i heart this: olio pizzeria santa barbara
If you know me, you know I love food. Well, let me clarify... I love GOOD food. And I am rather snobbish about what is and isn't "good food." Well, my friends, Olio Pizzeria here in Santa Barbara is good food. Like, really really really good! Olio Pizzeria is the more casual side of Olio + Limone and very much reminds me of LA's Mozza/Pizzeria Mozza. The food at Olio Pizzeria is LEGIT Italian with many cheeses and cured meats imported from Italy! They have a woodfire oven that fires up the pizzas and makes them extra crisp on the bottom and chewy in the crust! LOVE! AJ and I went there with my in-laws and feasted like kings. Here is the run down of what we had:
Apps
- Trio of Olives - OMG YUM! The olives varied from mild to spicy marinated. They had their pits which meant they had tons of flavor! I loved nibbling on these and they are a great way to whet your appetite!
- Fried Artichoke Hearts - Need I say more? They came out fresh from the fryer and perfectly golden and crunchy! Oh and they were very very hot! I had fried artichokes in Rome and these were just as good! I adored the aioli that came with! I popped these in my mouth like popcorn. They were seriously that good! Sweet, crunchy, rich. Yum
- Shrimp in a Spicy Garlic Sauce - By far my favorite appetizer! The shrimp were huge and succulent! The spicy tomato sauce they were cooked in added just the right amount of garlic and acidity to the dish! It was well balanced and oh so delish!
Pizzas
- Mare Chiaro - This is the pizza I ate! It was covered in shrimp, clams and calamari! It was SO GOOD! The seafood was very delicate but not overpowered by the marinara sauce or mild mozzarella cheese! The dough was crisp but chewy, just how I like it! I added some of their chili oil to the pizza which made the whole thing pop! It was like eating a Fra Diavolo pasta...but as a pizza instead!
- Parma- AJ got the Parma which is covered with arugula, mozzarella and prosciutto. I don't eat meat so I tasted a bite from a piece with no prosciutto on it! I really liked the taste of arugula on pizza! Very refreshing! Who knew? AJ loved this pizza!
Desserts
- Apple Tarte Tatin - Tarte Tatin (besides bananas foster) is my fave dessert of all time! This one is just as good as I expect from a Tarte Tatin! Caramely apple goodness!
- Butterscotch Pudding - This was heavenly but oh so rich! It was like eating caramel and butter and fat with a spoon! Nothing wrong with that! But glad it was shared with three other people or I probably would've died right there!
- Chocolate Hazelnut Pannacotta - This tasted to me more like a pudding than a true pannacotta. No matter, though, it was divine! It tasted like nutella but as a pudding! Can't go wrong with that!
As you can tell I LOVED Olio and can't wait to go back! Who's with me?