Who’s behind it: A new location of chef and Los Angeles–based restaurateur Nancy Silverton’s Osteria Mozza arrived in Washington, D.C., in November, bringing the Italian cuisine concept to the capital’s historic Georgetown neighborhood. Silverton and longtime partner Joe Bastianich teamed up with restaurateur Stephen Starr and his STARR Restaurant Group on the destination spot, which boasts more than 270 seats and an impressive, primarily Italian list of 500 wines.
True to its name—and like the Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence–winning Osteria Mozza flagship in Los Angeles—the new spot features a mozzarella bar and a retail space with produce, imported cheeses, olive oils and other artisanal products, including some of those used in the restaurant’s dishes.
Why you should know about it: Silverton’s roots run deep in the L.A. dining scene. She was previously the pastry chef at Wolfgang Puck’s Grand Award–winning Spago before she started establishing her own restaurants in 1989, including the celebrated Campanile and, adjoining it, the original location of La Brea Bakery (both now closed). In 2007, she launched Osteria Mozza and its menu of upscale, heritage Italian dishes. Since then, the restaurant has expanded to London, Singapore and now, for the first time, the U.S. East Coast.
Bastianich—who is also an author and MasterChef judge—first suggested the collaboration. Silverton and Starr had previously met after Starr dined at Osteria Mozza in West Hollywood; their friendship was sparked by his love of Silverton’s focaccia di Recco (a particularly flat focaccia stuffed with stracchino cheese), which he ranks among his all-time favorite dishes. While discussing a new joint venture, the trio determined that Osteria Mozza was the right fit for the Georgetown space, which Starr was already renting, and they embarked on a multi-year journey to develop the 20,000-square-foot restaurant.
The culinary approach: Classics from the L.A. menu have made their way to the East Coast, including the ricotta and egg raviolo, a porcini-rubbed bone-in ribeye (with an optional 25-year-old balsamic vinegar finish) and Nancy’s favorite trio (portions of mozzarella with anchovies, semi-dried tomatoes and crispy cruschi peppers). New dishes are also offered, particularly in the secondi portion of the menu, including braised lamb neck over polenta, duck al mattone (served with Brussels sprouts and pear mostarda) and pan-seared sea trout. The menu shows off Silverton’s acclaimed baked goods with fresh loaves made using her recipes at nearby micro-bakery Bread Alley. As one might expect, Starr’s favorite focaccia is available, with an optional topping of white truffle.
Wine list highlights: Wine director Jeremy Halker’s list showcases the vinous diversity of Italy. “Wine is all about storytelling,” Halker told Wine Spectator. “It’s a way for guests to travel through Italy without leaving the table.” Wineries like Gaja, Antinori and Bartolo Mascarello pepper the list, and Barolo and Barbaresco make up the largest portions. However, every major Italian wine region is represented, with names like Foradori in Northern Italy’s Dolomites and Graci in Sicily’s Etna, among others.
The only non-Italian section is reserved for Champagne, with nearly 40 bottlings from the likes of Jacquesson, Billecart-Salmon and Pierre Gimonnet & Fils. Beyond Champagne, there are also Italian metodo classico sparklers, with offerings from Ca’ del Bosco, Ferrari and Contadi Castaldi.
For smaller servings of wine, guests can pick from the by-the-quartino list’s 15 options, each served in a 250-ml carafe, including Barolo, Rosso di Montalicino, Timorasso and more. Also on the list is Bastianch’s own Chardonnay blend from Friuli.
Beyond wine, beverage director Philip Fromyer highlights Italy’s rich tradition of amari, aperitivi and digestifs. “No meal is complete without an aperitivo to start or a digestif to finish,” said Fromeyer. More than 20 amari are on offer, in addition to other vermouths, liqueurs and spirits.
The design: Roman & Williams fashioned the restaurant’s rustic and cozy interior, which features exposed bricks, copper accents, marble table tops, soft yellow lighting and ample daylight from large, arched windows. To feel like you’re dining alfresco, grab a table in the solarium, which is part Victorian conservatory, part Italian countryside, with palms and olive trees surrounding sundrenched tables. (The restaurant employed the services of garden design firm Urbangreen Gardens and the lighting studio L’Observatoire International for the space.) Two private dining rooms, one overlooking the main dining area, are also available.
Osteria Mozza D.C. is open every day for dinner, from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. the rest of the week. Brunch is offered from 9:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. on weekends and a lunch menu is served from 11 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. on weekdays.—Greg Warner
Chef Melissa Rodriguez and Tao Group Hospitality Open Crane Club in New York
Who’s behind it: Earlier this fall, Tao Group Hospitality opened Crane Club in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. This is the latest opening for the hospitality group—coming off debuts in Miami and Las Vegas—and adds to Tao’s growing portfolio of more than 70 properties, including Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence winner Cathédrale at the Moxy East Village in New York.
