La Bocca Urban Pizzeria + Wine Bar

My good friend Kelly (aka Doughhead) has always been one of my biggest fans when it comes to my cooking. She is actually the one that inspired me to start this blog after having enjoyed reading her blog (Kelly and Jimmy), and I think she gets the award for my most loyal reader! Even though we don't get to hang out that often, we try to get together for dinner every couple of months, to catch up on each other's lives. Kelly just had a baby at the end of May, I was lucky enough to stop by and visit them shortly after his arrival, but my mom still hadn't gotten to meet Logan, so we decided we needed to go to lunch! Kelly and I go way back, you see, our parents met each other when they were both newlyweds living across the street from each other; many year's before either Kelly or I were even a thought in our parent's minds! It is always fun getting together with them, because it is like a second family. So with a plan in place; Kelly, her mom Sharon, baby Logan, my mom and I were going to have a mid-week lunch date! Since Kelly values my foodie opinion, I was nominated to pick a place to meet; I think she was also angling to get a mention on my blog!

With Kelly and Sharon living on the South side of town, and my mom and I living on the North side, I decided that Tempe would be a good middle point for everyone to meet. I also figured that since it was summertime, it wouldn't be all that crowded in Tempe compared to other times of the year. I remembered that a few of my friends had said good things about La Bocca and after checking the menu, it looked good to me, and I also thought that there was a lot of variety for non meat eating Kelly!

La Bocca is located in the Brickyard on Mill Ave., which is in the heart of Tempe right by the campus of ASU (GO DEVILS!). The space is sleek and modern, with lots of wood an rich colors on the walls. There is a large bar on one side of the room, and with the high ceilings, it has a nice open feel. The staff was very accommodating and brought out a high chair to put Logan's baby sat on so he wasn't forced to sit on the floor!

After looking over the menu, consisting of mostly bruschetta, salads, sandwiches and pizzas, we were ready to order. My mom and I decided to get a couple of things to share; I am always a fan of a lot of variety! We started out with the Caprese Salad. When they brought it out, they had graciously split it onto two plates. The presentation was lovely, with the tomatoes alternating with the fresh slices of mozzarella and basil. The salad was dressed with a balsamic drizzle. This was so delicious, one of the best caprese's I have ever eaten. I sometimes feel that balsamic can be too overpowering, but in this dish it was just right. My mom really liked this as well; and we both were intrigued by the use of both red and green tomatoes, a unique twist on a classic dish.

To go along with our caprese, we decided to get the Bruschetta Plank on the appetizer menu. When I say Bruschetta, the first thing that probably pops into your mind is chopped tomatoes, basil and olive oil. Well, La Bocca takes bruschetta to a different level. They have eight different toppings to choose from, and you get to choose four for each plank! Our choices were (from left to right in picture): 1) roasted garlic, goat cheese & balsamic arugula 2) queen creek olives & basil ricotta 3) prosciutto, fig & marscapone and 4) artichoke, spinach & roasted pepper. The presentation on the wood plank, was very unique, and each piece was cut in half for easy sharing. We both started to taste the different varieties and were immediately delighted with our choices. The saltiness of the olives with the creamy ricotta was divine; same with the prosciutto fig & marscapone, which had salty, creamy and sweet elements. The bitter arugula and balsamic was tempered by the tangy goat cheese, and the freshness of the artichokes and spinach contrasted well with the roasted peppers. My favorite of the bunch was the prosciutto, fig & marscapone, but mom's favorite was the olive & ricotta; this is a great dish to share, because it can be tailored to many different tastes!

Kelly was in the mood for pizza, and was very excited by all the different unique flavor combinations. She opted for the Truffled Mushroom pizza, which I think made my mom a bit jealous because since she had agreed to share with me, she instantly knew that there would be no mushrooms in her meal (I HATE mushrooms!). Kelly sensed my mom's mushroom struggle and told her that she would give her a piece to try; problem solved! The pizza had sauteed mushrooms, roasted tomatoes and goat cheese baked into the chewy crust. Then it was topped with baby spinach that had been dressed with some balsamic vinegar and a touch of white truffle oil. Kelly really liked this pizza, and when my mom got her piece, she too was a fan. They both liked the contrast of the hot pizza with the cool lettuce (which is a combo that I too dig with a BLT pizza). Let's just say, by the end of our meal, the pizza plate was empty!

Sharon ordered the Italian Chicken Salad Sandwich on toasted Foccacia bread. She also had her choice of side items, and opted for the garden salad. Our first impression of the sandwich was that it was huge!! The roll was a good size, but I think what made it look so big was how much chicken salad they had filled the bread with. Sharon enjoyed this sandwich, as it was a different twist on a chicken salad, there was no mayonnaise! The chicken was mixed with onions, peppers and seasoned with garlic, herbs and some olive oil. Sharon ended up taking half of it home, which I think most people would, so it would be a great sandwich for sharing!

Not only was the food delicious, but the company was wonderful. It is always fun to catch up with old friends that you don't get to see that often, and of course, Logan and his hair stole the show! If I was attending an event in the Tempe area and needed to grab a meal, I would definitely go to La Bocca again. I think it would be a great place to also meet up with friends for drinks and appetizers...and maybe some dessert too!

La Bocca Urban Pizzeria + Wine Bar
699 S. Mill Ave., #115
Tempe, AZ 85281
www.laboccapizzeria.com