FOOD REVIEW: Angelina's Pizzeria—A More Elegant Take On Pizza

Angelina’s Pizzeria is a new restaurant in Monarch Bay Plaza. It has been open for about a month, and we were excited to try it. My daughter was home from college for a quick visit, so she came along. Near the entrance of the small restaurant is an enormous red-tiled oven, which is used to cook the pizzas. The red oven provides a nice pop of color in the room, as much of the rest of the décor is black and white, sleek and modern.

We were seated and began to look over the menus, when the chef/owner came to our table and introduced himself. He explained that he is from Italy and that his pizzas are authentically Italian. Many of the ingredients he uses are imported from Italy. He also explained how the red oven cooks each pizza in just seventy seconds.

We were now more intrigued. My husband and I looked over the wine list. There are many nice choices, mainly from Italy and California. Reds include pinot noir, Barbera, Chianti, Valpolicella, and Cabernet Sauvignon. On the white side, they offer sparkling wine, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay. Jim chose the Piccini Chianti and I selected a glass of Angelina “White Label” Pinot Noir.

The first page of the food menu features appetizers and salads. There is a scelta di salumi (selection of cured meats) including prosciutto, pancetta, salami, and mortadella served with focaccia bread. The next section offers a variety of cheeses served with mustard, honey, dried fruits and nuts along with focaccia. You can create your own platter of meats and cheeses too. Other appetizer options include frittata and several varieties of bruschetta. Most salads can be ordered as a small or large portion. In addition to the Caesar and Caprese, there is an Angelina salad, made with arugula, fennel, orange, pine nuts, Gaeta olives and raisins, and the Meditteranea, a mix of arugula, sun dried tomatoes, Brie and Gaeta olives.

The pizzas are divided into red and white. Some of the red options include a margherita, the marinara (made with Sicilian oregano, tomato sauce, basil and olive oil), and the Caprese made with Roma tomatoes, Buffalo mozzarella, basil and olive oil. A few of the more adventurous choices are the melanzane e scamorza topped with eggplant and smoked mozzarella, and the nostromo prepared with tuna, capers, Gaeta olives, mozzarella, tomato sauce and chile flakes.

White pizzas are prepared without tomato sauce. The Brie pizza is topped with Brie, baked ham, olives, arugula, sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and olive oil. The pere e noci is prepared with Gorgonzola, walnuts, pear, and mozzarella. There is even something called fried pizza, made with salami, ricotta and mozzarella, with a top layer of dough. There is also a dessert menu, including a dessert pizza made with Nutella, apples and cinnamon, chocolate sponge cake, filled puff pastries, and mascarpone cream served with toppings.

We each chose a pizza. I went with the nostromo pizza, my daughter selected the prosciutto and my husband chose the Saporita, prepared with Italian sausage, tomato sauce Gorganzola and mozzarella cheese. Our wine arrived in stemless goblets and were both quite good. Our pizza was served quickly, thanks to the special pizza oven. The pizzas were pretty large for one person, and perhaps we should have planned to share two, instead of ordering three. The crust was delicious and we enjoyed our pizzas. The ingredients were very fresh and much more elegant than a typical pizza restaurant would offer.  The décor of Angelina’s is also more upscale and elegant than a typical pizza place, but unfortunately, the acoustics are not great, so it is fairly noisy. With each pizza ranging in price from $14-20, it is also a little expensive.

Angelina’s offers authentic Italian pizza and antipasti along with a nice wine list. They are open for lunch and dinner.

I give Angelina’s 3 Patches out of 5.