1 week Ago
Inside Cosetta, coming soon to Santa Monica. | Cosetta Zach Pollack will open Cosetta along Ocean Park Boulevard in Santa Monica in early April The era of the “no substitutions or modifications” menu might just be over, at least for one chef who has been in the industry for almost two decades. Zach Pollack, previously a chef at Sotto and more recently chef/owner of Alimento and Cosa Buona (which are both now closed), is nearing his next act with Cosetta, a California-inflected Italian restaurant coming to Santa Monica in early April.
A theme Pollack went over multiple times during a phone interview was that Cosetta would be the kind of restaurant where hospitality and comfort would reign. That means a versatile, flexible menu of wood-fired pizza, market-derived produce, and shareable plates meant to accommodate multiple dietary situations and even families with young children. The father of two came to this realization after years of cooking in more intractable situations when things like dish modifications were simply more difficult.
“A lot has changed for the industry over the past few years. I think I’ve changed,” says Pollack. “I love the actual alchemy of cooking, but most chefs get into this because they want to please people and make them happy.
” Not that Alimento or Cosa Buona were Gjelina-level strict with their menu policies, but Pollack’s previous restaurants faced less-than-ideal circumstances with their spaces and neighborhoods. Alimento packed tables in order to maximize its diner capacity, while at Cosa Buona, Pollack sometimes found himself at odds with the busy intersection right outside. Pollack says the sense of hospitality found on the menu and in service will be reflected in Cosetta’s physical space and design.
While Alimento and Cosa Buona were in Silver Lake and Echo Park, which offered bustling neighborhoods, customers would often struggle to find a place to park. In contrast, Cosetta will have a well-sized parking lot next to it and a dedicated pick-up area for take-out and delivery so that workers holding motorcycle helmets won’t be trudging through the dining room to get their orders. Pricing will lean more approachable and every day so locals can come more frequently.
“As chefs, we take our jobs so seriously that we lose sight of the fact that we’re here to take care of and nourish people,” says Pollack. “This is a return to aspect, from the food and drinks to the dining room, parking lot, and even take-out.” The patio of Cosetta in Santa Monica.
The Studio UNTLD-designed space takes Italian architectural motifs of arches and colonnades with warm, natural materials, textured stone walls, and olive tree-lined interior and outdoor patio. Only 50 seats will be available inside, while another 100 can be served on the patio, making Cosetta much more of a warmer-weather hangout (though, of course, the al fresco tables will have heaters).While Alimento veered more toward California Italian and Cosa Buona decidedly red sauce Italian, Cosetta’s food will feel like a meld of Pollack’s time living in Italy and growing in Southern California.
Even though pasta has been one of Pollack’s definitive menu items, the chef opted for a more comprehensive pizza program given the lack of space in the kitchen for both foods. “I love making pasta, probably more than pizza, but there’s something more buttoned up about pasta, and I want the vibe here to be more relaxed,” says Pollack. In addition to puffy-crusted round pies, expect shareable Westholme beef steaks, high-quality seafood preparations, and a dedicated Milanese section with seasonal fish, chicken, and eggplant.
The Milanese will be available gluten-free as well, so those with intolerances can still enjoy well-fried cutlets that are cooked in separate fryers. The chicken Milanese will vary from a traditional preparation with Thai fish sauce, chiles, sugar, basil, and checca-style cherry tomatoes.Brian Summers, whom Pollack met during the pre-Sotto Test Kitchen days, will consult on cocktails, while Daniel Chavez will serve as executive chef.
Heather Rioux will be the general manager. Cosetta comes to a generally less busy stretch of Ocean Park Boulevard that contains a mix of office workers and local residents, a reliable and faithful base of potential customers who will likely gravitate toward Pollack’s vision of an easy-going, Italian-inflected everyday restaurant.Cosetta will be located at 3150 Ocean Park Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA, 90405.
Outdoor patio area of Cosetta..
