Fresh Mozzarella Salad

A couple weeks back, a friend decided to take me to a little restaurant i have been wanting to try for a long while, Pizzeria Bianco. If you haven't heard about this historic place, let me tell you a tiny tidbit of what i know off the top of my head: Chris Bianco is a humble guy who just loves to make pizza. He not only makes his own mozzarella and dough, but he also makes all the pizzas that come out of his restaurant at Pizzeria Bianco. He has been on Oprah, Jimmy Kimmel, The F Word (Gordon Ramsay), and many many many other shows/magazines/etc. Bianco's restaurant was awarded "Best pizza in the world" and, let me tell you, the pizza is good. This blog entry may just be a rave of how amazing the food at Pizzeria Bianco is...but just a little more. The wait may have been about two hours, but i was informed that we were lucky; a prior visit my friend had waited four hours for the amazing meal. Needless to say, we went all out. The Times said he makes the best pizza in the world, and i must say, it is.

I can't begin to tell you how amazing the story of this man is, but what i can tell you is that there are only 6 pizzas to choose from. Six amazing pizzas that, my friend and i, were very close to ordering. Sadly we decided on two (and ended up making friends with the couple sitting next to us, so we got to try their two as well). But, alas...the fresh mozzarella salad is what i am supposed to be talking about today. Let me just say, if i made mozzarella like Chris Bianco, all of my problems just might melt away.

The Caprese salad (mozzarella, tomato, basil) at Bianco's was amazing because of the just picked basil and tomatoes, handmade mozzarella, and local olive oil. My salad was special because i happened to have all the ingredients in my fridge. Although this modest mix of few ingredients seems simple, its about the quality you put into this dish- not the amount of items it takes to make it. Balsamic was an important difference between Bianco and i, my ingredients were store bought, so not as high quality. So try this one, its simple, but amazing.

Fresh Mozzarella Salad

(remember the best ingredients make the salad)

5 Thick slices of garden grown tomatoes

5 leaves of garden grown basil

5 thick slices of the best mozzarella you can find (this is fresh mozzarella, it comes in water usually)

A drizzle of your favorite olive oil

(and depending on the quality of your ingredients, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar)

Please enjoy!