Sampa's Gourmet Pizza UPDATE - Lomita

I’ve been ordering the wrong things from Sampas and that’s really saying something. 

Lauded as the best pizza chef in Brazil, they know what they're doing here. The Funghi Al Tartufo is perfection, a creamy concoction of mushrooms, parmesan and creamy ricotta sauce, enriched by all that truffle. There's no pizza quite like this one - if you only try one thing, let this be it. 

Prosciutto has slices of the perfect cure, roses in an arugula garden. 

Halfsies on the Strawberry Nutella and Churros for dessert, and the churro pizza wins, an indulgence of dulce de leche. Strawberry and nutella can't fail, but it does make the whole pizza a bit too rich. 

Every slice is splendid, simply superb. Two of the South Bay's best pizzas, all on a single plate. 

Sampa's Gourmet Pizza - Lomita

 

Brazilian-Italian piled on a pizza, a recipe for success!

They do a fine cheese and a decent Caprese with dabs of ricotta and a touch of olive tapenade.

I'd like to stick around for the fusion because the Sao Paulo is such a success. It's a tinge of tomato, savory chunks of chicken with sweet corn and this gooey goodness of catupiry which tastes like creamy mayo-cheese. 

I don't know why I haven't tried more pizzas here, but I will. There's a mushroom pizza with my name all over it, and I'm so curious about the tuna!

Moqueca - Oxnard

After driving to Oxnard for my latest food adventure, I came to understand why people used to believe that the world was flat. The Channel Islands are pretty, but it's easy to fear falling off the face of the SoCal-earth if you drive any farther north. That's pretty much what happened to me in Oxnard. I hit the edge of the earth, fell off, and landed in Moqueca.

Named for the terra cotta casserole in which sizzling stews are simmered, this restaurant hums with the vibe of a laid-back Brazillian buzz...especially after a curiously strong Caipirinha.

The caipirinha washes down the Capa Santa Gratinada, gratineed scallops on the half-shell. These scallops are sweet, but there's not much flavor to distinguish them - just some breadcrumbs and parm.

The Moqueca Mista de Mariscos is a smart seafood mix in a watery stew that wasn't worth getting too steamed about. Rather than a thick, hearty marisco-melange, this was more like boiled seafood in water and salt.

The side of Banana Frita is always welcome, but it's not a good thing when the side of plantains is the only thing of substance.

You never leave a place like Moqueca without wishing you could taste some of that culture at home. You can't bottle the ambiance, but I'll settle for a bottle of red-hot Chili Oil to add a little zing to my duller days.

I always said I'd drive to the ends of the earth for food, and Oxnard seems pretty close. But while the Channel Islands deserve another chance, I'm not sure I'd drive there again for food like this.