Inside: Z Pizza

(Credit: zpizza.com)

When someone tells you a restaurant serves “wicked good” pizza, you just have to check it out, which is how I came to find Z Pizza in La Quinta

(I also came to find out later that people from Boston call everything “wicked good” but by then, the damage had been done). Fortunately, it was wicked good advice anyhow.

Food: Z serves an impressive selection of innovative pizzas: the Tuscan Mushroom, for example, features crimini, shitake and button mushrooms along with mozzarella, carmelized onion, feta, truffle oil, fresh thyme and roasted garlic sauce. The Thai version has peanut sauce, mozzarella, spicy chicken, red onions, cilantro, fresh bean sprouts and serrano chilies. Go Moroccan with pesto, roasted eggplant and pine nuts — or choose from a dozen more creations.

Still, with all those choices, I was seduced by the plain cheese, which boasts “award-winning mozzarella from Wisconsin” and fresh, organic tomato sauce.

What arrived at my table was clean, pure taste of tomato, cheese and a light and airy crust — that's all.

For the same price, I could have chosen a calzone, stuffed with any of the same exotic ingredients that go into the specialty pizzas, or one of seven sandwiches, including the “Yuppie Veggie."

The restaurant also serves lovely salads (pear and gorgonzola with candied walnuts over mixed greens is worth a second look) and three pasta dishes, all starting with penne and topped with a variety of extras.

Several of my fellow diners chose the daily special — two slices of pizza and a drink for $5.99, a nice deal for lunch or to tide you over after a long morning.

Bottom line:  In its purest form, Z Pizza takes a dish that you think you already know, and puts a slight twist on it, all without ruining the tastiness that drives hungry eaters to choose pizza for many meals.

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