It's been hard finding a good pizza joint in LA so I was happy to run into Stella Barra Pizza Bar in Santa Monica. It wasn't hard to find a table like at Pizzeria Mozza, which is good but I don't like to go through so much hassle for a simple slice of Margherita Pizza. And the slice was far more satisfying than that at Olio Pizzeria, which wasn't half bad but somehow I haven't returned for its pies and I suspect it's because I'm still in my quest for a slice reminiscent of those thin, super light beauties I had in Naples and as a matter fact, any old pizzeria in Bologna.
I've always confused the name of this place as Stella Rossa, which is a cheap winery that plasters its name on freeway billboards. Apparently I'm not alone because some message boards still called it Stella Rossa -- further compounding the confusion. We sat at the bar as we didn't have reservations.
The Margherita pizza was thin and light with just the right amount of cheese and tomato s it wasn't too heavy. What I liked most was the crust -- crunchy and soft at the same time with the right amount of saltiness upon every bite and bubbles formed on the edges. I usually leave the edges of crust on my plate but I ended up eating all of it (albeit there being another reason for it -- more on that later).
We started with the spinach and purple kale salad that came with Pecorino Romano cheese, dates and radishes in a light dressing. It was just what we needed before diving into the less healthy main course. My only complaint is that I wish the greens had been cut smaller so we wouldn't have to open our mouths as wide as when we visit the dentist. It was unwieldy, as refreshing as it was.
For our second pie, we got the prosciutto with three different cheeses (Mozarella, Pecorino Romano and Gruyere) and an egg. Needless to say, this pizza had me at egg. I can never resist having an egg oozing out of anything, especially pizzas. We tried it in thin crust and immediately regretted it when we took a bite. It was beyond thin crust. It wasn't a pizza anymore. It was a flat bread. And when the egg yolk didn't complement the ham and cheeses, the entire pie was far too salty. That's where the crust from the other pizza came in and helped to temper the sodium overload. I wouldn't get it extra thin again.
It's my dream breakfast -- just add a nice cappuccino and I'm set.
Service was good. We later moved to a table when the room had somewhat cleared. Our server was attentive and friendly. She was all great except for the fact that she gave us the check before we asked for it. We first thought it was because she had to leave but in fact she didn't as she was around when we walked out.
Parking is a bit tight. You have to park at the very limited retail spots in the lot below as most of them are reserved for apartment dwellers that's part of the same complex.
I was stoked to see a Hollywood one recently opened. Will have to try that out soon.
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