Osteria Mozza (Los Angeles, CA) [2]

Osteria Mozza
6602 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038
323-297-0100‬‬
www.osteriamozza.com
Sat 06/01/2024, 08:40p-11:50p





Some friends and I were recently looking for a place to enjoy a mini-vertical tasting of some old Barolos, and decided to head to Hancock Park for dinner at Osteria Mozza.

In case you've forgotten (I wouldn't blame you), the restaurant opened all the way back in July 2007, the creation of Chefs Mario Batali and Nancy Silverton, in partnership with Joe Bastianich. Since debuting, the place has become a standby in LA's Italian dining scene, and was first awarded a Michelin star in October 2008 for the 2009 edition of the Red Guide, which it has retained ever since. Osteria's success resulted in the launch of an outpost in Singapore at the Marina Bay Sands in 2010, which shuttered in July 2018 but reemerged at the Hilton Singapore Orchard in May 2022. Down in Mexico, Mozza Baja opened at the Costa Palmas resort in November 2021, and there's even a location in DC that should be bowing late this year.

However, do note that Osteria Mozza suffered a bit of setback at the end of 2017, when Batali was accused of sexual misconduct. Because of this, he sold his stake in his restaurant empire to Bastianich, and by March 2019, he had officially cut his financial ties to the businesses.

As for who's in charge of the kitchen on a day-to-day basis these days, Elizabeth "Liz" Hong serves as the Culinary Director for the entire Mozzaplex. Born in April 1985, she's, interestingly enough, the daughter of Jenee Kim, founder of SoCal gogigui icon Park's BBQ. Following high school graduation, Hong spent a brief period at community college, then enrolled in culinary school at the behest of her mother. While attending the Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, she externed at Osteria Mozza, then returned after she completed her degree in 2008. She started off at the mozzarella bar, then became sous and later CdC at Pizzeria Mozza. From there, she replaced Matt Molina as overall Exec Chef when he left in 2015, and was subsequently promoted to Culinary Director. Hong is currently supported by Executive Chef Kirby Shaw, a former sous at Osteria.


Inside, things really haven't changed much at all since the place opened, nor do they need to. The space was absolutely bustling when we arrived, which I suppose shouldn't be too surprising.


As for the menu, you're greeted with the familiar cadence of antipasti, primi, secondi, and contorni, with the addition of the mozzarella bar items. Drink-wise, there's a lengthy, almost all-Italian wine list. Corkage is $50, limit two, but since we asked nicely, we were allowed to open all three of our bottles. Click for larger versions.


Burrata & Peach [$25.00] | prosciutto, ceci & cilantro salsa verde
We commenced with a couple items from the mozzarella bar, and this dish made for a welcoming start to the meal. What hit me first was the juicy sweetness of the peach, when led to an amalgam of nutty chickpeas, zesty green sauce, and salty shards of ham, with the creaminess of the burrata moderating it all.


Burrata & Bacon [$24.00] | marinated escarole & caramelized shallots
Here, mozzarella played well with salty strips of bacon, bitter endive, and the dark, sugary flavors of caramelized onion. I got some nice textural variation, too.


Grilled Octopus [$29.00] | potato, celery, green onion & lemon
The polpo was definitely a highlight, coming out delectably seasoned and as tender as I was hoping for. The zippy bite of celery played foil to the octo, while medallions of potato added a nice heft to the dish.


And now we come to the wines that provided the initial impetus for this dinner, expertly served sans decanting by Sommelier Melissa Kunde, who was also gracious enough to apply identifying stickers to each of our glasses, lest we get them mixed up.

• 1964 Marchesi di Barolo Barolo– We began with the youngest of the troika, which made quite an impression right from the get-go. Initially, the nose was all about chocolate and raspberry, with a bit of a damp earth element, while a moderately acidic palate brought more cacao along with dried cherries, acrid nuts, and a healthy dose of barnyard. With more time, I began getting more and more balsamic vinegar aromas, joined by flavors that represented a fine integration between cocoa and black fruits.
• 1961 Marchesi di Barolo Barolo– Next up was the '61, which offered up quite a contrast. The bouquet here was noticeably brighter, almost Burgundian in fact, but still had that underlying earthen trait. Taking a sip, I found the vino silky, but still perceptibly tannic, with a distinctly herbaceous presentation. As the nebbiolo opened up, aromas went in the direction of tart red fruit, and taste-wise, that fruit became laced with a light layer of chocolate. Later in the night, we saw the appearance of leather on the palate, while the nose showcased sauvage in lieu of that aforementioned fruit.
• 1958 Marchesi di Barolo Barolo– The oldest of the trio had by far the lightest color, and was a whole different beast altogether. Aromas on this one were decidedly musty and funky, but there was still this palpable underpinning of sweetness, while in terms of taste, this also veered musky. We let the Barolo open up for a bit, and things definitely softened, and the wine began smelling almost like a fruited sour beer. This sensation continued on to the palate, which also evolved and demonstrated subdued-yet-funky cherries and earth. Finally, towards the end of the night, an animale-like quality made itself known, joined by more tangy red fruits.

One of my dining companions described these three wines as "dynamic," and he's absolutely right. It was a real treat to witness the progression and transformation of the bottles over the course of our meal, to see that ebb and flow, that back-and-forth between each wine's tertiary characteristics, jostling to take center stage. One of the most elucidating, enlightening, and simply fun tastings I've partaken in.


