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July 19, 2007
Osteria Mozza
I'm a big fan of Nancy Silverton's pizzeria Mozza, frequenting it often. The Mario Batali/Nancy Silverton joint effort Osteria Mozza opened on Friday the 13th. Reservation phone lines opened on the 12th and it was widely documented as an exercise in futility.
Want a table? One month out. Period.
My friend started calling early and got a reservation for the first week in August. It was about 8 PM Wednesday, and I figured I better put in my call -- so in a month I can sit at a table and enjoy a New York style restaurant in beautiful Los Angeles.
It's all very foggy, but when I called for a reservation I heard, "For two? How about tomorrow?"
After asking her three times, tomorrow as in Thursday, not Thursday in four weeks, she laughed and said yes.
I got lucky. Someone important with a reservation must have come down with explosive diarrhea. Because if there is anything in my life I can count on, it is bad luck. So naturally, I felt dizzy and sick. I must be dying and this is my trip to Disney Land.
Gave my name and phone number and quickly emailed a friend to see if she could join me. Yep, she was able and willing.
Expecting a crappy table somewhere in the middle of the large but cozy room, I nearly peed my pants when I was seated in a quiet booth in a cove by the window. Surreal.
We asked who was cooking. Answer: Matt Molina. I must be hours from death, so let me write the rest of this entry as fast as possible.
Antipasti: Red Endive, Fennel and Parmesan with an anchovy/date dressing, which tasted light with an essence of citrus. YUM
From the Mozzarella bar: burrata with what I thought was brown butter and artichoke hearts, or leeks but who knows, I was delirious at that point. It was delicious.
We skipped the Primi course, sorry. But the Ricotta and Egg Raviolo sounded amazing.
Secondi: we had the Santa Barbara Spot Prawns "al diavolo" and the Grilled Whole Orata, wrapped in fig leaf. I recommend both.
Contorni: Roasted potatoes with rosemary, and wax beans with breadcrumb salsa.
Dolci: Olive oil sorbet with rosemary frittata. While not into sweets in general, this was incredible.
Well worth the hype. I'm a tough customer, and even the service was attentive but not intrusive. Amazing for a restaurant that isn't even a week old. Plus I got to watch Andy Richter and his family eat at a nearby table.
Next up, if I don't wake up dead -- Tom Colicchio's Craft -- or better yet Jenny Craig.
Posted by Moxie at July 19, 2007 11:32 PM
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Comments
Rosemary frittata sounds lovely, but not sweet, to me. Is it? And how does olive oil sorbet work?
Posted by: Tanya at July 20, 2007 6:51 AM
Tanya, I wondered about the sorbet too! It looked like what you would expect from sorbet, but it had the flavor of really good olive oil. The rosemary fritatta -- not terrible sweet. Only slightly, because these little bite sized muffins were dusted with a touch of powdered sugar. It was perfect after a big meal.
Posted by: Moxie at July 20, 2007 3:09 PM
Mmm! Sounds tasty!
Posted by: DirtCrashr at July 20, 2007 5:07 PM
Wow. About that time I was wolfing down a double and chili fries at the Tommy's on Rampart.
Posted by: gahrie at July 20, 2007 11:32 PM
Gahrie: that's funny...when I read this post, the first thing I thought about was Tommy's. I've been away from LA for a while, and when I left the location at Beverly & Rampart still didn't serve fries (only chips). You had to go to one of the newer locations for the exotic excellence of their chili fries. So they've upgraded? Best news I've heard all day.
Posted by: HT at July 21, 2007 7:42 AM
Interesting... I dare not ask how much all this cost. On my budget Olive Garden is a luxury restaurant.
Posted by: Andrea Harris at July 21, 2007 9:06 AM
Actually, Mox, I find that calling some restaurants and sweetly apologizing for the late notice but asking if they've had any cancellations tends to be a successful approach to getting in. I do it with Joe's in Venice from time to time. I explain that I'm from the neighborhood ("the girl with the red hair") and ask what they have. We usually get a reservation that way.
Also, as for the Olive Garden person above, I go to Paris a lot and when the dollar to euro exchange is what it is now (kind of like the euro to the 50-cent piece), my strategy is to avoid spending money going to even moderate restaurants for lunch. (It's easier because I rent an apartment when I'm there so I can eat meals there) and then eating out at fabulous place once or twice while I'm there. I have the same strategy for buying clothes. Instead of buying a lot of cheap crap at Ross, I'll buy one beautiful thing every season, and spend real money on it -- the money I would've spent at Ross for a bunch of cheap pieces of unremarkable clothing.
I learned this from the French. Yes, the French may be commies, but they know how to do life very well!
Posted by: Amy Alkon at July 21, 2007 2:51 PM
That's quite an excellent dinner you had, and at a restaurant on Melrose Avenue, no less!
For a down-home guy like me, nothing beats a place like the Missoula Club. I looking forward to eating there soon as I'll be up Montana way this coming week.
As for European cuisine, if you happen to be in Madrid, stop by Restaurante Botin.
Posted by: Mike LaRoche at July 21, 2007 8:10 PM
I'll be sure to take your advice the next time I'm in Paris.
Posted by: Andrea Harris, aka "Olive Garden Person" at July 21, 2007 8:32 PM
Looks like my previous comment didn't make it through. Anyway, glad you enjoyed your meal! :)
Posted by: Mike LaRoche at July 21, 2007 11:14 PM
Andrea, it wasn't terribly expensive. I was expecting the worst, as the menu was a secret. But even though it's a New York style restaurant, the prices were still within reach. Not for everyday dining, of course. But the bill wasn't shocking.
I didn't see any 30 dollar salads consisting of 5 butter lettuce leaves coated in olive oil with the very slight essence of truffles and the chef's sweat -- something I expect in NYC.
Posted by: Moxie at July 22, 2007 1:06 AM
Or Miami... where they call a Cuban restaurant a fancy name and serve the same stuff you can get at La Carreta (a Cuban food diner chain in Miami) for half the price.
Posted by: Andrea Harris at July 22, 2007 5:53 AM
Moxie, feel free to send me an invite the next time you have a meal like that.
Posted by: PatrickP at July 23, 2007 8:37 PM
