2008-Aug-1 - S. Irene Virbila's Rating

Your Review Title Table Cloth The white marble counter top veined in gray is cool to the touch. Itake a sip of Vermentino, enjoying its delicate minerality, andlook over the menu at Osteria Mozza, which might be the hardestreservation in town right now. But for me, the best seat in thehouse has to be one in the middle of the room at the L-shaped"mozzarella bar, " where you can't even make areservation -- it's first come, first servedAnd it's the best perch from which to take in the entire rivetingscene. You'd never find an osteria like this anywhere in Italy.It's more fun, for one thing, very urban and high-spirited.Four-month-old Osteria Mozza, next door to the smaller, more casualPizzeria Mozza, doesn't try to re-create Italy. Instead ofnostalgia, Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali give you something realand direct. And instead of the tried and true, it's a riff onItalian cuisine from two of America's best chefs, with JoeBastianich, son of Lidia, as the third partnerThe mozzarella bar is Silverton's novel take on antipasti:Everything is based on Italian fresh cheeses. She and Batali (whodrops in from New York from time to time) and chef Matt Molina (whoruns the kitchen and worked with Silverton at Campanile) have comeup with some trump cards for the osteria's full menu too.From my perch at the bar, I can see bowls filled with lemons orolives, la mozzarella, and the other ingredients Silverton uses inher meditations on cheese. She's behind the counter most nights,turning out beguiling little dishes. The most interesting peopleare hanging here -- and hanging onto their seats. The idea of aquick bite can easily turn into a couple of hours. It's dangeroussitting here: You get very, very hungry watching her plate thedishes.Every meal here begins with a complimentary stuzzichino, orpick-me-up, a spiral of mozzarella rolled with sweet basil leaves,dried tomato and olives drizzled with sharp, green olive oilSuddenly, I'm craving more cheese, specifically the bufalamozzarella flown in from southern Italy, this one from Basilicata.It's a bulbous packet, tied at the top with string, absolutelysumptuous in its simplicity. This is the real thing, mozzarella sofresh it's practically weeping milk, presented with braised leeksand some fett'unta (oiled bread, or toast) to set it off.

Preening at the doorBETWEEN bites, I'm taking in the crowd, a wild mix of ages andstyles that only a city like L.A. or New York can produce. Comeearly, come late, the place is alive. Just watch the entrance.Everybody wakes up and preens a little the minute they walk in thedoor. And though the place is casual, they're dressed to impress.Parties waiting for a table lurk at the "amaro bar" atthe back, sipping Prosecco or obscure Italian bitters as theysurvey the room, hoping for that quiet(er) table in the corner, orthat deuce not two feet from some famous face.Meanwhile, at the bar, Silverton serves up toast slathered increamy burricotti crowned with braised artichokes, currants, pinenuts and a fragrant mint pesto, incorporating the Arab-influencedflavors of Sicily

For a late-night snack, she's got a scamorza panino with ArmandinoBatali's (Mario's dad's) salame and heat-generating cherry peppers.Or stracciatella, a soft cheese, with fresh, crisp celery,scallions and a refreshing herb salad. I love the mozzarella incarozza, squat rectangles of cheese dressed in anchovies and lemonthen breaded and friedSheep's-milk ricotta is terrific too. Like the mozzarella, it hasto be served absolutely fresh, or it's not worth your while. WhenSilverton gets it in, she might serve a mound of the fragile freshcheese with a little lemon zest and some lightly toasted hazelnuts.Batali, who with Bastianich owns a bevy of restaurants in New York(and a notable one in Las Vegas) weighs in with his own antipasti.Some I recognize from Babbo in New York or B&B in Vegas. Batalihas made his mark with his swashbuckling take on Italian cuisine.The big guy did time in Emilia Romagna, land of pork, butter andcream, and that region's taste for rich cuisine has its imprint allover his cooking. And his food makes no concessions for our summerweight climate. It's big, bold and brash, with flavors cranked upto the max.Ready for more antipasti? How about crispy pig trotter? It's notwhat you think. The pig has been boned, the luscious chunks of porkformed into a patty and fried to a golden crisp. Served withcicoria (chicory) and a dollop of hard-working mustard, it's richand filling. Fat octopus tentacles charred on the grill tastetender and sweet, served with a straightforward salad of potatoes,celery and lemon.Tripe alla Parmigiana is ribbons of tripe slow-braised in tomatosauce to achieve a wonderful velvety texture that melts in yourmouth. And I can't stay away from the sumptuous grilled figsswaddled in pancetta and served with some wilted dandelion greens.For something on the lighter side, consider the little gem lettucesalad. It's a stunner, perfectly dressed and adorned with littlegobbets of Gorgonzola dolce, toasted hazelnuts, sliced egg justthis side of soft-boiled and fluttery, fried pieces of pancetta.You don't have to go further than the antipasti to realize this isone Italian kitchen using the best ingredients money can buy.The service is a cut above the usual L.A. Italian too. Walk intoOsteria Mozza and you won't have to wonder who's in charge. Generalmanager David Rosoff, formerly of Michael's and Campanile, is ablur as he rushes from dining room to kitchen and back again. He'srunning both the Pizzeria next door and this much bigger spot (witha much more extensive menu), troubleshooting, soothing egos,running interference with the kitchen, and generally running a verytight ship. Almost too tight.Service may be overly efficient with so many waiters, juniorsommeliers and managers patrolling the floor; it can be a littlenervous making. Even so, servers can sometimes seem rushed to takeyour order, and if you don't specifically ask the kitchen to slowit down between courses, for my taste, the food can come out toofast.I want to savor tortellini e brodo, the classic pasta stuffed withprosciutto and cheese with a rich, gold poultry stock poured overthe top. Without the distraction of sauce, you can taste everynuance of the filling. Fresh ricotta and egg raviolo is a singleravioli 4 inches square, the pasta draped over the mounded ricottalike a tablecloth, the whole thing sitting in a moat of very brownsage butter. Cut into it with your fork and the gold egg yolk flowsout, mixing with the cheese and butter, making this a perfect dishwith an exceptional white wine, like the Vermentino we drank thathad just come onto the list.

Farfalle -- big, handmade butterflies with wild spinach, dusky goldchanterelles and walnuts -- looks beautiful on the plate. The pastaitself is delicious, but not as much as it would be if thereweren't so much butter. I have the same criticism of the cacio epepe -- linguine with black pepper and pecorino, though it has muchless butter than it did when the restaurant first opened.

Delectable quaiAFTER all that richness, gnocchi al pomodoro comes as a relief. Whydid I never order this before? The olive-sized gnocchi are light ascan be, served in a delightful, loose tomato sauce with ribbons ofbasil, and ricotta salata shaved over at the table. Spaghetti withclams and pancetta with a really hot, Fresno chile pesto is a realwake-up dish, and one I find myself craving to eat again. Thelineup of primi, which here means pasta, doesn't seem to changemuch from week to week, at least so far.Neither do the main courses. If you favor the quail or the orata,that's a very good thing. Two delectable little quail are bandagedin pancetta, grilled so that they're tender and juicy inside, andserved with braised radicchio, the bitterness mitigated by a touchof honey. The combination is genius. Orata is grilled whole,wrapped in a fig leaf, and when the packet is opened, drizzled witha little excellent olive oil.If you want to take advantage of some of the stellar reds on thefine Italian wine list, though, brasato is your go-to dish. It's asingle, tall slab of beef, a proper cut for braising, with plentyof good beefy texture that flakes like brisket. It comes with ascoop of hearty polenta, the red wine reduction and a gremolata offresh horseradish, a dish from a cook who really understandsbraising.