LA Dining: Paparazzi, a $15 glass of Prosecco and peeing with Billy Gibbons

To say we had a good time at Osteria Mozza would be an understatement, Joel and I took Friday night by the horns and rode it all the way into Saturday morning. We arrived at Mozza a tad before our reservations and were greeted by the host and told that they were running behind (it did not look like a recession at this place). We were politely told that we would have to wait before our table was ready. This small inconvenience lead to a conversation with a member of LA's paparazzi stories of Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, Keanu Reeves and many others.

 These juicy tidbits helped temper my growling stomach as I laughed about how Paris poses or how Lindsey...well, is Lindsey, but after the last story I had to check on our table. We were told it would be a bit longer so we moseyed up to the bar and ordered two glasses of Prosecco. We were promptly given the glasses and the bill. When I looked at the bill I almost fell over. The total for two glasses of mediocre Prosecco (as of today, the Prosseco listed on the web site was not what we were served) was thirty dollars! Though this did not ruin the overall experience I did tell the sommelier that I felt that the price was ridiculous and insulting. 

Once at our table we were greeted by the sommelier with a bottle of 1999 Massolino Barolo in her hand, compliments of a good friend and business partner of mine, and immediately the thought of $15 glasses of Prosecco was subdued. Our server brought the menus, made his recommendations, and we deliberated on how we were going to approach our meal. After studying our options we ordered one antipasta, two cheeses from the Mozzarella bar, one pasta, and two entrees, we were dining. Needing some wine to go with our first few courses the sommelier and I had a pow-wow and she soon returned with a great selection: Mastroberadino, Greco di Tufo 2006. Greco di Tufo is a DOCG in Italy's Campania region and is a beautiful white grape full of complexity, nuance, and beauty. 

Our first three dishes were a welcomed sight for hungry eyes but our hunger did not make the dishes seem better, the high quality ingridents did that. Our antipasta was grilled octopus with potatoes, celery, and lemon the dish was simple, pure and classic. The two cheeses were both burrata with different accouterments. The first cheese had speck, English peas, and Parmigiano and was out of this world. The second cheese had bacon, marinated escarole and caramelized shallots on a crostini. Both cheeses were well made and executed. We both felt that the burrata with the speck, peas and Parmigiano was the better of the two. The pasta course was a homemade cork screw shape with guanciale and a spicy tomato sauce. The sauce was rich, spicy, "homey" and a perfect entry into our Barolo.  The entrees were grilled quail wrapped in pancetta with sage and honey and beef brasato (short-ribs) with polenta horseradish gremolata. I was apprehensive when Joel and the waiter recommended the the quail, but I am very glad I broke to their will as it was the best I had ever had. The dish had a multitude of flavors that were seamless and warmed the soul. This was an extremely well executed dish, each component was present but when you combined them all in one bite it was transcendent.  The beef was good but heavily salted, taking away from the earthiness of the short-ribs and making the dish one dimensional. The Barolo shined throughout our entrees. The wine had aromas of sour cherries, dried herbs, and old worn leather. Each bite and sip created a sensation of pleasure that is only found when great food and great wine meet. Not being daunted by full bellies we plowed into dessert, a warm chocolate cake with Bourbon gelato and rice fritters with Nocello soaked raisins and banana gelato. Both desserts were good but I regret not ordering the rosemary olive oil cakes. Both of our choices were a bit much for me but the flavors were flawless and the Bourbon gelato was amazing. After we pushed our dishes away, thinking we were done, the sommelier placed four glasses on our table with four different bottles of spirits from all over Italy: Amaro from Sicily, a Gin-like spirit from northeastern Italy, and two other herbal liquors that took my memory away. Those four spirits ended our night at Osteria Mozza and were a fantastic end to our meal (we ended up paying a heavy price in the morning due to those bad boys)

During the meal we asked our server if there were any celebrities dining with us and he told us that two other Texas were in the private dining room: Lance Armstrong and one of the members from ZZ Top. After we finished Joel and I retired to the restroom and directly after us walked in Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. Mr. Gibbons was quite talkative and we all shared a good ol' Texas laugh in the restroom of Osteria Mozza.  The total experience from start to finish was LA to the fullest and worth every wait and dollar. I recommend Osteria Mozza but caution that it is expensive. If you don't want to spend as much money but get the flavor of Mario Batali and Nancy Silverton try Pizzeria Mozza next door. During dinner we were told that Mozza will  be opening a take-out joint next door to the Osteria, so soon if you live in the area you will be able to get a Mozza pie to take home and maybe some burrata.

Osteria Mozza Pizzeria Mozza

6602 Melrose Ave 641 N. Highland Ave

Los Angeles CA 90038                Los Angeles CA 90036

323.297.0100 323.297.0101

Comments

[Alfonso]

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[Angelica18Carver]

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[Levis Jeans]

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