Pirozzi

, Orange County Register/SCNG) Pirozzi The wood-fired Margherita is meticulously true to the spirit of Naples. The one with crispy prosciutto is notable, too. Plus, buy a bottle of wine, get a second bottle on the house. Takeout: Yes. Delivery: No. 2929 E

. Coast Highway, Corona Del Mar, 949-497-8222, pirozzicdm.com Margherita pizza at Pirozzi in Corona del Mar (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG) Pitfire It’s extremely rare that I would recommend a pizza that’s topped with a salad, but

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If it hasn’t been said before, it should be now: When it comes to Italian food in OC, Alessandro Pirozzi has found the secret for success. If you want a bowl of pasta anywhere near the beach cities, you’re going to inevitably encounter the Naples

-born chef’s name in some form or another, whether on a restaurant he once owned or one from his current stable of eateries, some of which sport a “By Pirozzi” tagline. Salerno’s Ristorante in Laguna Beach is his latest. Though he kept the same name of

meatball as scrumptious or as soft as the ones Alessandro Pirozzi is serving at Pirozzi, his new restaurant in Corona del Mar. And I don't know why it took me this long to try them. After all, I've been to all of his restaurants: Mare Culinary Lounge at the

appetizer, you get three of them draped in burrata cheese, oozing as though they're melted camp marshmallows, with an ambrosial ragù and sprinkles of basil. They're by far the most popular dish at Pirozzi. You see every table with an order. I had them as

I'm pretty sure I've not had a meatball as scrumptious or as soft as the ones Alessandro Pirozzi is serving at Pirozzi, his new restaurant in Corona del Mar. And I don't know why it took me this long to try them. After all, I've been to all of his

they're melted camp marshmallows, with an ambrosial ragù and sprinkles of basil. They're by far the most popular dish at Pirozzi. You see every table with an order. I had them as part of the spaghetti Mamma Mia entrée; for two bucks more than the appetizer

Summer is here. May is gone. And thus, it's time for another round-up of new restaurants we noticed opened this month. Among the notables: There were two poke joints that opened and Alessandro Pirozzi of Cucina Alessa fame opened a new place in

Corona Del mar. Without further ado, here's the rest of the list. ] RESTAURANT/VENUES OPENED IN MAY: Bosscat Kitchen, Newport Beach LCA Wine, Costa Mesa Kawamata Seafood, Dana Point Pirozzi Corona Del Mar, Corona Del Mar Ocean Market Grill, Long Beach

main course? In the middle of the plate, cupped in a rigid basket made from deep-fried pasta sheets, were the golden, home-style potatoes I remember fondly from Alessandro Pirozzi's other Laguna Beach restaurant, Alessá. These home fries, I admit, made

it even easier for me to use the words “best ever.” I've always been a sucker for crispy, buttery, fried potatoes, and these were pretty damn close to perfect. Mare is the fourth restaurant by Pirozzi, the man this rag has singled out in issues past

apple-crisp dessert tasted as though it had been reheated. It didn’t help that visions of Pirozzi’s heavenly meatball and Farmhouse’s marvelous hot-out-of-the-oven apple crisp were still fresh in my brain. A few days later, while looking over the menu at

I had not a single shred of doubt that the third and newest Cucina Alessa was going to be as good as the others. Even before it opened, I likened Alessandro Pirozzi to the James Cameron of OC Italian food—the rare auteur who can top his first

blockbuster with an even-better sequel. The Cucina Alessa in Huntington Beach is Pirozzi's Terminator 2: higher-budget, bigger, grander than his first in Newport Beach, all the while never forgetting what made the original rendition so great. But unlike

no one botches an order, even as the lights are dimmed so low you can barely make out the faces on the framed pictures of Alessandro Pirozzi's large clan hung in clusters on one wall. You can get just about everything offered at the other two Alessas

formerly Blue Laguna, which, like Mare was a clubby lounge set anachronistically inside a quaint Holiday Inn with wrought iron balconies reminiscent of New Orleans Square. While Alessandro Pirozzi's other restaurants are fit for families; Mare is intimate

Mare is supposed to be known for its seafood. But you should know by now that Alessandro Pirozzi of Cucina Alessa fame has the golden touch, even with game meats, as it turns out. The venison filet mignon he serves at his newest restaurant, two

preserve with sugar for topping ice cream, work even better in a game meat-centered main course? In the middle of the plate, cupped in a rigid basket made from deep-fried pasta sheets, were the golden, home-style potatoes I remember fondly from Pirozzi's