by Richard Foss
On my first trip to Italy, I was befuddled by all the different words for eateries. Ristorante, pizzeria, and rosticceria all looked pretty obvious, but what was an osteria? I asked a fellow tourist if they knew, and after a second of hesitation, he responded, “Oh, must be a place where they serve oysters.”
Armed with that information, I resolved to avoid osterias because I had not developed a taste for the noble bivalve. It was some time before I discovered his guess was wrong – the name actually means “place of hospitality” or inn. That means that they serve wine and simple, hearty food. (It’s sometimes spelled “hostaria,” which makes the connection more obvious to a native English speaker.)
The term osteria is becoming more common in the U.S., which doesn’t necessarily mean it’s well understood. The owners of a new eatery in Redondo decided to make it easy for anyone who was confused by naming the business LoZio Osteria, Pizzeria, and Bar. Unsurprisingly, most people just call it LoZio, which means “the uncle” in Italian.
Chef Marco Aromatario is from Naples and opened the place with his nephew – he’s the uncle in the restaurant’s name. While the flavors are true to his upbringing, Americanisms like fried mozzarella sticks and buffalo wings are also on the menu. I didn’t try either, but I can vouch for the garlicky, strongly herbal bruschetta as a starter. The Caesar salad had a robust flavor with just the right hint of anchovy tang, and though the dressing was lightly applied it was in proper proportion so you could taste the greens.
The cocktail menu and bar selection are something of a surprise, because they’re heavy on mezcal, bourbon, and rum and light on Italian amaros. The list doesn’t include Italy’s gift to the mixed drink world, the negroni. The only house special drink that does contain an amaro, the green velvet, is made with gin and amaro like a negroni, but with lemon, basil, and sugar. It’s a nice drink, and my favorite of the ones I’ve tried. The testa rossa, a mix of bourbon, hibiscus tea, lemon, and agave, was recommended by our server. It’s a refreshing summer sipper, though a little sweet for my palate. The wine list is mostly Italian or by Italian winemakers in California. There are some jewels on the by-the-glass list. The selection is not huge, but if you like Italian wines, you’ll find something to enjoy.
Among the mains, we tried bucatini cacio e pepe, spaghetti carbonara, chicken parmesan, and a mortazza pizza. Cacio e pepe is one of the simplest Italian recipes — just pasta, good romano cheese, and black pepper, but it can be challenging to get right. Italians make a creamy sauce using just the cheese and the water from making the pasta, but many places cheat and add a little butter or olive oil. They make it traditionally here, with a topping of a crispy parmesan chip as the only flourish, and they aced it. The carbonara was very good too, though it was made with pancetta rather than guanciale, the richer cured pork cheek. Guanciale is a more difficult ingredient to source and is much more expensive, so this is a common substitution. As intended, it added the salty, meaty tang to the creamy, rich sauce over the housemade noodles.
The mortazza pizza is an item that is less familiar to American diners. It’s not made the way you might expect. It’s made with mortadella, a cured sausage that can contain beef and other meats, though they use an all-pork version here. The sausage is not cooked in the oven with the sauced crust, but placed on top after it comes out. The contrast of the soft, cool meat and the crust with creamy garlic and ricotta sauce is the point, and the texture and flavor are enhanced by a final sprinkle of orange zest and chopped pistachios. Some chefs add a squeeze of lemon to finish it, but I didn’t taste any here. Nothing more was needed, because I kept tasting new flavor combinations down to the last bite.
The chicken parmesan showed off their slightly salty, strongly herbal marinara to its best advantage, and they get points for using the sauce and cheese in moderation, rather than drowning the breaded and fried chicken breast in other flavors. A sprinkling of fresh basil gave an aromatic touch that we scented before it even hit the table, and was much appreciated. This came with a small salad and french fries rather than pasta, which is how this is served in Italy. Though Parma is the home of Italy’s largest pasta manufacturer, it’s generally regarded as a starter there, and potatoes are more likely to be served as an accompaniment. These fries arrived hot and crisp, and rounded out a very full entrée.
Several desserts were offered, and we chose tiramisu and cannoli. The tiramisu here has enough bitter chocolate and espresso to balance the creamy sweetness of the sweet cheese, and we could taste a little of the sweet wine that soaked the cake. The cannoli was unusual in having the sweet ricotta topped with chocolate chips at one end, chopped pistachios on the other, a nice touch.
A meal at LoZio is modestly priced given the location near the pier – nothing on the menu is over $30, and portions are generous. The environment inside is pleasant and buzzy, but not excessively loud. The patio in the back offers a quieter place for al fresco dining. The Beach Cities have plenty of Italian restaurants, but there’s always room for one more that showcases the simple pleasures of rustic cuisine.
LoZio is at 320 S. Catalina Avenue in Redondo. Open noon – 10 p.m. Mon to Fri. 11 am to 10 pm Sat.m Sun. Parking in rear or on street. Wheelchair access good. Some vegetarian items. Full bar. (310) 921-8286. LozioPizzeria.net. ER
Their pizza dough is fantastic.