One of America’s most beloved restaurants makes its debut in the nation’s capital this weekend.
Chef Nancy Silverton has teamed up with the powerhouse restaurateur Stephen Starr to bring her Michelin-starred Osteria Mozza to Washington, D.C. Opening November 10, the Italian restaurant is taking up 20,000 square feet of prime Georgetown real estate. It’ll include the main dining room, a marble-topped mozzarella bar, two private dining areas, and a market featuring items hand-picked by Silverton.
Pollo all Diavolo su Crostone
Birch Thomas
The original outpost of Osteria Mozza, in Los Angeles, opened in 2007, bringing wood-fired plates, handmade pastas, and regional Italian cuisine to the area. Since then, locations have popped up around the world, including in Mexico, Singapore, and Hawaii. The D.C. spot marks the first time East Coast diners can enjoy Osteria Mozza’s menu on their own turf.
That menu includes standouts that Silverton has become known for: To start, there’s focaccia di recco stuffed with stracchino, one of Starr’s preferred plates. Nancy’s Favorite Trio brings together mozzarella di bufala with Cantabrian anchovies, sun-dried tomatoes and peppers, and fett’unta, a garlic bread-esque dish. There’s also Silverton’s deconstructed Caesar salad and the fan-favorite tagliatelle with oxtail ragu.
The bar, meanwhile, is just as focused on Italian flavors. Wines come from that country’s Piedmont, Tuscany, Campania, and Sicily regions. (Silverton herself has a home in Umbria, where she spends a good deal of the year cooking for herself, family, and friends.) Bubbly comes courtesy of Champagne, for any celebrations big and small. And delicacies from Italy can be bought in the market to bring back to your own kitchen: Expect specialty olive oils, spices, jarred and tinned items, and more. Thankfully, Silverton is the author of 11 cookbooks, in case you need some inspiration for how to use those ingredients.
Inside the restaurant
Rey Lopez
Osteria Mozza D.C.’s design comes courtesy of the firm Roman and Williams. The team there has transformed a historic market dating back to 1865 into a modern space with arched windows, terrazzo floors, marble tables, and accents of dark wood and exposed brick. The solarium gives you the sense of outdoor dining with floor-to-ceiling windows, while a mezzanine-level private dining room includes space for up to 20 people.
Silverton and Starr haven’t become two of the most well-respected names in the culinary world for nothing. And with the two teaming up to bring Osteria Mozza to D.C.’s power set, you can just about guarantee they’ve got another hit on their hands.
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