Pizza e Vino, Rancho Santa Margarita, Actual wood-burning Italian pizza oven, right in there.

[Priscilla]

Seeing this new installation in a space that has not seen too much success in the years I've been observing as I make my way to the nail salon two doors down to get my toes done was not too confidence-inspiring, but there was something about it that I liked immediately: Its name -- Pizza e Vino.

So, OK. With a name like that it would be way best if the name-chooser had the balls to stick to pizza and, you know, wine, instead of also including the usual litany of usually soggy pastas, and lo and behold, when I read the posted menu one pedicure day, I saw other that indeed, it was pizza and wine, pretty much. And salade, for which I was glad, because that is what we are after when we are after pizza: Pizza, salade, + wine. Unadulterated, like.

AND THEN I ferget what I was reading, poss. the Reg local biz section, but somehow the words "wood-burning pizza oven imported from Italy," or similar, were introduced into the lengthening equation. My immediate mental reaction was, Riiiiiiight. Wood-burning pizza oven, imported, from Italy, installed in that heretofore hapless little space in the courtyard by my nail salon. Right.

Well. Color me corrected. It is there, I seen it with my own eyes last night, and not only that, we had pizzas from it, and they were good. The owner was there hisself, working the long-handled peel, a good thing. The pizza prep surface is right there, facing the door like the post-Vatican II altar, and the guy just turns 180 degrees and puts the prepared pizza into the oven.

Really excellent pizza, if you like actual house-made dough that has been cold-fermented (for days!) to develop the characteristic flavor and texture and fresh mozz and, get this, Claro's is the sausage they use! When I saw that, Claro's sausage name-checked on the menu as proudly as one might have "Chino Farms radishes" or whatever at some other place, I was further endeared.

We had the prosciutto with arugula on top, a pizza motif we like and do a lot in our own home, nice greens piled right atop the pizza as it emerges from the oven. Very excellent small arugula, micro arugula really, not something available at Costco for instance.

A good thing -- you know how you can scan a menu and tell immediately whether there is actual restaurant sourcing going on or just Costco-Restaurant Depot cash and carry? *I* can effing cash and carry, thank you very much. I am paying you for stuff I cannot do. See how that works, mid-range restaurateurs of the nation?

ANYway, and a very nice wine which was the Wine of the Month, a program we instantly vowed to put ourselves on at Pizza e Vino. (Wednesdays the Wine of the Month is just $15, I see on their chalk sign.) We even had dessert, made in-house... a slightly too wet tiramisu that nevertheless had very fresh cream and very good flavors, and berries w/cream which were, berries w/ -- you see where I'm going with this.

Next time we will ask that our pizzas be really really crispified, we know that we are anomalies in this regard and these were not undercooked, but oh man, with that woodburning oven's stone floor we know we could get a really good char.

The service was really wonderful. Our young waiter resembled Fargo from Eureka so much that I hadda tell him so, and he knew what I was talking about, and was not offended as Ivan feared he would be, or at least he politely hid it from Weird Lady customer. And had a little chat with the owner, long-handled-peel-wielder Steve, about his carefully chosen ingredients and could he put a egg on top of our pizza next time. Very nice.

Now we can hold off putting the pizza oven in the garden a little longer.

Pizza e Vino, Rancho Santa Margarita

[Joan]

Intriguing, can't believe this place is in RSM. Thanks for the heads up!

[Priscilla]

Ya, and it was pretty well-attended, even though it was rainy. Hope it stays so!

I've always thought that courtyard overlooking the lake is vastly underutilized. Not a little to do with poor design -- no one saw fit to give the businesses, other than the empty-looking and cavernous Wings, and the in-fact vacant former yet unmissed Gentiles space, the benefit of actually overlooking the actual lake.

Good nail salon too though, next door or two doors down.

[Priscilla]

Another visit last night... antipasti salade shared among the 3 of us. Good dressing. Quatro Formaggio pizza very good, my new and forever fave, I daresay. Wine Wednesday, Wine of the Month just $15, very nice. Prosciutto/arugula again, very good. And Le Mangeur chose prosciutto e funghi, also good.

