The Big Mozz crew is clearly not slowing down anytime soon. Ever since this cheese-obsessed "catering and events" company made its debut with a one-item menu at Smorgasburg in the spring of 2015, founder Matt Gallira, who was soon joined by chef Jimmy Warren, has continued to expand and take risks, so far without losing focus on the quality of the food, highlighted by their peerless, consistently perfect deep-fried Mozz Sticks.
Big Mozz is still at Smorgasburg, but now they're also at Yankee Stadium, Citi Field, Madison Square Garden, seemingly every summer music festival, and last year Gallira and crew managed the entire concessions operation at BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! in Prospect Park. "We've become pretty good at serving great food to tons of people in a hurry," said Gallira. But at Big Mozz's only brick and mortar outlet, which opened about a year ago in Chelsea Market, Gallira and Warren are trying to slow things down, experimenting with Mozzarella Making Classes (which quickly proved to be extremely popular), and, starting on February 11th, a bi-monthly series of Chef Tasting Dinners.
In the coming months the Big Mozz Tasting Dinners will feature guest chefs and various collaborations, but for the inaugural event Aanna So, who runs the Chelsea Market kitchen on a daily basis, is in charge. So used to work at Hanjan and Danji, and there are definitely some Korean flavors at play here—and, of course, a lot of cheese, usually from their primary supplier, Caputo Brother's Creamery in Lancaster, PA—but the eight-course menu is mostly about crowd-pleasers, sometimes with a twist or two.
At a complimentary preview of the dinner series this week I got to eat the whole menu, and my favorite dish was probably the straightforward but hugely satisfying Burrata and Butternut Squash salad, peppered with pumpkin seeds. I mean, a big ball of made-to-order burrata is going to make most things delicious—creamy stracciatella encased in mozzarella? Yes please, forever—but So and the crew nailed the balance among ingredients, showing a deft hand especially with the balsamic.
Also very good was the "K-Town Cabernet," So's entry into the increasingly popular "fun new uses for rice cakes" genre, led by Jenny Kwak's Rice Cake Fundido at Haenyeo, and Jae Lee's Chopped Cheese Rice Cakes at Nowon. At Big Mozz, So drenches her rice cakes in gojuchang and a basic Italian-style red sauce, throws in some corn for sweetness, then tops the pile with Korean sausages, fancifully cut to look like cartoon octopuses.
Other dishes include a pair of raw fish and cheese concoctions, one involving hamachi and pecorino, the other salmon and mozzarella, and both of which worked beautifully. There are Mushroom Ricotta Tortellini, a chicory and castelfranco salad, Squid and Rosemary Potato in a creamy "soigné sauce," a palate cleanser centered on Korean pear rosé sorbet, and, to end things off, a fruit and cheese plate.
Most people at the dinner I attended opted for the six-glass wine pairing, and it seemed as if this was served with a generous pour, as the scene had tipped toward the loud and raucous as I departed. It's definitely not one of those hushed, fussy sort of tasting menu meals. The setting, sixteen or so backless stools before an open kitchen, isn't really conducive to anything but a loose affair anyway. And, in addition to really knowing cheese, the Big Mozz crew loves to a throw party.
The first Big Mozz Chef Tasting Dinner is on Tuesday, February 11th, with more to come throughout the year. The price of the initial dinner is $65 person, and an additional $30 for the wine pairing. Big Mozz is located within the Chelsea Market, at 75 9th Avenue, and by all means use the separate entrance right on 15th Street to avoid the crowds in the main corridor within.
