A Starr Is Born in Georgetown: Osteria Mozza Opens on M Street
By • November 13, 2024 0 793
“I am confident that what we create together will knock the socks off of D.C.,” restaurateur Stephen Starr told neighborhood leaders three years ago, referring to his collaboration with Michelin-star chef Nancy Silverton.
Main dining area of Osteria Mozza. Photo by Rey Lopez.
No hype here. Osteria Mozza, in the former Dean & DeLuca market space at 3276 M St. NW, is the East Coast counterpart of Silverton’s revered modern Italian restaurant in Los Angeles. It is a stellar addition, not only to the Starr Restaurant Group, but to the Georgetown dining firmament.
As one longtime real estate executive observed, the arrival of Osteria Mozza takes Georgetown to a whole new level.
Pollo alla Diavola su Crostone. Photo by Birch Thomas.
The 312-seat Osteria Mozza DC also comprises a cocktail bar, a mozzarella bar and an Italian market, spanning more than 20,000 square feet within the historic Georgetown Market building — next to the C&O Canal and a block from the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and M Street. The restaurant is currently open for dinner only.
“There’s magic in here, and it’s the magic I feel and the customers feel when they walk in,” Starr told WTOP News. “It’s not one thing. It’s the ceiling height. It’s the lighting. … You walk through, and you just feel like you’re somewhere else, somewhere special.”
Table set at at Osteria Mozza. Photo by Birch Thomas.
Shortly before the Nov. 10 opening, the new partners enthusiastically traded compliments.
“I think it’s one of the most stunning restaurants I have ever been in, and now I’m very nervous that the food is not going to be at the level of the design. So I have to go back in the kitchen,” joked Silverton.
Starr added online: “Beautiful design, even better pasta.” He loves Silverton’s stracchino-stuffed focaccia di Recco, too.
Along with its homemade pastas and mozzarella bar, Osteria Mozza serves roasted meat, fish and vegetable dishes and pizza. The produce market in the front also features Silverton-approved items such as pasta, olive oil and spices.
The cocktail bar at Osteria Mozza. Photo by Rey Lopez.
The renovations for the new venture are the work of New York-based design firm Roman and Williams. Costs ran up to $16 million and the Georgetown landmark shines anew.
Prior to the expansive brick market’s construction in 1865, the site was occupied by a butcher’s market, a debtor’s jail and two later market structures; enslaved persons were auctioned in the basement of the current building’s predecessor.
Southern Californian Silverton — who is the same age as The Georgetowner — won the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Chef Award in 2014. This former political science student found her life’s calling when she worked as a cook on campus. Going on to study cooking and baking in England and France, she was hired by Wolfgang Puck as Spago’s opening pastry chef.
Orecchiette with sausage and Swiss chard. Photo by Birch Thomas.
In 1998, at L.A.’s Campanile, Silverton got tagged “godmother of grilled cheese sandwiches.” Recognized for her role in popularizing sourdough and artisan breads, she calls her peanut butter cookie “The Cookie That Changed My Life.” Her Mozza brand ranges from L.A. and London to Singapore and, now, Washington, D.C.
Philadelphian Starr, who has made the City of Brotherly Love a dining destination, was an entertainer from an early age. He first opened music and comedy venues, such as Grandmom Minnie’s, Stars and Ripley’s Music Hall, as well as the Concert Company. Travel & Leisure wrote: “Starr creates complete environments with an artistic, almost cerebral approach.” He’s earned Restaurateur of the Year from both Bon Appétit and Zagat and Outstanding Restaurateur from the James Beard Foundation.
Starr’s company operates 40 eateries in the U.S. Besides this newest star in Washington, his D.C. spots include Le Diplomate, St. Anselm, Pastis, El Presidente and Bread Alley — with a reborn Occidental restaurant expected next year.
“To be honest, I’m here because Stephen Starr invited me to be here, so it’s not anything that I would’ve felt confident enough to do on my own,” Silverton told Hollywood on the Potomac at an opening reception for Osteria Mozza. “Certainly not something of this scale. But knowing Stephen and all of the support that I would get from him, it seemed like it was doable.”
Restaurateur Stephen Starr and chef Nancy Silverton of Osteria Mozza DC. Photo by Greg “Fritz” Blakey.
“I’m very proud to be here, and the reason why I am here tonight is because I saw this building around four years ago, five years ago, and I just was blown away by the space and the energy that I felt when I walked into this room,” Starr told partygoers at the Nov. 1 preview.
“I didn’t know what to do with it. But as I thought about it and talked to Joe Bastianich, who is a friend, he said, ‘You know what, this should be Nancy Silverton’s.’ We met with Nancy. So we got the whole corner here in Georgetown.” He added: “And one other thing, without making a declaration, here’s to Tuesday night.”
Whatever your takeaway on the election, Georgetown now has a new place of rest, beauty and luscious food, beautifully prepared and served. A star is born indeed.
