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Mozzarella Bar Obica Debuts Flagship NYC Restaurant In The Flatiron
By
Nell Casey
Published Jul 22, 2014
Modified Jul 22, 2014
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By
Nell Casey
Published Jul 22, 2014
Modified Jul 22, 2014
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Italian import Obica has celebrated its 10th year as the "world's first mozzarella bar" with a name tweak (from Obika) and the opening of its New York City flagship restaurant in the Flatiron District. The Roman native opens its second NYC location—there's a small cafe already in the IBM Building on Madison Avenue—this Thursday on Broadway with a 120 seat dining room for eating as much mozzarella cheese as possible in as many forms as possible. That includes straight up on a plate, topping salads, oozing onto pizzas and melting into soups. The cheese, which is Protected designation of origin (PDO), gets specially flown in from the Campania region in Italy twice a week and is produced using only milk from the country's prized water buffalo.
The restaurant offers four different kinds of mozzarella: Bufala Classica, Bufala Affumicata (smoked with hay), Burrata and Burrata al Tartufo (with black truffle). The cheese is delicious enough to be eaten unadulterated, of course, but it also comes fried (Mozzarella in Carrozza, $10) or as part of a Bruschette spread ($10) with anchovies or roasted peppers. The pizza employ the delicate cheese as well, in a classic Pomodoro Biologico e Mozzarella ($14) to the more complex Verdure Grigliate ($15) with grilled eggplant, zucchini and yellow peppers.
Though known for its mozz, the eatery also has a huge menu of non-cheese dishes, in case the dairy isn't your thing (monster). Among those, the Taglierini di Bottarga e Granchio ($24) intrigues; the taglierini dough gets mixed with Sardinian mullet roe then rossed with a crab ragu and topped with Santa Barbara sea urchin. Also of note, the simple Branzino (sea bass, $30) with white beans, vegetables and roasted cherry tomatoes, a dish any coastal Italian would recognize.
Those with difficulty deciding what to order can opt for The Obica Experience ($38 per person) and receive the Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, a selection of cured meats and grilled vegetables, the Caponata alla Siciliana (eggplant stew) and warm focaccina to start. Following that spread is the Pomodoro pizza followed by dessert.
928 Broadway, 212-777-2754; website
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obica
Obicà Mozzarella Bar Pizza e Cucina
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