Osteria Mozza

burrata with bacon, marinated escarole, & caramelized shallots

squid ink chitarra freddi with dungeness crab, sea urchin & jalapeno

grilled octopus with potatoes, celery & lemon

ricotta and egg ravioli with browned butter

orecchiette with sausage and swiss chard 

banana and chocolate hazelnut gelato

Happy Friday everyone! Yay for another weekend to eat, wine, and tan! {agenda for the wknd}

Over the past weekend, I visited Osteria Mozza in LA. Of all the fine restaurants I've tried, I've never had fine Italian, so this was a real treat. I didn't know how good pasta can get. I was completely happy with my previous all-time favorite Italian restaurant, Trattoria la Siciliana, in Berkeley, which is authentic and mouthwatering, all i need. But yes, Mozza stole the spot. Pasta can get REALLY good. I had passed up this place before, but seeing it recently honored as #6 on a "Top 20 Restaurants in America" list sealed the deal. Osteria Mozza sits on the busy corner of Melrose and N Highland. The decor inside features contemporary dark wood, reminding me of a blend of Ad Hoc and Wayfare Tavern. The menu has so many dishes with big Italian words that becomes intimidating, but the servers are super helpful when it's time for questions. We made our own "tasting menu" where we chose 5 dishes and just split each dish in half. My favorite dish of all is the squid ink pasta. It was unique, refreshing, and it has so much uni! How could you not love that? Every other dish was very tasty and had something special to it, like the runny yolk in the ricotta and egg ravioli and the zingy taste of celery to compliment the grilled octopus. The tastes of each dish stay with you. It fully deserves its Michelin star because not only is the food memorable, the service was on point and hospitable. This is my new favorite Italian restaurant and favorite overall in LA; though I haven't been too many, I can imagine Mozza hard to beat.

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