bar is a pain.

By Jonah (see more of his posts). Jonah is the founder of la.foodblogging and also created Digesty, a food blog aggregator and Cheww.com, a spam free foodblog search engine.