Serious Pizza

About 6 months ago, our friends Debbie and Mark took us to a little pizza place in Estero called Sa Za. I knew something was different about this place when she told me we needed reservations. Since they were newly opened and hadn't gotten their liquor license yet, we each brought a bottle of red. The place is a tiny, warm, brick-walled bistro on the end cap of Albertson's across from Coconut Point. It was packed, and with good reason. Owned and operated by Chef Joe DiMaggio Jr. (yes, direct relation to the Yankee Clipper), the food was fantastic. The pasta fagioli was different than my grandmother's, but still had that grandma taste. It was like a cross between the pasta fagioli and the escarole and beans of my youth. And the pizzas (one Greek, one smashed meatball) were gourmet all the way. Being a meatball expert myself, I'm a bit fussy about my balls. But these were delightful, made with 3 meats. Very nice.

Now fast forward till last week (where does the time go?), and I make it to Sa Za again. Twice last week in fact. Once to meet with Joe about marketing his Estero and Naples restaurants as well as the upcoming locations planned in California and North Carolina, and once because the food was so good I went again with the family. To date I've added the Indian pizza and Grandma's pizza to my resume, as well as the Rigatoni Bolognese. To die for, by the way. This food is comfort food at its finest for me. It is the perfect blend of gourmet simplicity and the poor peasant Italian of my childhood. The appetizer special we had was a flashback to the left over spagetti dishes my grandmother and father would fry up in a pan the next day until the pasta was crispy. 

What I love most about Joe's concept is that he has foregone the egotistical urge to spend boo-koo liras on fancy chandeliers and prime real estate to focus on his passion - the FOOD. A man after my own heart. Sa Za is a place where you may see a celebrity, but never feel intimidated. A place where a world-renowned chef practically sits to eat with you and makes you feel like family. A place where the only thing over the top is the flavor. A place that reminds me of home. Do yourself a favor, check it out. Oh, and make sure you tell Joe I sent you, cuz I told him "I know people."