Pizzeria Ortica

[Swicks]

I am suprised there isn't already a topic on this one....

David Meyers of Sona, Comme Ca, et al opened this restaurant in Orange County right near South Coast Plaza about two months ago. Its a casual Italian place very reminiscent of Nancy Silverton's Mozza in LA. In fact they are nearly identical in general feel, menu, and practices. Menus are very close though Ortica has more mains and pastas whereas Mozza, the focus is pizza. I would say PO is maybe a tad bit more formal (though still very casual) but the space is very light and comfortable. It occupies the space formerly of Il Fornaio and Turner New Zealand.

I had lunch at the bar today. I came a bit later than the lunch rush, which I was told fills the restaurant nearly every day. This is due to the close proximity of many nice office buildings. I ate at the bar, service was very friendly and efficient.

I started with the prociutto di parma plate which was served simply with olive oil and a few olives. Tough to go wrong here. Then I had the Margherita pizza. It was cooked well, nicely charred. Ingredients were spare and in balance. The crust was slightly denser than Mozza, particularly noticeable in the crust. I give Mozza a slight edge here but I am nitpicking, it was really good. I finished with another mozza-esque dish, the Bundino, here done with chocolate and caramel. Simple and delicious.

Overall this is a boon to OC people in the know and who want a Mozza-esque experience without having to truck north. I look forward to returning for dinner to try some of their pastas and secondi.

*edited because I am an eetrochus speelar

Edited March 20, 2009 by Swicks (log)

[mukki]

Ah, I was wondering about this place. I just moved out of OC, so I unfortunately won't be trying it anytime soon.

[savvysearch]

Smart move. We really don't have anything like this. They were planning another Comme Ca which wouldn't have been able to compete against Charlie Palmer and Marche Moderne.

I went there a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately I wasn't too impressed. The pizza had wonderful crust but was so stingy with the ingredients. Now I'm not expecting a cheese bomb like a NY slice. But even by Italian standards it needed more. At least to Mozza's level. The tomatoes were wonderful but they need to resolve that with the puddles of tomato water sliding off the pizzas.

Edited March 26, 2009 by savvysearch (log)

[millions]

I was in OC yesterday for an Angels game, so I drove down post-game and ate at the bar right at opening time. I eat at Mozza about once a week, and it's certainly not in the same league, as far as the pizza goes. The crust was pedestrian, and I found the sauce very bland. Service was fine, I enjoyed the braseola, and the wine list was short but interesting. Server said the full liquor license is expected within the nex couple of weeks (only wine and beer now).

Anyhow, the bartender claimed that Myers still intends to bring a Comme Ca down to Costa Mesa, and further that he's planning to bring an Ortica up to LA. We'll see, I guess.

Edited April 12, 2009 by millions (log)

[Swicks]

I was in OC yesterday for an Angels game, so I drove down post-game and ate at the bar right at opening time. I eat at Mozza about once a week, and it's certainly not in the same league, as far as the pizza goes. The crust was pedestrian, and I found the sauce very bland. Service was fine, I enjoyed the braseola, and the wine list was short but interesting. Server said the full liquor license is expected within the nex couple of weeks (only wine and beer now).

Anyhow, the bartender claimed that Myers still intends to bring a Comme Ca down to Costa Mesa, and further that he's planning to bring an Ortica up to LA. We'll see, I guess.

←

I actually ate at Mozza again last week so I would say your comparison is pretty good though I thought PO was a bit better than what your opinion was. That being said Mozza really is on another level.