Mosca's

4137 HIghway 90 W., Avondale, LA - (504) 436-9942

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Posted By Michael Stern on 11/24/2008 1:34:00 PM

Mosca's reopened less than a year after Hurricane Katrina; and aside from a fresh paint job inside, you'd never know the weather had been bad the fall before. All the great things about the place are just as they have been since 1946, most importantly, oysters Mosca – a festival of garlic, olive oil, Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs all cosseting little nuggets of sweet oyster meat.

The parking lot is a gravel wreck; the outside is dark and nefarious; in fact, on a recent trip to New Orleans, Stephen Rushmore and I were told that Mosca's for many years was the hang-out of the region's chief Mafioso. If it's your first time, I guarantee you will think you are lost when you make the drive. And even when you find it, you will wonder: can this two-room joint with the blaring juke box and semi-secret kitchen dining area really be the most famous Italian roadhouse in America? Inside, conviviality reigns; I saw only friendly sorts of folks eating; no one looked like a cast member of The Godfather or The Sopranos.

Aside from the setting and location, the primary thing you'll notice upon arriving at Mosca's is the aroma. Garlic reigns. There are whole cloves of it in the painfully tender chicken a la Grande, which is a cluster of wine-sautéed pieces that arrive in a pool of rosemary-perfumed gravy. Thank God for spaghetti bordelaise, which is little more than a heap of thin noodles bathed in oil and butter and garlic. It is an ideal medium for rolling up on a fork and pushing around in extra chicken gravy or last of the oysters Mosca breadcrumbs to sop up their goodness.

Go with friends: the bigger the group, the more different dishes you can sample; and you do need also to taste Mosca's crabmeat salad, Italian sausage, chicken cacciatore, and Louisiana shrimp. Everything is served family style.

Scorecard

Overall: Legendary - Worth driving from anyplace

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"Chicken al la Grande is crusty, juicy, herby, garlicky chicken. Don't let any of the garlic cloves, or juices pooled in the bottom of the pan, go back to the kitchen!"
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"Here is one of the reasons the menu warns that all food takes fifty minutes to prepare. Chicken a la grande is super-slow sauteed, so each piece turns ridiculously tender and sops in maximum amounts of rosemary-seasoned wine and garlic juices. This is half an order."
Michael Stern

"The signature dish at Mosca's is an ultra-rich casserole of oysters baked with Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs. The contrast of chewy edge, viscous oysters, and svelte crumbs is textural magic. The flavor and aroma are dizzying."
Michael Stern

"There's nothing simpler than spaghetti bordelaise -- thin noodles bathed in oil and butter -- and nothing more essential for mopping up juices from chicken a la grande, oysters mosca, shrimp mosca, or Italian sausage."
Michael Stern

"Despite its remote location and ominous appearance, Mosca's is a destination dining room for locals and travelers alike. It can get tremendously crowded on weekend nights, when the wait for a table can be an hour. Be sure to call ahead if you are planning to come: hours of operation can be erratic."
Michael Stern

"Mosca's signature dish is a pan of whole oysters baked with seasoned breadcrumbs. If you place one order you may find yourself resenting the presence of your dining companions."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"Spaghetti with Bordelaise is simply pasta, oil, butter, and garlic. For garlic lovers only."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"Pineapple Fluff. Everyone orders this once. Does anyone order it twice?"
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle