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