If you follow this blog, you may already know that Mrs. Pie hails from the Texas town of Weatherford. Just a 30-minute pickup truck ride west of Ft. Worth, in our 40-plus years together, I sure have seen this town change. More people, more places, and more traffic, it also now has its first Neapolitan pizza courtesy of Mamma Monica & Italian Pizza.

A year or so ago, our Texas family went out to the original Mamma Monica location on Tin Top Road near the Brazos River. A deliciously pleasant Italian restaurant run by Monica who hails from Italy, it was then pasta-centric with no pizza on the menu. Well, they recently have abandoned the river location and moved to the city. Monica’s is now on South Main in the spot previously occupied by Shep’s who now sell their tasty burgers in a larger space over on Fort Worth Highway.

With a visit to MM’s on our docket, our family chose to do so right after spending the morning on the historic Weatherford downtown square visiting the annual Peach Festival. (Yes, Weatherford is the “Peach Capital of Texas.”) Surprisingly, we survived the mayhem and easily found our way through the mass of vehicles on South Main into MM’s parking lot surrounding their free-standing building.

It was a day for Peaches and Pizza although I did pass on MM’s special “Pizza Sweet & Sour” offering which nestled some peach slices on top of a crust laden with Ricotta cheese. I went for the simple personal Margherita which was $10. The others at my table were a bit bolder in their selections and ordered pies that were tricked with toppings. I also added a small Caesar salad to start and settle my palette.

As the picture shows, my small “meant-for-one” pie had a pleasing appearance. There was a full coating of fresh mozzarella across the top which was lightly sauced with pummarola underneath. Each tiny slice had its own basil leaf, and the crust on the edges was puffed up with some char spots.

Well, I thought this pizza was great! Let’s start with the solid charred crust on the bottom – fabulous, but perhaps a little light in the middle. Above, it probably had more cheese than you would normally see on this type of pie, but it was spread nice and thin and that was just fine with me. It was easy to knock off this whole pie in a matter of minutes, and as pizza should be, it was not too filling. My only consideration for the future would be to add some light seasoning (oregano or even salt) to bring out some of the flavor.

While MM’s pie may not be one to go down in pizza history, this is big news for Weatherford, and I would gobble one up if you get the chance. It is also a super Italian restaurant that is well worth a visit if you are in the area. I know that our family will be visiting Mama Monica’s on a regular basis.

PS Yes, we did have the Peach Tiramisu for dessert!

PIZZA SNOB RATING **** Near Perfect
Mamma Monica & Italian Pizza
816 S. Main Street
Weatherford, TX  76086
817-818-2948
www.mamamonica.com