Amaro Bar Menu @ Osteria Mozza

established on the corner of Highland & Melrose, Mozza is the brainchild of celeb chef Mario Batali, Nancy Silverton of La Brea Bakery, and winemaker Joe Bastianich. the corner is home to Pizzeria Mozza, Osteria Mozza, and the upcoming Scuola di Pizza, which will house a small take-out pizzeria and another space which will host classes, tastings, parties and such.

the much coveted Osteria Mozza is a great spot for fine italian fare in LA. and the french agree! they just awarded the osteria with a michelin star this year, the restaurant's first. Osteria Mozza just started serving up a 3-course meal, complete with a glass of wine, on mon-wed nights at their Amaro (drink) Bar for just $35/person! call it a recession special, a plea for a packed bar on slower nights, or whatever you want. i call it a real good deal.

the wine

the Bastianich Friulano is the white and La Mozza Morellino di Scansano the red.

the amuse bouche

crostini topped with fresh ricotta cheese, olive tapenade, basil and a drizzle of olive oil. the crunch of the crostini, creamy richness of the ricotta, mixed with the salty tapenade, fruity olive oil and fresh basil completely amused my bouche.

from the Mozzarella Bar

Burrata w/ grilled asparagus, brown butter, guanicale & sicilian almonds. this is one of the heavier of the starter choices due to the fried guanicale (like bacon), brown butter sauce and salty breadcrumbs, but nonetheless, delicious!

on the left: Burrata w/ speck, english peas & parmigiano. very light & fresh. the peas add a great garden fresh taste. one of my favs. top right: Burrata with bacon, marinated escarole & carmelized shallots. the savory escarole and sweet shallots totally make this dish. great choice. bottom right: Bufala Mozzarella w/ pesto, romesco, tapenade & caperberry relish. it's like a make your own bruschetta platter!

i forget what this one is. will update once i find out. it was also on the light side.

the pastas

Garganelli w/ ragu bolognese. simple, meaty, delicious.

Linguine w/ clams, pancetta & spicy fresno chiles. must try if you're a seafood lover. the pancetta adds that salty bite and the clams & garlic pack in the flavor!

Tagliatelle w/ oxtail ragu. rich & hearty. the oxtail flavor really comes through.

Orecchiette w/ sausage & swiss chard & breadcrumbs. this one was a bit of a disappointment. only because it was so salty. not sure if i just had a bad plate but it was borderline inedible.

Ricotta & Egg Raviolo w/ brown butter. i think the picture speaks for itself.

the desserts

Rosemary Olive Oil Cakes w/ Olive Oil Gelato. LOVE this. honestly, when i saw it on the menu, there was nothing about it that made me want to try it but ended up being one of my favs. the cakes are slightly crispy on the outside, light and soft on the inside w/ hits of rosemary, citrus & olive oil flavors that just go really well together.

on the left: Bombolini (Italian donuts) w/ huckleberry compote, vanilla gelato and mascarpone. who doesn't love fried dough?! top right: Piccolo Budino Caldo di Cioccolato (molten chocolate cake) w/ bourbon gelato. kinda of disappointing. i'm not a fan of the bourbon gelato. bottom right: Blackberry Jam Crostata w/ yogurt gelato. i thought it was just ok. lots of seeds going on.

not sure what this one is called (i will update once i find out) but it's basically a cherry pie on some mascarpone, served w/ gelato. a great seasonal dessert.

a meal of this caliber at this price is hard to come by. and if you've never been to Osteria Mozza, it's definitely a great way to try it out. just remember, it's only offered on mon-wed nights, at the drink bar, not the mozzarella bar.

Osteria Mozza
6602 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
323.297.0100
www.mozza-la.com
make reservations online (note: they don't take resos for the bar)

buon appetito~!