[Priscilla]

Went again last night.

Pizza just so good, better, if possible, than ever.

Owner guy very nice, sincere, cares about his pizza. Did I mention he worked with a Neopolitan pizza consultant on his dough, sauce, etc.? It shows, majorly.

We had a prosciutto/arugula (the micro arugula was the wild variety, which is just right for this application) and a four cheese -- just exceptional buttery cheeses. And a house salade, with their good vinaigrette and a few cannellini beans on it. More black char spots and more integrity to the dough even than before -- unbelievable to get such a good dough in a restaurant, really.

The restaurant has staked out a small section of the courtyard with tables and twinkly lights, and last night was mild enough that people were enjoying eating out there. But we ate inside, the room is so comfortable. But will eat outside at some point I feel certain.

[ivan]

Pizza e Vino is, simply, a treasure. It would be a treasure anywhere, but to have it right here in RSM is unbelievably fortunate.

[Priscilla]

Good again last night... bufala upgrade on the 4 cheese ($5), SO worth it. Tried the giardina, added Parmigiano Reggiano (it is a no-cheese on the menu), very good. House salade as per usual.

Saw another table having soup, hit up Jerry our server for the info, heard about it, ordered it. Very good. If I had made it I probably would have added a little cream, but it was very good as it was, and soup is my favorite food. It was the good San Marzanos they use for the sauce, roasted in their pizza oven a bit and pureed w/(Jerry said) housemade chicken stock and whatnot. Would be very very good with their "garlic bread," which is apparently pizza crust base w/olive oil, Pecorino, garlic.

Brought home a prosciutto/arugula pizza for Le Mangeur, who was too busy gamin', (just-released Resident Evil V), to accompany us.

Saw the bruschetta being served to a nearby table, wowee. Pizza crust piled with chopped tomatoes and the usual suspects, and bottle of olive oil w/poury thing on top provided for table use. Wonder how we can fit that in some future visit.

[Priscilla]

Pizza e Vino last night, very good. Saw on the sandwich board outside a Buffalo Chicken special, so we ordered it, apparently the first to do so. It was just the unmistakable smell of chile in the air that got us to do it... guess it was wafting all the way from the kitchen.

And it was good; I would cut the chicken in chunks, rather than strips, which end up curling kind of wormily under the heat of the pizza oven, but the chicken itself was tender and good tasting. And the sauce, with a nice burn to it, was good. The pizza guy (who was from Pennsylvania, for some reason), came out to see who'd ordered his Creation and would not divulge exactly WHICH chile sauces he'd used, but said there were "about 3."

Additionally the four-cheese w/bufala; good again.

House salade; yes, good, yes, again.

Brought a prosciutto-arugula to Le Mangeur, yes, AGAIN, since he had been attending a Cultural Event and did not eat dinner.

[Priscilla]

Last Thurs Pizza e Vino... the owner guy ventured to tell us he had BURRATA, and not just old burrata, but the right one, Gioia from El Monte (I asked), sort of like I asked on this topic.

So. Burrata Caprese-type salade... v.g. Will have to try to get him to put some of that wild arugula he likes so well under there as well, next time. For now, it is comforting to know that there's Gioia burrata right around the corner.

Then a quatro formaggio w/bufala and a Napoletana, no cheese, tomato sauce, anchovies, garlic. Very good!

AGAIN with the bringing home of a prosciutto/arugula to Le Mangeur, who was assiduously homeworkin' in this, the last week before spring break.

[Priscilla]

Delicious again last night, burrata now w/roasted-in-the-pizza-oven cherry tomatoes, four-cheese w/bufala, and a pizza from the specials board, HAWAIIAN!!!

I said must be Steve's Night Off pizza (Steve is the owner guy), but no, he showed up his own darn self after a bit, Sinatraly said it was Hawaiian "his way." I can dig it.

Rather, we could dig it. It was good! I prefer my quattro formaggio w/bufala if I was preferrin', but it was good. As was the burrata, and the house salade, and the prosciutto/arugula we brought home as is traditional for La Mangeur, who had been attending a Cultural Event.

