While one of our sister sites has been obsessed of late with Mario Batali's new Del Posto in New York, LA has suffered the ignominy and humiliation of being Batali-less for too long. So it was with joy in our hearts that we read Batali and Nancy Silverton (La Brea Bakery, Campanile) had teamed up to open a restaurant in LA. And so we waited. And waited. We've waited more than a year since the original announcement. But its starting to look like we're almost there. The evidence:
This month, Food and Wine claims the restaurant will be called Osteria del Latte, located on Melrose and opening in May. And bonus! Its two restaurants in one: "a pizzeria with a wood-burning-oven and a casual osteria with a mozzarella bar."
The Chowhound regulars are more specific - the location is the southwest corner of Melrose and Highland, which has been several Italian restaurants in earlier incarnations. And rather than rent the space, the current gossip claims Batali and Silverton bought it and are in escrow, while they await approval for their multiple liquor licenses. In the neighborhood? Send us pictures - the construction, the posted codes, the licenses. We want it all. Welcome to BataliWatch 06. Allez Cuisine!