By Cathy H. Burroughs, Food Critic/Travel Writer, journeyPod.com
Nancy Silverton is a woman possessed and we all benefit. Known for her spiritual quest for the perfect bread (La Brea Bakery, once owned by the maestra), Silverton has since taken her culinary missionary zeal, inspired in great part by her visit and now part time life in Southern Italy, to create a tryptich of extraordinary sister restaurants. Her pizzeria, a meat place, and since 2007, Osteria Mozza, an enlightened Italian bistro of the highest order. All three are huddled next door to each other on Melrose. Winner of the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Chef Award for 2014, Silverton has accomplished culinary greatness by sheer artisanal devotion that she readily admits sometimes teeters on obsession. Her soul’s mission seems to be to find and create a truely transcendant meal – one that combines the highest standards of love and nourishment, while mysteriously melding herbal flavors that are not quite of this world. The result: pure deliciousness. A bread so delicate and refined in its coarse and primal textures; a salad of intricate layers with a sweet cilantro that explodes in your mouth startling your taste buds to full awakenness; an adorable homemade gnocchi pasta that is sturdy and resilient, while managing sweet ambrosiatic thrills – in short, a meal that knows no second.
As she works alongside her warm and brilliant crew to create a culinary atmosphere deeply welcoming, humanistic and loving while maintaining the highest standards, we watch and feel we are learning about what most matters in life. The icons on the cheese bar give us clues: the Bodhisattvah signals the ectastic pursuit of enlightenment; two penguins – the search for life companionship and soul level understanding – all can be found here
Nancy works most nights in the trenches behind the mozzarella bar, crafting handmade cheeses and artfully positioning her salads like tiny Tuttle scupltures with exactitude and suffused with heart.
Her smile is beautiful. Speak to her. We loved our table. Both Jason and Alain helped us navigate the courses with profound care, courtesy and friendship: as if we were their honored guests. The citrusy notes of the salad took us off the coast of Africa to Madagascar; a smokey mozzarella carried us into the woodsy inner eye of a primeval forest. The seats are comfortable, the ceilings patenaturally high, the vibe New Yorkish and intimate, the tone – sublime. The evening unfolds like the acts of a Japanese tea ceremony. By all means join Nancy Silverton and her equally astute team. Eat: at Osteria Mozzo. Learn: the meaning of a life fully lived.
Cathy H. Burroughs is a food critic and a travel writer who is widely published. She is a major foodie and a passionate world traveler and adventurer.