Leading the kitchen is chef and restaurant partner Melissa Rodriguez, formerly of now-closed Grand Award winner Del Posto and, subsequently, Al Coro, whose location Crane Club occupies. Rodriguez and former Del Posto general manager Jeff Katz—now a managing partner at Crane Club—worked with the late chef Jamal “James” Kent to buy the Del Posto space in 2021 and turn it into Al Coro, which closed in 2023. They sold the location to the Tao Group in summer of that year.
When it opened: Nov. 20
The culinary approach: Rodriguez designed a 12-foot-long wood-fired grill specifically for the restaurant on which she, executive chef Katherine Rock and the culinary team grill a range of meats and vegetables. Crane Club’s menu draws from French and Italian fine-dining influences, represented by dishes like a chicory salad with tempura root vegetables and a black truffle vinaigrette, cherrystone clams with garlic bread, savory sfogliatelle with potato and fontina (topped with osetra caviar), baked shells with ricotta and mascarpone, and potatoes sarladaises with duck fat and smoked bacon. A raw bar cart offers additional selections like razor claims and an imperial caviar service. To cap off the meal, pastry chef Georgia Wodder prepares desserts like banana-farro cake with guava sorbet.
What’s on the wine list: Wine director Cat Fanelli, who previously led the wine program at Al Coro, has assembled a list of about 800 selections representing a 6,000-bottle inventory. About 20 wines are offered by the glass, with selections including Nahe Riesling from H. Dönnhoff, Chablis from Domaine Laroche and Willamette Valley Chardonnay from Evening Land. “[The program] combines both terroir-driven small producers as well as ‘big names,’” Fanelli told Wine Spectator via email, highlighting Luis Seabra’s Douro Xisto Ilimitado White as a current favorite. “I am particularly interested in featuring women winemakers, and there will always be multiple selections by the glass from female producers.”
The reds include Brunello di Montalcino from Donatella Cinelli Colombini and Napa Cabernet from Snowden, among others. There are also impressive Champagne and dessert wine picks from houses like Vilmart and Oremus.
“I hope that Crane Club can show that a large restaurant can still have a fun and exciting wine program and be a place for guests to explore new wines they have never had before,” said Fanelli, who plans to host wine dinners and events in the future. “This restaurant offers the whole package—from a nice bar and lounge area where guests can come in for some raw bar bites and a great cocktail to an elegant dining room for a celebratory dinner.”
Chris Lemperle, formerly of Crown Shy (and, above it, Overstory), leads the bar program, preparing drinks like the beet-based Gibson, the rum- and banana-based Snow Bird and the rye whiskey–based Cavalier.
The design: Led by Susan Nugraha, Tao’s design team (working with Laseu Studio) has given the space red velvet banquettes, oak herringbone floors brought in from Europe and walls gilded with gold leaf. The restaurant also features a 12-seat bar made of red marble and art deco elements throughout the dining room, a nod to the location’s life as a Nabisco factory in the early 20th century.—Collin Dreizen
Jonathan Waxman Reopens Park Tavern on Washington Square in San Francisco
Who’s behind it: Restaurateur James Nicholas and renowned chef Jonathan Waxman have reopened San Francisco restaurant Park Tavern—now called Park Tavern on Washington Square—in its original location. A pioneer of California cuisine, Waxman is now the owner and chef of acclaimed New York City establishment Barbuto, in the West Village.
Nicholas has co-founded several restaurants in San Francisco, including Marlowe, the Cavalier and Leo’s Oyster Bar; he and his ex-wife, Anna Weinberg, operated the original Park Tavern before separating a few years ago. He told Wine Spectator he is delighted that Waxman, with whom he’s been friends for 20 years, agreed to be part of the restaurant’s rebirth.
When Park Tavern reopened: Nov. 22
Why you should know about it: Before closing in late 2023, Park Tavern was a mainstay in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood for more than a decade. The space was previously occupied by another popular restaurant, Moose’s. “What a great honor to rebirth a historic restaurant,” said Nicholas, a fifth-generation San Franciscan. “There’s so much history; we wanted to respect that but polish it up and give it back to the neighborhood.”
With so many recent restaurant closures in San Francisco, Nicholas said he’s become exasperated by all the negative press surrounding the City by the Bay. He hopes this reopening shows the city’s resilience. “It’s one of America’s best cities, and it’s invigorating to be in a booming neighborhood.”
The culinary approach: Waxman, a Bay Area native, has long been a champion of seasonal, market-driven Californian cuisine: He cooked with Alice Waters at Chez Panisse before becoming the executive chef at Michael's (now a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence winner) in Santa Monica, Calif.
“What I love about his food is there’s a complexity, but it’s simply executed,” said Nicholas, pointing to Waxman classics like his kale salad with anchovy dressing, pecorino cheese and breadcrumbs, as well as his roast chicken with salsa verde. Both of these dishes, which Waxman also serves at Barbuto, will always be on the menu of Park Tavern at Washington Square.
