Osteria Mozza

What a delightful meal this weekend with Win, Andra and Avi. Good food is important, combine it with dear friends and it's a recipe for a delightful evening. I was surprised how packed it was; there was plenty of energy in the restaurant, partly from the wild, Mario-chosen music piping through the speakers. We ordered family style, sharing 8 dishes in all, 3 Antipasti, 3 Primi and 2 Secondi.

The Grilled Octopus was out-of-this world. It was tender, thankfully not chewy, and tasted like the best sausage I've ever had. I know that sounds odd, but it reminded me of the pulpo in Spain. There is a Mozzarella Bar on the Antipasti section of the menu with a variety of dishes made with the cheese. We had the Mozzarella Tasting; a simple dish with burrata, fior di latte & bufala mozzarella served with 2 pieces of grilled bread with garlic and oil. It was fine, just not any different from mozzarellas I get in stores. The third Antipasti was a trio of baby lettuces salad, also tasty.

The Fresh Ricotta & Egg Raviolo with browned butter featured a plate with a 3 1/2 inch ravioli in the center. Slicing through the middle an egg yolk oozed out. The ricotta inside was soft and creamy. It was a beautiful dish both visually and in taste. Andra and Avi loved the pasta that was a little larger than spaghetti with a tomato sauce and tuna flakes. The ultimate pasta was the Butternut Squash Mezzalune with amaretti . It was the best butternut squash pasta I've ever had, so sweet I didn't need to order a dessert. The Grilled Whole Orata, a light white fish, was boned and had greens in the center of it when we opened it up. I can't seem to remember what greens they were, a few drinks does that to me. The Duck served on a wooden cutting board I do remember. It was woodsy, tender and a lovely ending to a great meal.

Side note: Hello, Osteria Mozza was packed, no sign of the economic hardship in sight. We peeked in the pizzeria around 10 and it was hopping. I was pleased to see it filled with people waiting. A funny touch, the valet attendant left a postcard in the car advertising the company's services.

Osteria Mozza
6602 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
323. 297. 0100