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| - Madison has so much good Italian that it can be hard to choose. So we read all of the yelp reviews before making a decision about where to go last night. We decided on Cafe Porta Alba and their promise of authentic neapolitan pizza (admittedly, due in small part to having recently watched Anthony Bourdain's recent travels through Naples). Based on the reviews, we expected great pizza, hit or miss mussels, and poor service. Instead what we found was:
1. Crazy, good pizza! Best I've had in Madison. Makes you wonder why Americans went and ruined pizza.
2. Amazing mussels! Prepared in a hearty red sauce, each mussel was fresh and meaty. And it's served with bread, so good I nearly cried.
3. We LOVED our server! An example of her greatness: We were about to order a bottle of the primitivo when she stopped us to say we'd probably be happier with the barbera, then offered to bring us a taste of each. She was right and our meal was that much better as a result. Plus, she was darling and personable and gave us great pizza recommendations.
4. Bonus! There was live music (it was a Saturday night) that made for a lovely ambiance, especially since (as other reviews have pointed out), the decor isn't much to speak of.
We loved it. We're going back. You should too.
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