You know something tastes good, if not great, when the not-easily-wooed Los Angeles Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila lovingly gives it a green light — especially in Orange County.
Well, she was smitten with the dishes at Pizzeria Ortica in Costa Mesa. She even said, “For one thing, the menu includes pasta, some of the best in Southern California, plus a fine antipasti and salad menu, and a handful of well-conceived main courses.” Some of the best in SoCal — wow, that’s saying a lot.
You can dine and bring the whole family to David Myers’ fabulous Pizzeria Ortica for Family Style Mondays; $50 feeds three to four people. The special menu features choice of two salads, tricolore with treviso, arugula, endive, apples, Gorgonzola and candied walnuts, or L’Italo Americana with radicchio, romaine, endive, grilled zucchini, spicy salame, provolone, pickled peperoncini, red onion and cherry tomatoes. There is a choice of two fresh pastas: ravioli di burrata al pomodoro, a burrata-filled ravioli with fresh tomato and basil; or tagliatelle Bolognese, a hand-cut spinach pasta with traditional meat sauce and Parmigiano Reggiano.
There is also a choice of six handmade Napoli-style pizzas: marinara (crushed San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, Sicilian oregano); margherita (with crushed San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella and basil); prosciutto di parma e rucola; margherita with parma ham and wild arugula and salame piccante e funghi; margherita with spicy salame, mixed mushrooms and alla norma, cherry tomatoes, basil, eggplant, smoked mozzarella and ricotta salata, salsiccia with house-made sausage, caramelized fennel, mascarpone, red onion and buffalo grana; and lastly, milanesa with Fontina, asparagus, Parmigiano Reggiano and fried egg. There’s also a choice of gelato for dessert, and you can splurge for $20 with select wines available, too. The restaurant is open for lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and open for dinner 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 5 to 11 p.m. Saturday.
Pizzeria Ortica is at 650 Anton Blvd. in Costa Mesa. Complimentary two-hour parking with validation is available in the Plaza Tower parking structure. For more information, call (714) 445-4900 or visit http://www.pizzeriaortica.com.
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