Osteria Mozza
Wednesday, October 27, 2010 at 12:00PM The thing that made me the saddest about moving was having to say goodbye to my D.C. family, a lovable and loving group of misfits who made my time in the nation's capital memorable and fun. These people know me so well that as a going away present, they got me a gift certificate to Mozza, the restaurant I was most looking forward to trying when I got to my new city. Once we had decided on the Osteria side of Mozza (as opposed to the Pizzeria), it took a little bit of time to schedule our visit, since reservations are a little tough to come by at the four-year old collaboration of Mario Batali, Nancy Silverton and Joseph Bastianich. But it was well worth the wait.
The meal didn't start off on the best foot - we had made 9:00 pm reservations but ended up waiting almost 20 minutes to be seated in the very dimly lit restaurant. But once we had arrived at our table, the service was excellent: attentive and friendly, if a little too leisurely for my liking. This is an establishment that expects you to take your time over the meal. If you don't feel like waiting for a table, you might be able to grab a seat at the mozzarella bar in the center of the restaurant, where we spotted Chef Silverton holding court. From Mark's perspective, the wait didn't matter - what's a few minutes when you have a MOZZARELLA BAR?
I, on the other hand, was still a little miffed for the first couple of minutes at the table (it was late, and I was starving). An amuse bouche of fresh ricotta, basil, and olives bruschetta (below) quickly got the experience back on track. The little bite brought together a wonderful array of textures and flavors, and did its job in waking up my taste buds and getting me excited for the rest of the meal.
For his starter, Mark ordered the butter lettuces with hazelnuts, bacon, gorgonzola dolce, and egg (below, right). He loved that the ingredients were carefully layered and evenly distributed so that each forkful yielded the ideal bite. We also ordered a side of polenta with Parmigiano Reggiano (below, left), which was creamy and tasty.
Being a fan of practically all things offal, I ordered the Tripe alla Parmigiana(below). It was a plate of savory heaven, and the tripe was melt-in-your-mouth tender, with none of the chewiness that often turns people away. The salty richness of the dish made me glad that Mark is not a fan of tripe, as I didn't have to share more than a bite.
Given Chef Silverton's presence at the mozzarella bar, we couldn't help but order the Burrata with bacon, marinated escarole, and carmelized shallots (below). The decadence of the creamy cheese was nicely cut with the piquancy of the escarole, and carmelized shallots and bacon are always a winning combination.
My ricotta and egg raviolo, with browned butter (below) was fantastic - once I dug my fork into the fresh and delicious pasta shell, golden egg yolk oozed out, mixing gloriously with the rich and nutty butter sauce.
Mark's gnocchi with duck ragu (below) was excellent, too. The texture of the gnocchi was light and pillowy, and the full-bodied ragu hit the spot on the mildly chilly night.
On to the desserts...the Torta della Nonna (or "Grandmother's cake"), with honeycomb and pinenuts (below, left) was my kind of dessert, with a light, flaky crust and a creamy but not too sweet filling, which was topped off with great crunchy pinenut cookie crust. Mark loved his Tre Gelati Misti, a selection of mint chip, frutti di bosco, and pistachio gelatos (below, right). In fact, for him it stole the entire show. Who would've thought that gelato could have this much flavor?
Even though I'm all the way across the country, my D.C. friends are still looking out for me - we left stuffed and secure in the knowledge that all the raves weren't just hype, as Osteria Mozza serves top notch Italian food. This is the perfect place with which to impress out-of-town guests. And I can't wait to try out Pizzeria Mozza.
Italian, Los Angeles in Reviews: On The Town
Reader Comments (4)
YUM! I'm glad Batali didn't let you down. I was a huge fan of his pastas at B&B in Vegas, and that raviolo looks riiiiight up my alley. Can't wait to try this next time I'm in LA. A few years ago we tried, but alas, reservations were impossible.
I think reservations are much more doable nowadays. Osteria Mozza has a pasta-tasting menu, which was very, very tempting - I may have to get that if I go back. And I still want to go to Batali's Babbo in New York...
So glad that you liked it! I can't believe they made you wait--don't they know who you are!?!?!
The east coast misses you, and looks forward to you being back in a few weeks!
HI ROSS!!!
They didn't know who I was, but I'd bet if you were with us, they would have seated us a lot quicker.
I can't wait to see you guys! Just 2 more weeks!