You may remember that I wrote about both Michael’s on Naples and the neighboring Michael’s Pizzeria on Vintage Zest, but those posts were much too short and sweet to share how fantastic the food is!

Well, I took a trip down to the Downtown Promenade location for a lovely dinner featuring everything from salads to desserts!

First of all, the interior is beautiful and mirrors much of the design at the Naples Island location.  However, with a larger interior, it is perfect for large parties!

One of the major draws to stopping in at this location is the beautiful Promenade itself!  We sat in the patio and had these beautiful views to accompany our dinner.  Not too shabby!

Now are you ready to peruse the menu?  You might have noticed the lovely wine display above, because they take their fruit of the vine seriously!  Not only is there a great beer selection, they have several wines on tap to accompany the delicious food.

Speaking of… let’s get to it!

Not only is this one of the most beautifully-presented and colorful salads I have ever seen, it was so fresh and delicious!

I love fennel, but admittedly, I had not eaten it in a salad before.  The dish is earthy with the addition of the pine nuts, and as a lover of goat cheese, I enjoyed every last bite!

The fried squash blossoms are a beautiful dish, which has an unexpected sweetness with the honey drizzle.  Be prepared to order two plates because everyone wants seconds!

As a side note, the bright orange Calabrian chili oil served alongside the bread basket, is absolutely delicious.  Yum!

You pretty much just have to list the three main ingredients in this dish and I’m in: gnocchi, oxtail, and fontina.  It is the ultimate Italian comfort food, but the gnocchi are surprisingly light so you can avoid that overfull feeling.  The favorite of the night!

For people who love octopus, this dish is a must!  For those who aren’t fans… you have to admit that it looks absolutely mouth watering.  Am I right?

First of all, the pizza at Michael’s Pizzeria is amazing with the perfect crust and quality ingredients.  Also, they leave it unsliced to avoid soggy pizza, as the folks in Naples do.  Sounds perfect, yes?

As for this pizza, I was torn between the Anatra and the Polipo e Patate cast iron skillet on the menu, so I had my duck fix by ordering the Anatra!  The wonderful combination of the duck and sweet eggplant was delicious.

This gorgeous pizza was the special of the day, so make sure to check the board.  For reference, you can see the day’s specials in the collage near the top of the post.  Otherwise, you might miss out on your new favorite dish!

For dessert, you have to accompany it with a lovely coffee.  Of course, it comes in the prettiest little orange mug and saucer!

We couldn’t decide on just one dessert, so we chose just a couple… 🙂

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Instead of having two scoops of one flavor, we asked for a scoop of each.  So glad we did, because both varieties were impeccable!  I might just head back for some gelato on a hot day!

Have you ever known me to turn down a donut?  These are beautiful and light so you might be tempted to order a second plate.  I wouldn’t blame you!  The orange glaze is practically addictive!

I love this location, and next time I am craving some delicious Italian food I’ll be back.  Believe me, I have more dishes on my “To Eat” list after perusing the menu.  Also, the brunch menu looks fantastic, so I will have to come back soon for that as well.

Michael’s Pizzeria
www.michaelspizzeria.com
210 E 3rd St.
Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 491-2100

5616 E 2nd St
Long Beach, CA 90803
(562) 987-4000