Humboldt 2005 (on the corner of Nicaragua), Palermo Hollywood

[Also has another branch in Las Canitas, on Baez 260]

It seems that when I get the chance to review restaurants on this blog, it more than likely will be a pizza restaurant, like Morelia. This is almost entirely down to the fact that I am so poor at the moment that I can’t afford to try the Cabana Las Lilas restaurants of this world. But fortunately, I also happen to like pizza a lot, and if you do too, then Buenos Aires is a great place to be. So far I have proclaimed that Guerrin is the best pizza I’ve tasted in Buenos Aires, but also given decent marks to Banchero in La Boca and Piola in Recoleta, and each has all it’s different styles and attractions. However, there is one dramatically different style of pizza here that I had yet to review, until now…

Pizza a la Parrilla

In short, pizza a la parrilla means pizza cooked on a grill. A parrilla is the traditional Argentine grill that is usually used for cooking basically an entire cow’s worth of meat, either outside at a gathering of family and/or friends, or in one of the many parrilla restaurants that are so common in Buenos Aires and the rest of Argentina. But in this case, at Morelia and other similar pizzerias, it is a wafer-thin pizza crust that is placed on the parrilla/grill, topped, and warmed through in a matter of moments. The idea was introduced to me in this post by Saltshaker (which also happens to include a review of Morelia), and since then I have definitely acquired a taste for this delicious style of pizza. And Morelia in Palermo Hollywood is certainly a great place to try it…

Morelia Pizza Restaurant and Lounge

Morelia is apparently a lounge in addition to being a pizza restaurant. I guess this is the kind of thing you come to expect in the ice cool area of Palermo Hollywood, and I guess the lounge part is explained by the addition of a few sofas with coffee tables near the entrance and the slightly lounge bar vibe you get from an occasional in-house DJ. No actual lounge music played though, which is a crying shame, because it has to be better than the dull electronic monotony that claims to constitute ‘music’ these days. For the record, I am 25 years old, and by rights should not be uttering that phrase until I’m at least 30, but anyway. Ignore the music, ignore the lounge (whatever that is), most certainly ignore the Palermo Hollywood pretensions, and just head to the back, grab a comfy booth seat if you can, and eat some pizza. That’s why you’re here.

The Pizza

Around about now you’re probably hankering after a pizza picture. Here it is, right on schedule:

Looks pretty big doesn’t it? However, I ate it all of this pizza with very little pause for conscious thought. I call this epicurean phenomena ‘being in the pizza zone‘, and when a pizza puts me there, like it does at Morelia, it is a sign of the highest quality. You do not want to be sharing a pizza with me when this happens, because you will likely go hungry, which is why my fiancee sensibly chose to eat gnocchis (or noquis as they are written here). But then, if you are a regular reader, you might have realized that she generally does most of the time anyway. Time for a gratuitous gnocchi shot I think:

Lovely looking gnocchis, don’t you think? And what’s more, probably the best I have tasted in Buenos Aires. And believe me, I have tasted a lot of them because my fiancee is a slow eater and I always end up stealing some of her gnocchis when I’m done. Seriously, you can’t take me anywhere. I will end this short gnocchi interlude by saying that the creamy mushroom sauce as seen in this picture is extremely well done and just heavenly. Nice work Morelia; and one contented fiancee. Now back to the pizza…

It may seem large in the previous picture, and in diameter it certainly is, but the thinness of the crust means appearances are a little deceptive, and that perhaps I’m not so greedy after all. It was a Pizza Chica, which is slightly confusing because it is their middle size on the menu (flanked by individual and grande) and meant for 2 people, so yes, maybe I am greedy in the end. Although in my defense, I think the individual pizza at Morelia probably is a little too small for a very hungry person. And I’m always a very hungry person. Anyway, mine was a Calabresa, fast becoming my favorite type of pizza here, which in addition to the usual suspects of mozzarella, tomato sauce and green olives (pitted - result!), features slices of calabresa sausage (a bit like chorizo, only with a faint hint of spiciness and I guess aniseed too) and some strips of red and green peppers. And it went down like a charm. Before I got past the pizza zone’s point of no return, this on the spot perspective shot was taken for the sake of posterity:

Liberal sprinkling of coarsely-sliced green olives. Always nice to see.

Palermo Hollywood vs. Las Canitas

Morelia has two locations in Buenos Aires… with both areas having pretensions of being as cool as something pretty cold. The Las Canitas restaurant is, I am told, the original, and is also a fair amount larger than the Palermo Hollywood one, due to it’s two full floors. However, I would recommend the Palermo Hollywood location because the food and service is better there. Not that the food is bad at Las Canitas, it just didn’t taste as good. And not that the service is good (!) at Palermo Hollywood, it just isn’t as bad as at Las Canitas However, wherever you go, if you order pizza a la parrilla at least you know you will not have to wait long… it comes lightning fast because the thin crust takes no time at all to cook. And the surroundings in both restaurants have a pleasant, subtle design, as you might be able to just about work out in the following photo. I really must improve my indoor photography skills:

Morelia Pizzeria: The Verdict

• Service: (3/5) Not amazingly attentive or personal, but at least the pizza a la parrilla comes out lightning fast
• Food: (4/5) So very close to getting full marks, but I still just prefer Guerrin in the pizza stakes
• Atmosphere: (4/5) A nice cool, trendy setting in Palermo Hollywood, the booths and sofas are very nice, the waiters and clientele as thin and pretty as the pizzas. Sometimes the DJ music can be a little too loud for easy conversation over dinner (all the more reason to get your head down and stuff your face with great pizza!)
• Value: (3/5) About normal value for a trendy restauarant, cheaper than Piola, more expensive than Guerrin or Banchero. The Gnocchis with mushroom sauce was AR$15, the Calabresa Pizza Chica was AR$23 (but really should be enough for two normal people, I was just very hungry), and an OK bottle of wine for AR$20.

Buenos Aires Argentina Guide Special Tip

Don’t write about good pizza when you are hungry. You will end up rushing the end of your blog post so that you can go get something to eat. Oh, OK, here’s a general tip: go to the Palermo Hollywood location of Morelia because the food and service are slightly better than in Las Canitas. Also they have more tables outside if you prefer to eat al fresco. Now can I go eat something?