There's just something about Georgetown that keeps drawing decorated restaurateurs to the historic neighborhood. The latest to follow this trend is Stephen Starr, the restaurateur behind Le Diplomate and St. Anselm, who is teaming with famous Los Angeles chef Nancy Silverton to open the only East Coast outpost of her Michelin-starred Italian eatery Osteria Mozza this fall. Osteria Mozza DC, the 20,000 square foot space on M. St. NW, will also feature a market filled with imported Italian cheeses, fruits and vegetables, oils and more—and it's a D.C. exclusive, because it's the only Osteria Mozza market in the country.
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James Beard award-winner Silverton is considered a pioneer in the West Coast culinary scene and is known for bread baking, and combining seasonal California ingredients with mastery of Italian dishes. She runs sceney LA restaurants Pizzeria Mozza, Chi Spacca and Osteria Mozza, which holds one Michelin star, and has written ten books and appeared on many culinary TV shows.
Mozza DC will include the restaurant, private dining areas and a marble-topped Mozarella Bar. The market, which will feature products handpicked by Silverton herself, will sell all sorts of provisions to support rustic Italian cooking, like tinned and jarred imported goods, spices, and more.
The restaurant's menu will include plenty of the dishes that made Silverton famous in the food world, like her oxtail ragu with tagliatelle pasta and Focaccia di Recco, which involves a creamy cow's milk cheese baked between thin bread layers, and a deconstructed caesar salad. To drink, there's a list of Italian wines and curated champagnes. It'll serve brunch, lunch and dinner.
The complex at 3276 M. St. NW moves into the space last occupied by gourmet grocery chain Dean & Deluca, which closed in 2019. The space itself is part of Georgetown Park, a development that houses other stores inside the structure of a market that dates back to 1865. In addition to Le Diplomate and St. Anselm, Starr Restaurant group also operates DC spots Bread Alley, Pastis and El Presidente.