We had a lunch at Laurienzo, a "brick oven cafe" in Mt Airy, a small town surrounded by peaceful farmland.
It was our first visit to Mt Airy. This Italian restaurant was a total new discovery for us! Their signature apparently was wood-fired pizzas. Of course, we tried one! Toppings were J's choice: Cappicola ham, basil, roasted mushroom, roasted red pepper, and garlic, I think.
It was cheesy and tasty! The crust was nicely crispy and had a great flavor. I detected a hint of red chili pepper-like-spiciness in the pizza, maybe from the tomato sauce? We also ordered tenderloin of beef "stroganoff" - slow roasted with balsamic, red wine, rosemary & thyme, finished in a portabello cream sauce served over fettuccini. It was interestingly sour, which actually made the dish charming.
Both pizza and pasta were rich. The half of each made both us so full, and we took the rest home. The countryside trip in the beautiful fall air was pleasant and delicious.
