Press

Tortilla, Spicy Bacon Meet in Ojai Pizza
By Lisa McKinnon
September 29, 2004

The place: Movino Wine Bar & Gallery, 308 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai,
http://www.movinowinebar.com, 646-1555.

The chef: Susan Coulter, 47, designed the menu to fit the limitations of the wine bar's tiny kitchen. Now she is focusing on her own catering business, Here Eat This. Coulter graduated from Dumas Pere cooking school in her native Chicago and was pastry chef at Charlie Trotter's flagship restaurant before moving two years ago to Ojai, where she was chef at Calypso's as it was transformed into Pangea Restaurant. She and her partner, Beryl Schwartz, live in Ojai.

Favorite ingredient: Bow-tie pasta, or farfalle. "You can put anything into it, hot or cold," she said.

Alternate career: Coulter contemplated joining the Peace Corps to become a social worker. But she joined the Air Force instead and spent most of her five-year stint in Europe working as a budget analyst. "I lived above a bakery in Germany and ate my way through Italy. I met a lot of foodie people, and that changed everything," she said.

The look: Movino (the name is a combination of owner Suzy Johlfs's nickname and "vino," another word for wine) opened in October in a former clothing store in the Ojai Arcade. It has an indoor waterfall, a wine locker with ID plates of engraved copper and a flat-screen TV on which silent movies play in a continuous loop.

Aren't we a pair? The pizza featured here, $9 in the restaurant, goes well with most beverages, especially beer, said Coulter. She also likes the way the "zippy sweetness" of MacMurray Ranch's 2002 pinot gris, $8 per glass, balances the spiciness of the bacon.

Dish on the dish: Coulter's pizza-of-the-day recipes feature tortillas because they are easy to work with in tight quarters. Plus, "a thin tortilla isn't real bread-y, so the focus is on the toppings," she said. Can't find jalapeno bacon? Any flavor will do. And to make Coulter's favored vinaigrette, mix three parts canola oil to one part balsamic vinegar, then whisk in some salt, pepper and Dijon mustard.

Recipe: Movino Pizza of the Day with Jalapeno Bacon

1 10-inch flour tortilla
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 strips cooked jalapeno bacon, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/2 cup fresh corn, cut off the cob
3 tablespoons goat cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Basil leaves, cut into strips for garnishing
1/4 cup mixed greens, lightly dressed in vinaigrette
Extra virgin olive oil, optional, for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sprinkle mozzarella over the tortilla. Repeat with bacon, onion and kernels of corn. Crumble goat cheese on top.

Slide the pizza onto a rack in the oven and bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the crust is brown around the edges. Slide off rack and onto a plate. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and basil.

Cut the pizza into eight slices. Mound the dressed greens at the center of the pizza. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the pizza before serving.

Copyright 2004, Ventura County Star. All Rights Reserved.

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Movino Wine Bar & Gallery is located in downtown Ojai's "Arcade" at 308 East Ojai Avenue.

Wine and dine inside or on the beautiful outdoor patio. Don't miss the live musical performances, wine flights and tastings. Call (805) 646-1555 to R.S.V.P. or visit www.MovinoWineBar.com for more information.

Movino … birthed with a vision,
born with a passion, a dream come true.

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