29:
251:, Mosca's implemented a "takeout only" format, which inspired customers to find new ways to support the restaurant. One real estate guru was known to order Oysters Mosca "by the carload"; another couple arrived in an RV and proceeded to eat their takeout meal in the gravel parking lot, "a home-style meal in their own mobile home away from home." Eventually, Mosca's resumed normal dining room service.
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comment that the restaurant seems unchanged since its reopening. They ask the rhetorical question, "can this two-room joint with the blaring jukebox really be the most famous Creole roadhouse in
America?"; then they describe the experience as a "culinary epiphany", and say that "roadside food gets
274:
described the restaurant as "a white shack on the left in almost total isolation" and rated it as one of New
Orleans' "Best of the Best", calling it "a joyous place with no airs whatsoever, bubbling over with the noise of serious eating on a massive scale" and a "New Orleans institution". They
232:
but reopened in 2006, repaired and with a larger, air-conditioned kitchen, but otherwise mostly unchanged. Johnny mostly retired after the hurricane, but Johnny's wife Mary Jo
Angelotti, who took over as chef after Mary retired, continues to operate the restaurant with other family members,
326:, also remarks on its seemingly unchanged nature since 1946. He recounts that the Mosca family had once considered moving the restaurant to a more convenient location, but the idea had met substantial resistance from their mostly local customer base.
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Spaghetti bordelaise, described by the
Collins as "perfect homemade pasta and a remarkable, perfectly balanced oil and garlic sauce", and which Roahen calls "as much butter, oil, and garlic as your body can process without suffering a systematic
185:. Operated by the same family since it opened in 1946, it has long been regarded as one of New Orleans' best restaurants, known for dishes such as Oysters Mosca, crab salad, Chicken a la Grande, and pineapple fluff.
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Reviews of the restaurant often note that almost every party orders more or less the same items from Mosca's relatively short menu, served family-style in very large portions. These popular dishes include:
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217:, who became a regular customer of the restaurant. Marcello's son still owns the restaurant building. (It is also sometimes reported that Provino Mosca had been a chef for
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302:, Sara Roahen says, "Mosca's is just the sort of family-run restaurant that New Orleanians tend to covet: it's creaky, set in its ways, and no picnic to find."
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621:"Remaking MOSCA's: The West Bank culinary landmark took a hit from Katrina but aims to reopen with its roadhouse patina and mouth-watering menu intact"
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and Mary, and Mary's husband
Vincent took over the restaurant. "Mama Mosca" died in 1979 and Vincent died in 2004. The restaurant was damaged in
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334:
Oysters Mosca (also called
Oysters Italian Style), which the Sterns call "a festival of garlic, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs").
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before they moved to New
Orleans in 1946, after their daughter, Mary, married a Louisiana oysterman, Vincent Marconi. They opened Mosca's in
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Roadfood: The Coast-to-Coast Guide to 700 of the Best
Barbecue Joints, Lobster Shacks, Ice Cream Parlors, Highway Diners, and Much, Much More
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Pineapple fluff for dessert, which the
Collins called "a bit of delicious New Orleans kitsch."
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region, rich in seafood." (According to the restaurant's website, Provino Mosca came from
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bridge, and its ramshackle exterior, as well as for its distinctive
Italian Creole food.
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Provino died in 1962. Lisa (by then known as "Mama Mosca"), two of their children,
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Shrimp Mosca (also called Shrimp Italian Style), summarized by local food critic
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731:"At Mosca's, a false alarm, a timely reminder of what matters, a lot of garlic"
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Mosca's is known for its out-of-the-way location, a seventeen-mile drive on
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Provino Mosca, an Italian immigrant, and his wife Lisa, had a restaurant in
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756:"Richard H. Collin, 'the New Orleans underground gourmet,' dies at age 78"
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described the food's heritage as deriving from "the middle of Italy, the
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including Johnny (until his death in 2011) and Mary Jo's daughter Lisa.
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as "enormous, whole, unpeeled, with olive oil and tons of garlic".
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661:"John Mosca dies at 86; ran popular restaurant near New Orleans"
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521:"NOCCA's Lemongrass Shrimp and Mosca's Pineapple Fluff recipes"
775:"One Book One New Orleans chooses Sara Roahen's 'Gumbo Tales'"
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at Mosca's official website (accessed November 19, 2010).
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Buildings and structures in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
713:
James Beard Foundation America’s Classics Award Winners
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Writing in the 1970s, pioneer New Orleans food writers
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Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table
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no better, or more garlicky, or heartier, than this."
320:, in a November 2010 article about the restaurant in
471:(New Orleans: Strether & Swan, 1976), pp. 38-40.
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916:Tourist attractions in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
374:, and, of course, ten cloves (or is it heads?) of
344:Marinated crab, served as a salad or in the shell.
