We've heard of meat crimes before, but it was usually crackheads stealing pork chops from an East Baltimore neighborhood grocery store. In L.A., meat crimes are apparently de rigueur for receding-hairline, khaki-wearing yuppies. One guy's taste buds just couldn't wait for the Nov. 14 opening of Batalitonianisch's Pizzeria Mozza so he crawled in a window and stole $700 of Armandino Batali's cured meats, plus a 13-pound of imported Italian mortadella sausage [insert any "Is that a mortadella in your pocket or..." joke here].
Silverton says that when she told the elder Batali about the theft, he laughed. "He thought it was hilarious," she says. "In fact, it seemed like maybe he was even a little honored."
All flattery aside, Silverton says the theft won't inhibit the opening. Keep your eyes peeled for someone pushing Italian cold cut subs on the corner.
· Mozza's salumi is a hit--with theif [LA Times]
