Tami Woods, left,
and Emmy
Gardner enjoy
their pizza and
salad at the
newly opened
Mezza Luna on
Tuesday night.
Kate Horton | Photographer
New pizza joint couples laid-back setting with gourmet food
Mezza Luna, another new addition to the Pearl Street restaurant
lineup, maintains an elegant appearance with a dedicated staff
BY NATASHA CHILINGERIAN
SENIOR PULSE REPORTER
Next to Sweet Basil Thai Cuisine sits another
new addition to Pearl Street's restaurant lineup:
Mezza Luna Pizzeria, a laid-back eatery at 933
Pearl St. where the service is sincerely superb.
Antique detailing on the restaurant's sign and
an aura of elegance on this particular block of
Pearl Street gave me the impression that Mezza
Luna would be a fancy place to dine, but once I
walked in, that idea was scaled down. Mezza
Luna is a casual spot where jeans and a sweat
shirt fit the dress code just fine. A counter holding
a case of gourmet pizzas, a few jars of cookies
and a row of employees chowing down during
their breaks frame a giant pizza oven. Walls dis
play decorative blocks of cut-out, glowing yellow
moons and stars. About three duos otherthan me
and my friend sat atthe tables, making for a quiet
atmosphere (but it was nearly 9 p.m., a little past
regular dining hours).
We ordered single pizza slices and a large
spinach salad atthe counter. The pizza was of
gourmet quality — large, thin-crusted and
topped with melt-in-your-mouth cheese. One
slice had red pepper and eggplant; the other
was topped with artichoke hearts, bacon and
gorgonzola cheese. The menu holds a list of
meat, vegetarian and build-your-own pizzas
with ingredient options such as artichoke pesto
sauce and marinated tempeh. Italian appetizers
and calzones are also available.
The salad came with minimal ingredients—
just a little bit of feta cheese, some pine nuts and a
few red onions and tomato slices. We topped it
with balsamic vinaigrette and creamy pepper
parmesan dressings. It was tasty, but looked a lit
tle lonely without usual spinach salad ingredients
such as bacon, mushrooms and hard-boiled eggs.
The quality of Mezza Luna that shines bright
est is its exemplary service. Workers seem to
seriously care about their customers—the
counter service setup doesn't stop them from
checking on diners consistently or clearing
plates as soon as they are clean. We even re
ceived some personalized help: When we told
the Mezza Luna staff about two guys who fol
lowed us in the alley behind the Greyhound bus
station, one of the cooks walked us to my car.
The prices are also right at Mezza Luna. Pizzas
run from $12for a medium cheese to $21 for large,
topping-rich pies; individual slices are $2.25 to $3.
Wine and beer is available, with beer pints run
ning under $3.50.
Mezza Luna gets my approval
for simple yet delicious food, ambiance and
top-notch performances from employees.
natchilingerian@dailyemerald.com
FUJICOLOR
If R 0 C E S S I W E. I N c I
PHOTO
SPECIALS
Feb 28 - Mar 6
2ND SET FREE
(c-4l full-frame 35mmcolor print film)
Prints: 3x5 4x6
12 exp. $2.25 $3.25
24 exp. $4.25 $5.25
36 exp. $6.25 $7.25
20% OFF APS
DEVELOP St PRINT
15 exp. $4.40
25 exp. $6.66
40 exp. $9.40
Please allow 1 -2 working days for
APS processing.
UOBookstore.com
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
BOOKSTORE
Spring term is almost here...
o
UNIVERSITY
or PMggK
when it comes to career planning,
Land 00
Journalism - J399
Business - BA 410
English - ENG 408
Sociology -SOC 410
Psychology - PSY 410
All Majors -PPPM 410
Int’l Studies - INTI 407
Enviro. Studies - ENVS 407
Sciences - Bl 407, CH 408,
HPHY 408, PHYS 408
nop
yf career investigating
y/ resume buildingX
y/ interviewing
networking
^J^yVlENTOR Program
STUDENTTRAVEL
TRAVEL
LIKE YOU
MEAN IT.
*Book a 6, 8 or 10-day
Eurail Selectpass in March
and get an additional day free
Subject to change and availability. Airfare is roundtrip.
Airfare prices are valid until Mar 15. 2005 and may
increase afterwards. “Great Trips’ do not include
airfare. Taxes and other applicable fees not included.
877 1/2 East 13th St.
(541)344.2263
Student Airfare
R fT
Paris.$325
London.$327
Amsterdam.$350
Rome.$350
Brussels.$448
H.IAI.UIJJ.U
Paris.$26/nt
London.$21/nt
Amsterdam.$30/nt
Rome.$23/nt
Brussels.$27/nt
'European Getaway"
Start in London, 8/dayS
travel by train <fc"IOQ
to Paris
'Europe Highlights"
France, Monaco, „ ^,
Italy, Vatican City, ' 6/dayS
Austria, Germany, QKK
Holland, Belgium ^ 1
STA
TRAVEL
www.statravel.com
2l