[Priscilla]

Good again tonight!

Had what they call "garlic bread" w/the burrata this time... and burrata has joined the regular menu, which is a very good thing. Garlic bread here is some of that good dough with an immodest amount of the sauteed chopped garlic they're always finishing in the oven there, aromaming the whole place in a good way and maybe a little Parmigiano. A good complement to the burrata.

And a quattro formaggio w/bufala, and that cheeseless one w/anchovy and red sauce, Napoletana I think? And a house side salade. We brought pizza and "garlic bread" home, as well as the traditional prosciutto w/arugula, for La Mangeur, who'd been at a Cultural Event and appreciated it.

[Joan]

I'll have to find a vegan pizza here. I might just order the bread only, since this was a one-time deal for me.

I had some non-vegan pizza here and the crust was great! Easily the best pizza I've had in OC and LA, on the crust alone.

This post has been edited by Joan: Aug 10 2009, 03:29 PM

[Priscilla]

Joan I am glad you liked it. Because I like it!

Their so-called self-styled soi-disant "garlic bread" is kind of good, just a load of chopped garlic in olive oil they heat in a pan stuck in the pizza oven. Also their so-called & c. "bruschetta," which is a dough blank baked with I guess oil, piled with chopped raw tomato after. Looks good when I see it there, but haven't had. Either might be vegan... I don't think there is any cheese or anything except veg & olive oil involved.

[Priscilla]

Pizza e Vino tonight, had a board special pizza I saw Christoofat mention on Chowhound that was SO GOOD: Burrata, prosciutto, MICROBASIL. OMG, and I do NOT say that lightly.

Also a four cheese, molto excellente as per usual. Brought home the usual prosciutto/arugula for La Mangeur workin' hard on a writing assignment.

Bottle o' Super Tuscan and one is ready for anything.

Seeking confirmation of Joan's tip on the existence of a catering truck, Steve the owner guy regaled us with how he now has a MOBILE WOOD-BURNING PIZZA OVEN. Yes, he does. He had ANOTHER imported pizza oven built into a custom trailer which he pulls with a blacked-out GM truck to various locations. Now THAT is rock & roll, man. Not to mention, very very cool.

Now all's I need is an event so that Pizza e Vino pizza can come to my house.

[ivan]

PeV achieves something beyond great pizza -- it actually fulfills the sacred charter of a true restaurant to not only feed, but also restore. For me, the true measure of a restaurant is how I feel when I step back outside. When I leave PeV, I feel like all is right with the world.

[Priscilla]

Just another great meal at PeV last night... We had the special burrata/microbasil/prosciutto/garlic, a four cheese w/bufala, and Le Mangeur had a prosciutto e funghi all to hisself. We shared an antipasto salade... so good.

When it's just Ivan and me there we get the house salade, but when Le Mangeur accompanies the antipasti is so nice an addition. Salade was extra cold and well-dressed last night, for some reason. Salade has always been good here, but last night's stood out.

I like it when a restaurant I go to is better and better instead of worse and worse, you know what I mean?

[Priscilla]

Last night dinner @ PeV for one of our anniversaries.

It was so quiet! A little worrisome, but our waiter said it's been up and down.

Pizzas were good as usual, small blip in their being out of burrata, but understandable, and I'd SO much rather it be occasional out and fresh when it's there than kept beyond its time just to have in stock so that is OK.

They have a new Cruvinet, the winekeeping device that keeps, in this case, 25 bottles at optimum serving quality, a nice thing to have in one's neighborhood restaurant. I am afraid we went with our usual bottle anyways, but we'll be taking advantage of the Cruvinet in future I foresee.

[Priscilla]

Did notice that Claro's no longer appears on the menu next to sausage... wonder if that means what it looks like it means.

[alosha7777]

I looked at their menu online a couple of days ago and "Claro's" is on there. I thought that was funny. I guess not any more though!

[Joan]

Now officially VPN certified!

http://www.ocregister.com/news/pizza-242887-vino-vpn.html