Nancy's Caesar [$27.00] | egg, leek & anchovy crostini
This reimagined Caesar salad was a pretty neat take on a classic. I appreciated the interplay between the anchovy and egg, which had a tempering effect, while there was also this undercurrent of sweetness in the dish, and of course, the brightness and crunch of that lettuce was also key.


Bauletti [$26.00] | ricotta & English peas, Spring onion & lemon
We ended up trying six pastas, and this first one comprised parcels of sweet, creamy ricotta set against even sweeter peas, the onions functioning as a piquant accent.


Cavatelli [$28.00] | wild boar ragù
Cavatelli had that chewy, dense consistency I was looking for, and the pasta served as a fitting stage for a rich, rustic, and quite herby meat sauce.


Bavette [$23.00] | cacio e pepe
Bavette noodles were gratifyingly firm to the bite, and I liked how the pasta worked as a base for the aggressively cheesy and peppery notes present.


Garganelli [$28.00] | ragù Bolognese
A variety of rolled pasta, garganelli arrived well-textured, accompanied by a comfortingly familiar, subtly sweet ragù alla bolognese tinged with a bit of heat.


Beef Cheek Ravioli [$30.00] | fine herbs
Set in tender packets of pasta, the dark-toned flavors of long-cooked beef cheek were imbued with a touch of sweet spice, and simultaneously offset by the zing of fines herbes.


Orecchiette [$28.00] | fennel sausage & Swiss chard
Fennel sausage ate homey and herbaceous, serving as a good match with the ear-shaped, slightly chewy pasta. There was also a welcomed textural element from all the crispy bits in the dish (breadcrumbs I imagine).


Pan Seared Wagyu Beef Segreto [$76.00] | ramp butter, morels & creamed spinach
Sourced from Kentucky's Black Hawk Farms, American Wagyu skirt steak came out well-seared, and had that bovine depth I wanted. The spinach made sense as an accompaniment, though even better were those morel mushrooms. Curiously, I even detected this quite noticeable fruitiness in the dish.


Crispy Duck Confit [$54.00] | sautéed Brussels sprouts & pear mostarda
Our final savory was the confit d'anatra, a tender, herbaceous, deeply flavored preparation of the bird teeming with anatine funk. The duck was paired with the sweet-heat of mostarda, and I certainly didn't mind those charred Brussels, either.


Here we see the dessert menu, which is the responsibility of Executive Pastry Chef Katie Kimble (ex-Eataly). She's replaced Dahlia Narvaez, who left in September last year after being with the restaurant since opening. Click for a larger version.


Rosemary Olive Oil Cakes [$18.00] | Monini olive oil gelato & rosemary brittle
These miniature cakes did a nice job conveying the fruity, herbal, savory essence of olive oil, and were further augmented by that ice cream. I got a nice crunch from that pungent, rosemary-laced brittle on top, too.



Gelati & Sorbetti Selezioni [$16.00]
Next came two varieties of ice cream--an intensely smoky coffee and what I believe was chocolate-hazelnut--along with a bright, bracing passion fruit sorbet.


Bunet [$22.00] | chocolate amaretti custard, caramel & almond brittle
We ended with the bonèt, which combined chocolate and caramel with the signature flavors of amaretto to make for a dessert brimming with a dark, robust sweetness.

I last posted about Osteria Mozza in February 2009, over 15 years ago, and while I have been back during the intervening period, it was nice to finally be able to report on a "proper" meal at the restaurant after all this time. This place is a reliable standby for Italian food here in LA, with cooking that's never too venturesome or daring, but almost always tasty and dependable. I can understand why the spot has been an enduring Angeleno favorite for nearly two decades.

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Prior to dinner, we gathered for some preprandial libations, and I was particularly interested in sampling the Compass Box The General, a scotch whisky released all the way back in October 2013. This is a blend of two blends of single malt and single grain whiskies: a 33-year-old aged in sherry casks and a (rumored) 40-year-old aged in American whiskey barrels. At first, the nose was nearly vinous (Champagne?), its grape-y notes joined by brown sugar, earth, and nutmeat. More dark fruit arrived on the palate, along with spicy oak, sherry, and plenty of vanilla. With time, the spirit got softer, more subdued, with a vegetal character appearing alongside subtle, long-lingering peppery spices. Definitely mature, yet still quite vivacious.


We then moved into something lighter with a couple of newly-released beers. The 2024 Russian River Pliny the Elder is perhaps the quintessential West Coast double IPA. There was a lot more pineapple on the nose than I was anticipating, and the fruit was joined by nuances of pine and musk. On the palate, the ale was softer than I thought it'd be, with a distinctly malty backbone supported by bitter hops and citrus. Meanwhile, the 2024 Russian River Pliny for President is triple dry-hopped IPA, and showed off sweeter, danker aromas. Taking a sip, I found a thicker, plusher mouthfeel, with more restrained hop bitterness and a generally fruitier flavor profile.


Our final tipple was the Jack Daniel's 10 Year Old Tennessee Whiskey, specifically the batch 03 version released this year. I found abundant aromas of red fruit, commixed with a healthy amount of vanilla--quite promising. In the mouth, think soft and smooth, with woodsy spice giving way to boatloads of persistent, medicinal, cherry cough syrup-esque fruit.