That's Amore!

Marc Vetri's lo-fi Osteria lives up to expectations.


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Published: Apr 3, 2007

It's an odd sight: a line of Range Rovers and Lexii parked nightly outside Osteria on North Broad Street — in metered spots, no less. It's a testament to owner Marc Vetri's reputation for world-class Italian cookery that he can attract this many luxury cars (and their well-heeled drivers) to a restaurant without valet service. Apparently, all it takes is a little housemade cotechino and octopus pizza and they're more than willing to parallel park.

EVERYDAY ITALIAN: Marc Vetri makes even deep-fried mozzarella balls with roasted red pepper sauce look positively gourmet.

Photo By: Michael T. Regan

(CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

Osteria occupies the ground floor of a spiffy new loft apartment building at the corner of Broad and Wallace, and frankly, after eating there, I won't be surprised if some of Osteria's clientele are inspired to move in. The restaurant itself is bathed in an urbane, warm light, with gigantic windows, exposed brick and a shiny open kitchen with a ledge bar along which you can sit if you were not savvy enough to make a reservation ahead. (Otherwise, no dice.)

Unlike Vetri's small, eponymous restaurant, Osteria is not a special-occasion place. That's not to say you won't have your own special time here, though. It's just more affordable and marginally easier to get into. There is not one, but two — count 'em — sommeliers on hand to guide your wine choices. The list is fairly compact, consisting solely of Italian selections with only a handful available by the glass. There's also a nice list of grappas to wrap things up at evening's end.

Service is brisk and conscientious — at times too much so. There must be some kind of system in place, but it's a confusing one, with multiple servers jockeying to read you the specials, take your order, or bring you a can of olive oil and a basket of fresh bread and focaccia. I wouldn't complain except that the experience can ultimately feel rushed. Behind that overzealousness is also the subtle reminder that there are dozens of eager people in line waiting for your table. And a lot of them drive Range Rovers.

But that's way too long of a preface before even mentioning the food. Ahh, the food. Well, there's a smoky, feathery puree of salt cod, milk and butter, served with airy, crackerlike crisps, a sort of upmarket whitefish salad. Grilled tendrils of octopus are righteously tossed with tiny diced potatoes, fragrant olive oil and shreds of tangy preserved lemon. With those two appetizers alone, Osteria lives up to its hype.

Pork lovers rejoice — there's a wonderful fixation on all things piggy here. The porchetta — braised pork belly — is cured and cut thinly, its pink, velvety slices paired with shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano, celery and a creamy tuna sauce. It goes down easy — ridiculously easy. The aforementioned cotechino is an unparalleled specimen of sausage perfection made from the pig's head. Scented with nutmeg and cloves, its rich meatiness enlivens multiple dishes, including an appetizer of soft, creamy polenta, and the Lombardo pizza with its magically light brick-oven-singed crust. If that weren't enough, both of these dishes are topped with a sunny-side-up egg, the yolk running down in rivulets.

It's almost obscene.

Anyone who's been to Vetri can attest to the fact that the dude's pastas can make you cry tears of starchy joy. Here, they come in colorful pottery bowls that look small to the eye but turn out to be intensely fulfilling portions. What's not to love about a rosemary-infused wild boar Bolognese whose bits of meat cling to long, chunky strips of canela pasta? Meanwhile, the mezzi rigatoni is the most sophisticated version of mac and cheese you could dream up, with creamy swirls of melted gorgonzola and wilted blooms of radicchio adding a tinge of bitterness.

Nothing is so earthy and satisfying as the braised rabbit, that's served over a luxuriantly buttery polenta with crisp shards of fried sage in a terra cotta dish. Except maybe the beef short ribs, braised with more cotechino with cabbage and carrots, also served over polenta.

The only disappointment here would, by any other restaurant's standards, be categorized as a "good" dish. Still, the wood-baked manila clams lacked the flavorful punch of the typical Osteria creation, even with their standard dose of pork in the form of guanciale (jowl bacon) slivers.

Desserts: A warm pudding of sweet creamy, polenta is topped with a dollop of gianduja (chocolate hazelnut) cream and candied hazelnuts. Tangerine zuppa Inglese is a sort of citrus-flavored tiramisu, whipped cream and lady fingers layered with cocoa. Even the standard cannoli is given a sexy makeover — its mascarpone filling is studded with candied fruits and fennel and its dark shell is surrounded by a swirl of vanilla sauce with chunks of nougat.

After these satisfying meals, I didn't have the heart or stomach capacity to try the recurring dessert special, a hunk of pizza dough baked with Nutella. This is something I do regret, however, and I plan to rectify the situation as soon as possible. That is, if I can get a reservation.

(e_ludwig@citypaper.net)

OSTERIA, 640 N. Broad St.215-763-0920, www.osteriaphilly.comHours: Open daily, 5-11 p.m.Appetizers, $10-$16; pizzas, $15-$24; entrees, $24-$30.Credit cards accepted. Reservations recommended.