901:Louisiana Creole restaurants in the United States
221:in Chicago, but the family says this is untrue.)
719:official website (accessed November 19, 2010).
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643:"The Aroma of Garlic Is Back on the Bayou"
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936:Italian restaurants in the United States
680:"Restaurant owner John Mosca dies at 86"
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701:"A Short History of Mosca's Restaurant"
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350:a la Grande, a simple dish cooked in a
850:The New Orleans Menu Restaurant Report
432:
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16:Restaurant in Louisiana, United States
896:Italian-American culture in Louisiana
396:List of Louisiana Creole restaurants
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594:(W. W. Norton & Company, 2009),
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309:written after Hurricane Katrina,
926:1946 establishments in Louisiana
469:The New Orleans Restaurant Guide
354:with (in Trillin's words) "only
27:
921:Restaurants established in 1946
510:, November 22, 2010, pp. 60-65.
298:In her New Orleans food memoir
247:During the early stages of the
876:"Mosca's: Cucina on the Bayou"
552:Tom Downs & John T. Edge,
1:
852:(accessed November 19, 2010).
717:James Beard Foundation Awards
416:"What's Doing in New Orleans"
79:
729:McNulty, Ian (3 May 2021).
952:
931:America's Classics winners
874:Marti Buckley Kilpatrick,
295:region of central Italy.)
554:Lonely Planet New Orleans
535:"Hot Food in New Orleans"
465:Richard & Rima Collin
209:, in a building owned by
195:Chicago Heights, Illinois
76:4137 U.S. Highway 90 West
38:
26:
906:Restaurants in Louisiana
287:, a coastal city on the
285:San Benedetto del Tronto
265:Crescent City Connection
211:New Orleans crime family
272:Richard and Rima Collin
201:, a remote area on the
796:Jane and Michael Stern
414:Frances Frank Marcus,
311:Jane and Michael Stern
242:James Beard Foundation
424:, December 11, 1983.
255:Location and cuisine
236:Mosca's received an
764:, January 22, 2010.
502:"No Daily Specials"
179:Waggaman, Louisiana
140:29.9112°N 90.2292°W
136: /
880:Edible New Orleans
844:2010-12-07 at the
651:, August 23, 2006.
533:Anya von Bremzen,
446:, August 19, 2001.
238:America's Classics
816:Excerpt available
812:978-0-7679-2829-8
666:Los Angeles Times
629:, March 15, 2006.
604:Excerpt available
600:978-0-393-33537-8
566:978-1-74059-193-5
543:, September 1999.
305:In an edition of
249:COVID-19 pandemic
230:Hurricane Katrina
207:Mississippi River
165:
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145:29.9112; -90.2292
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868:Official website
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688:, July 15, 2011.
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639:Pableaux Johnson
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619:Brett Anderson,
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570:Except available
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438:"My Blue Heaven"
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172:Louisiana Creole
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523:. 4 March 2013.
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261:U.S. Highway 90
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240:award from the
215:Carlos Marcello
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101:Postal/ZIP Code
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33:Mosca's in 2009
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882:, Summer 2010.
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860:External links
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835:Tom Fitzmorris
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780:Times-Picayune
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761:Times-Picayune
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685:Times-Picayune
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339:Tom Fitzmorris
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323:The New Yorker
318:Calvin Trillin
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177:restaurant in
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160:Official Site
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804:Random House
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738:. Retrieved
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289:Adriatic Sea
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678:John Pope,
300:Gumbo Tales
183:New Orleans
143: /
118:Coordinates
51:Established
46:information
890:Categories
814:, p. 261.
568:, p. 164.
402:References
372:white wine
131:90°13′45″W
128:29°54′40″N
44:Restaurant
839:"Mosca's"
806:, 2008),
560:, 2003),
382:failure."
263:from the
244:in 1999.
219:Al Capone
203:West Bank
95:Louisiana
59:Food type
842:Archived
735:Nola.com
390:See also
364:rosemary
307:Roadfood
199:Waggaman
85:Waggaman
368:oregano
352:skillet
348:Chicken
291:in the
277:Romagna
205:of the
189:History
181:, near
175:Italian
168:Mosca's
156:Website
109:Country
68:cuisine
66:Italian
22:Mosca's
810:
598:
564:
376:garlic
360:pepper
293:Marche
226:Johnny
740:6 May
281:Lazio
213:boss
170:is a
104:70094
91:State
808:ISBN
742:2021
596:ISBN
562:ISBN
358:and
356:salt
81:City
54:1946
848:at
818:at
715:at
606:at
572:at
892::
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467:,
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440:,
429:^
418:,
378:".
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362:,
822:.
802:(
744:.
610:.
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556:(
279:-
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