Osteria Mozza
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Phone: (323) 297-0100
- Cross Street:
- North Highland Avenue
- Hours:
- Daily 5:30pm-12am
Editorial Review for Osteria Mozza – by Martha Burr
The Scene
Hyped by the Batali-Silverton mystique from the beginning, this instantly iconic Hollywood spot remains one of L.A.'s most sought-after reservations. A high-ceilinged room is casual yet elegant, with deep earthy tones, leather banquettes and giant wooden wine racks. It's dominated by the bustling, vibrant marble mozzarella bar frequently manned by Silverton herself. An upscale, eclectic, animated Hollywood crowd revels in the passionate cuisine and astonishing landscape of Italian wine.
The Food
Batali's genius and Silverton's imagination meld to offer a vibrant menu that is at once rustic and robust, sophisticated and complex. Regional dishes include ribollita, a traditional hearty Tuscan country soup, and testa, a fragrant, subtle, delicate head cheese sliced paper thin, offset by green olives and oregano. The mozzarella bar offers a dozen stunning creations like burricotti--a ricotta-filled burrata topped with tender artichokes, pine nuts, currants and mint pesto. Handmade pastas include francobolli--a "postage stamp" filled with rich, unctuous braised short rib and thyme. Quail-wrapped in pancetta is grilled until the fowl and bacon fuse for a sublimely transcendent flavor enfolding moist tender meat.
Hits: One of L.A.'s top dining destinations has foodies--and everyone else--flocking for ethereal fresh mozzarella creations and brilliant regional Italian dishes.
Misses: Reservations are hard to get, and much of the menu is in Italian, forcing servers to give very long translations.
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Insider Tips
Look GoodReservations are taken one calendar month out starting at 10am, but seats at the mozzarella bar and the regular bar are reserved for walk-ins.
Know Before You GoA seven-course pasta tasting menu includes dessert for $69 per person. The entire table must participate; wine pairing is an extra $50 per person.
What to DrinkThe giant Italian-only wine list offers over 1,200 bottles exhaustively covering every region of Italy (40 Amarone listings anyone?). Ten reds and five whites come in sharable 250 ml carafes; a 2004 Morellino di Scansano "Il Perazzi," La Mozza is especially pleasant with lighter fare. Corkage is $20 per 750 ml, with a two-bottle limit per table.
User Reviews for Osteria Mozza
04/25/2008 Posted by newangelina
Since I love Italian cuisine, I was very excited to go to Osteria Mozza with my husband. However, my disappointment started even before we got seated. We had a reservation for 9.30 but we were not seated until 10.15.... no one apologized. Anyway, once seated, we still had to wait at least 15 min to get bread and water. Our waiter was nice but was not very knowledgeable about the items on the menu (did not exactly know how the meat was prepared, did not know if the biscotti were made with almonds, etc.). The food was average: we got two antipasti (mozzarella di buffala + mussels) that were pretty good. Then, we ordered two beef dishes and I must say that the meat was not good: 1/3 of my beef piece was pure fat and the sauce was so strong that I could not taste the meat at all. Overall, my husband and I were disappointed with Mozza, especially when we got the check of $115 (with no drinks!) There are much better (and more affordable!) italian restaurants in L.A
Pros: good selection of italian cheeses
Cons: service, price
04/23/2008 Posted by violet101
Well, the LA "restaurant attitude" is back in full force at Mozza. From the bartender to the bus boy we appeared to be inconveniencing everyone when we asked for a drink, bread or where our food was after waiting for an hour. We finally got up and left and never got to taste the food. I can appreciate kitchens getting backed up and food being delayed. However, I don't appreciate getting an attitude from the staff and not being told that they were backed up until we canceled our dinner and got up to leave. It's a shame because my trips to Mario's restaurants in NY had great service and food minus the poor restaurant experience.
Pros: Good bread
Cons: Terrible Service
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