The rustic, Italian-driven menu includes a mix of starters, salads, pastas, pizzas and larger plates that will change with the seasons. Current highlights include a pizza served with black truffles and a vegetable Bolognese strozzapreti with autumn root vegetables and tomato sauce.
What’s on the wine list: According to wine director Jeff Lennon, the opening wine list clocks in at just under 200 labels, and it’s about 50 percent Italian, with 18 of the country’s 20 regions represented. “This list highlights the enormous diversity of Italian wines and promotes the real spirit of [Italian wine],” said Lennon. “We [look] for hard-to-find gems that enhance a meal, such as small-production, family-run wineries focused on meticulous craft and local tradition.”
This approach can be seen with selections of Prà Soave and Ettore Germano Barolo. Lennon also added a healthy dose of wine from France and California, including examples from leading Golden State wineries, such as Sauvignon Blanc from Merry Edwards, Chardonnay from Ramey and Zinfandel from Bedrock. Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, German and Austrian wines round out the list, and 20 wines are offered by the glass, with roughly the same ratio of regional representation as on the bottle list.
The design: Jon de la Cruz—who also designed Best of Award of Excellence winner Che Fico in Menlo Park, Calif.—reimagined the Park Tavern space. (Acclaimed designer Ken Fulk, with whom de la Cruz previously worked, created the look of the original restaurant.) The once darkly clad dining room has been brightened with rift-sawn white oak beams, cream-colored walls and blue tones. Nicholas said 12,000 pounds of tile were laid along the floor, columns and kitchen walls, mixing a sunny pistachio green with cream and black hues.
Nicholas says the layout is more or less the same, with some subtle changes, like the addition of corner tables and a wider communal table near the bar. Another notable addition is the chef’s counter, where diners can watch the action in the kitchen. The restaurant seats 180, including 65 in a private dining room upstairs, which has a more formal atmosphere with dark green banquettes and velvet curtains.—Aaron Romano
Tía Carmen Opens at the Grand Hyatt Indian Wells in California
Who’s behind it: Restaurant developer Mark Stone and chef Angelo Sosa, partners and co-founders of Award of Excellence winner Kembara in Phoenix, have teamed up again to open Tía Carmen at the Grand Hyatt Indian Wells, just outside Palm Springs, Calif. This is the second Tía Carmen location; the first opened in 2022 in Phoenix. Joining the team as general manager, Piero Rodriguez has relocated from New York, where he was previously GM at Award of Excellence winner Greywind Restaurant.
Why you should know about it: Coachella Valley, which encompasses the desirable desert destination of Palm Springs, has long drawn visitors seeking sunshine. In recent years, its culinary scene has blossomed to include an array of fine-dining concepts. Sosa, a Top Chef runner-up who previously worked with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, is one of several notable chefs—including fellow Top Chef alum Richard Blais—to debut restaurants in the area.
The Grand Hyatt Indian Wells recently completed a significant renovation, part of its rebranding from its previous incarnation as a Hyatt Regency. Tía Carmen, located just inside the entrance to the hotel, offers both indoor and outdoor dining. Sosa is also the chef at the hotel’s other new eatery, Carmocha, which offers a more lounge-like setting for small plates.
When Tía Carmen opened: Mid-September
Culinary approach: Sosa’s menu draws inspiration from his beloved tía (“aunt” in Spanish) Carmen, while displaying reverence for the food and farmers of the Southwestern U.S. Braised chicken guisado with Castelvetrano olives and Chimayo chiles is among the highlights, as is ember-roasted purple yams with aged tepary bean mole negro. “The mole embodies our approach,” said Stone. “The foundation is a fairly traditional, Oaxaca-style mole, but with the addition of tepary beans, a heritage bean grown on the Pima reservation in Arizona.”
What’s on the wine list: Tía Carmen’s list was developed by Eduardo Dingler, vice president of online wine club–retailer Wine Access and a wine consultant at Kembara, with Wine Access vice president of wine Laura Koffer. The program includes 130 wine selections and is particularly deep in Napa Cabernet, including reds from wineries like Heitz, Caymus, Chappellet, Opus One and Scarecrow.
Rounding out the list are Champagnes, Italian wines, Burgundies and Burgundy-style wines. “In general, we tried to select a variety of wines that pair particularly well with the complexity of the cuisine,” explained Stone, noting that they also sought out several small-production Mexican wines.
The bar program encompasses an extensive collection of tequila and mezcal, plus cocktails highlighting Southwestern ingredients. Some of these drinks, like the aguachile margarita or the mole old fashioned, also tie into Sosa’s signature dishes.
The design: Los Angeles–based architecture studio Indidesign took inspiration from the surrounding Coachella Valley and created a space with a modern desert aesthetic, featuring muted earth tones and elegant, soft curves and arches. The lively indoor dining room seats up to 100, with an additional 55 seats outdoors.—A.R.
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