Gold Dig #56

Grouped together as “Mozzaplex” on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list are these four Italian eateries – Pizzeria Mozza (pizza as you might have guessed), Osteria Mozza (more formal restaurant), Chi Spacca (meat-focused), and Mozza2Go (takeout counter). We tried Osteria Mozza, which was packed even on a weeknight, with every seat at the tables and bar occupied.

The Dish

It’s hard to say what Osteria Mozza is known for, as people talk about their mozzarella bar, fresh pastas, meat dishes, and desserts. Sunday through Thursday you can sit at the Amaro Bar (no reservations accepted) and for $35 get a 3-course dinner, selecting a mozzarella, a pasta, and a dessert. We were at a table so couldn’t get this, but I definitely want to go back for that deal.

Goat Cheese and Olive Tapenade Crostini

While we waited for our orders to arrive, we were brought goat cheese and olive tapenade crostinis. It was such a nice way to start dinner – Osteria Mozza definitely provides the little touches that make you feel like you’re having a bit of an upscale experience.

Grilled Quail

Since I plan to go back some time for the Amaro Bar meal, I decided to try a meat this time. The grilled quail is wrapped in pancetta with honey and sage. The quail was a bit on the rare side, which I normally would like just fine, but I was surprised to find it wasn’t very tender and most of the flavor was on the outside. The honey and sage was incredible, but I enjoyed it as much on the bed of raddichio as I did on the quail.

Insalata Mista

My dinner mate is vegetarian and has some other dietary restrictions, so she made a meal of several vegetable dishes, which the waiter was very helpful in providing suggestions for. The insalata mista was a simple mix of greens, cucumber, and radish, but had a good amount of fresh dill that was really nice.

Crispy Sunchokes

The crispy sunchokes were lightly breaded, fried, and seasoned with garlic and thyme. They were crisp and flavorful. We actually got two orders of these so we wouldn’t have to fight over them!

Sautéed Spinach

The sautéed spinach was topped with crispy garlic. You can’t go wrong with crispy garlic. All of their vegetable dishes seemed to have simple preparations that let the ingredients shine.

Rosemary Olive Oil Cakes

The rosemary olive oil cakes came with olive oil gelato and rosemary brittle. Not only was this dessert beautiful to look at, it also tasted incredible. It was the highlight of the meal for me. The cakes had a nice crisp texture on the outside while staying soft and moist inside. The ice cream was creamy and subtle, and the rosemary brittle was a perfect sweet and herbal accompaniment.