Woe is me! What worse fate could befall a rabid food lover than diverticulosis? Two weeks of clear soups and Pedialyte with an eventual side trip to applesauce and toast. Torture!

So, rather than subject you to a gourmet comparison of bone broths on the market, I’m digging into memories of a past meal that deserves attention: last year’s birthday.

Having been a Nancy Silverton fan since the olden days of La Brea Bakery, I gleefully followed her to Pizzeria Mozza and Chi Spacca when she moved to Highland and Melrose. But, somehow, I had never crossed Osteria Mozza’s threshold. A celebration dinner was the ideal way to experience it.

For parties of eight, you’re required to dine from a prix fixe, four-course, family-style menu. The glorious platters that graced our table kept topping each other. To start: Parma ham and burrata, buffalo mozzarella with assorted relishes and tapenades, tender grilled octopus steeped in a lemon, oil, green onion dressing accompanied by potato and celery and the hands-down most flavorful shaved Brussels sprouts ever, adorned with Pecorino, mint and almonds. But wait, there’s more….

For the second course: two exquisite raviolis, one in sage and browned butter, sumptuous oxtail ragu tagliatelle and an earthy sausage and chard orrichette. I hope you still have room

The third round introduced us to beef tagliata , the standard, simple Italian grilled flank steak (or similar cut) served charred rare, sliced and served on a bed of arugula, Parmesan  and a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Not fancy, but done right and with great meat, a stand out. The whole grilled Branzino with Calabrian chiles, grilled lemon, fennel and celery was no slouch either, and the accompanying roasted baby carrots (in carrot leaf pesto no less) and garlicky broccoli added more piquancy to the mix.

The finishing touches were a traditional Tuscan grandmother’s tart filled with pine nut-covered custard, espresso semifreddo (a kind of ice cream-mousse hybrid) with marshmallow, almond biscotti and spiced chocolate sauce and a delightful selection of gelati.

Clearly, just listing the dishes would be enough to make you dial the restaurant for a reservation. In my current state, its memory is the next best thing to actually eating!

P.S. be on the lookout for a new Silverton restaurant coming to Larchmont, partnered by “Somebody Feed “Phil Rosenthal!