What I hear you saying is...

New top 10 reasons to visit LA:

1. Mozza
2. Mozza
3. Mozza
4. Mozza
5. Mozza
6. Mozza
7. Mozza
8. Mozza
9. Mozza
10. Mozza

On our recent Topix whirlwind through LA, JSu suggested we try this place for dinner, since it was some of the best pizza she'd had in a long time. That's pretty much all the endorsement I needed.

How good is this place? For starters, their Caprese salad -- something I would normally avoid as pedestrian on an Italian menu -- was so over the top with roasted tomatoes (still on vine) atop a mountain of barata burrata mozzarella drizzled with pesto and olive oil that I am still dreaming about it. (note to self: waaaay to rich for one - next time share an order).

The Pizza? Probably the best I've had outside Italy, and honestly better than a lot I had there, too. The crust -- a thin, quasi-neopolitan style concoction -- has this mochi-like chewiness that I could not resist. My 'meat-lovers' was all that and more. Jsu had even more barata burrata ( ! ) on hers, and then CST had the sausage/fennel combo. We each split 'em up and shared slices - all fantastic.

Even the wine list was a surprise - with a ton of odd varietals I'd never heard of, and completely eschewing the triumvirate of Chianti, Barolo, and Barbaresco that are the mainstays of most Italian joints. To be honest, I can't now even remember what we drank -- only that it was recommended, and was great. Trust your server~

Unbelievably, we still had some space after dinner, and so JSu pointed us to my 11th favorite thing about LA:

11. Pink Berry

This is real frozen yogurt -- or at least how I would think it should taste. That is, it actually tastes sour, like yogurt. A big helping of this, plus fresh fruit toppings = a really refreshing dessert. I'm pretty sure these guys will migrate to the Bay Area by next summer if not sooner.

Mozza, on the other hand, I'm afraid may remain solely an LA institution. Which means I'm going to have to figure out how to get down there more often...