I'd like to think that I have a pretty solid grasp on the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to restaurants. My recent trip to Osteria Mozza, Mario Batali's LA eatery, fell into a totally new category: the outstanding! This place really brings to light the difference between dining and fine dining. The entire meal was orchestrated beautifully, so much so that the one and only uncoordinated dual-server plate setting stood out like a sore thumb. Our salty and seasoned waitress was impeccable, the somalier was superb, the bussers were attentive and hardly noticable (the way it should be) and the decor, including the famed mozzarella bar, was simple, elegant and inviting.
Ok but enough about the "stuff" let's talk about the food. I am usually hesitant to go out for italian food, mainly because it's usually cheaper, healthier and tastier to just make pasta at home, but Osteria Mozza ain't your grandma's pasta joint. Not since a trip to Ming Tsai's Blue Ginger back in 2001 have I had cuisine if this caliber. The menu was crafted to near perfectlion, making every bite succulent and significant.
My four course meal started with a shared plate: an oozing, creamy burrata served with grilled bread slathered in olive oil.
This is what my share ended up looking like:
This dish was easily up there with the best cheeses I've ever eaten. A+
Next for me came the Coach Farm goat cheese ravioli
MotherFUCKER, was that good! The cheese was supremely silky, and what a difference homemade pasta makes! A
My main course was a no-brainer: pancetta-wrapped quail with sage and honey.
Forgive the subpar photograph as no image could ever do justice to this unparalleled dish. Two quails completely wrapped in salty-sweet meat on a bed of roasted radicchio, bathing in oil, balsamic and honey and sprinkled with perfectly fried sage leaves. The flavors married together wonderfully with a balance of savory and sweet I can't say I've ever enjoyed so much. This is one of those awesome dishes that highlights the quality of the ingredients and the simplicity of the method rather than the cleverness of the chef or the innovation of a technique. I found it to be extremely playful, very quaint and stellar in it's composition. The balsamic bath got to me a little at the end but that's only because I couldn't stop sopping up every last morsel on the plate. And I've come to the conclusion that I could eat fried sage happily for the rest of my life. A
Dessert brought many delights to our table. I can't quite remember what my dish was called, as by this point I was too enchanted by the wine and candlelight to retain anything but sense memories. A petite chocolate cake dusted with powdered sugar and surrounded by candied almonds was placed in front of me. The crowning piece de resistance was the single scoop of homemade bourbon gelato.
The gelato really took the cake (pun always intended). Sweet, creamy, salty, a little sour; an intriguing flavor indeed. The cake itself was good but not great but as the gelato melted into the warm nooks and crannies (ew, sorry) of the cake I got the point of it all. B
A solid dining experience all around, from valet drop-off to valet pick-up. If you've got the dough and your looking to get a couple Michelin stars under your belt this is a sure bet.
Overall: 4.5 stars
Sister's tagliatelle verde with lamb ragu
Brother's tagliatelle with wild boar ragu
Brother's leg of lamb
Father's halibut
My favorite dessert:
Sister's olive oil cakes with olive oil gelato and rosemary brittle.
Sweeter than you'd think. Truly superb.
Osteria Mozza's famous mozzarella bar.
