When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore…

Me and pizza go way, way back.

In junior high, I can remember sneaking off campus to a nearby shopping center, where my 35 cents lunch money would buy a slice and a Coke at Louie’s Pizzeria. Even then, pizza – hot out of the oven, cheese dripping, fragrant sauce steaming, that crunchy crust – was irresistible comfort food.

Now, years later, it still is, and I, for one, am very glad that Pizza Moreno exists in my part of town.

If you live in Centro or Olas Altas, you probably already know about Pizza Moreno; but those of you from other areas may not be familiar with Dave and Linda’s cozy little place near the Plaza Machado. From the start, there was a devoted following of regulars, and now the core group has grown to include locals and out-of-town visitors, both Mexican and ex-pat.

Dave and Linda have continued expanding and fine-tuning the menu, and while pizza is the best-seller, there’s a big selection of Italian classics, like Antipasto, Lasagna, Spaghetti and Meatballs, Seafood Lasagna, Penne Pesto, and an Italian Sausage & Meatball Hero. His garlic bread – made from house-made bread, slathered with cheese, butter and fresh garlic and baked – is to-die-for. That same bread is used for croutons, too, a small but necessary touch to his equally (and deservedly) popular Caesar Salad. And don’t forget dessert – choose from Linda’s Key Lime Pie and their Kahlua Coffee Ice Cream.

“I make everything the way I want to eat it,” said Dave. “All the recipes have evolved here, and everything is made from scratch.”

Dave has a history with the kitchen; as a kid in Toronto, he worked in a bakery, and later ran a successful bakery and pizzeria in the Bahamas for about 10 years. After that, he ended up in Mazatlán, and he and his wife Linda Moreno began making and selling pizza out of their home in Olas Altas. Very quickly they needed more space, and three seasons ago they moved to their present location on Calle Libertad.

“My love of food made me stay here,” he said. “When I walked through the mercado and saw all those plum tomatoes piled up…”

He appreciates that so much produce is available all year round in Mazatlán, and is inspired by the abundance of fresh ingredients. The dough, bread, salad dressings, tomato sauce and Italian sausages are all made by hand. This past summer he started using hundred-year-old sourdough starter from Naples, Italy, from a pizza bakery said to be one of Italy’s first. Dave explained how the starter collects natural yeasts from the air, creating its own flavors from wherever it is. So, just like San Francisco’s famed sourdough bread, now Mazatlan has its own distinctive sourdough starter.

The pizza is quite fabulous, especially if it’s eaten in the restaurant, fresh out of the oven, in which case Dave guarantees the crust will have the perfect crunch. (When it’s delivered, the crust gets steamed in the box so it won’t be as crunchy.) There are half a dozen varieties, with the Americana (pepperoni, bell peppers and mushrooms) being the most popular, and a list of 20+ ingredients if you want to create-your-own.

A full liquor license is coming soon (maybe even by the time you read this) which means a bigger wine list and cocktails, too. “I’ll go from mixing dough to mixing drinks,” he quipped. Also on Dave’s list is to build or buy a brick oven.

“We cater to the person who really enjoys Italian food,” said Dave. “But everything comes back to the pizzas.”