A night at Three Clubs and Osteria Mozza
By Myles George-Ghobrial and Levi Wagner
IN THE KITCHEN (from left) Myles George-Ghobrial, Riley Runnels, and Chef Juan Valdez.
Welcome back to another episode of Two Foods, where Levi and I take on two Los Angeles spots in one outing and live to tell the tale. This week we did something a little different—we had a guest, a friend of the show and a chef over at Mozza, Riley Runnels. He took the wheel for the evening, and we happily let him.
MOZZA’S Caesar with egg, leek, and anchovy crostini.
We kicked things off at The Three Clubs, 1123 Vine St. in Hollywood, that vintage cocktail lounge tucked near Hollywood & Vine that you may recognize from “Swingers” or “Mad Men.” It’s got that dim, red-lit, old-Hollywood feel that makes you sit up a little straighter. Riley introduced us to the head honcho over there, Marc Smith, one of the nicest and funniest guys you’ll ever meet, who proceeded to wine and dine us into fighting shape for dinner. Levi and I were nervous first timers, so we went with the vodka martini, dirty, and to our surprise it was fantastic. Marc then poured us each a shot of some kind—a kamikaze, he called it—and while I still couldn’t tell you what was in it, it was fantastic, too. Properly warmed up, we headed to dinner.
Riley rolled into Osteria Mozza with a case of Modelos for his buddies in the kitchen, and from that moment it was a free-for-all. Everyone wanted a piece of him. We got to meet the entire staff and had a chance to talk at length with Liz Hong, culinary director of the Mozza Restaurant Group (of Michelin-starred Osteria Mozza, Pizzeria Mozza, and Chi Spacca) and, might I add, a fellow Hancock Park local. A Le Cordon Bleu grad, Liz started out at Osteria Mozza’s iconic Mozzarella Bar, worked her way up to executive chef, and now oversees the whole group. She’s also advised on Nancy Silverton’s international openings and contributed to her cookbooks. She was the sweetest, and right as we settled in, the food started coming.
In Riley’s hands we were well taken care of; he ordered for us, and a few special dishes came out from the kitchen. We started with the mozzarella di bufala and anchovies alongside the summer panzanella, and the shaved brussels sprouts arrived compliments of the chef. The bufala is pillowy and cool against the salt-punch of the anchovy, the panzanella bright and summery, the sprouts crisp and charred. Our first round of martinis landed at the same time, and we were off. We got to talking with a lovely couple next to us. It was the wife’s birthday, and we shared a good laugh with them.
AGNOLOTTI with chicken and prosciutto filling.
Then the pasta. We had the agnolotti burro e salvia, my favorite of the night, little butter-and-sage pillows, delicate and rich all at once. It was followed by the crispy duck confit with sautéed Brentwood corn and pear mostarda, my close second (shatter-crisp skin, tender meat, that sweet-tart mostarda cutting through). We were stuffed beyond reason.
For dessert, despite both of us swearing we couldn’t eat another bite, Liz brought out brownies she’d made at home. It might have been the best brownie I’ve had in my entire life. We then got a walk-through of the kitchen and met the team, who could not have been nicer. I especially enjoyed meeting Chef Juan Valdez and hearing about his puppies, Penny Lane and George (future pets for the Larchmont Chronicle Pet Issue—so consider this his formal entry).
And then, against all sound judgment, we somehow ended the night back at The Three Clubs for a nightcap, reunited with Marc for one more kamikaze.
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