Julian Serrano, Las Vegas NV

…with a great meal at Sage the night before I’d had a chance to scope out the menu at Julian Serrano, the concept looked to be eclectic tapas with “something for everyone” and as such a great fit for our first group meal of the trip. Largely identifiable as the man who reinvented Vegas fine dining back in 1998 with Picasso at Bellagio, Serrano’s new eponymous restaurant seemed to be the first foray into Tapas for Vegas – odd considering America’s recent fascination with small plates in other major cities.

Stylish and sleek, the restaurant was clearly Spanish in design with bold colors, hanging bubbles, a Hitchcockian entryway, and a 40+ person bar. A Spanish native with two Beard Awards and a resume stretching from Paris to Zurich to San Francisco, Julian Serrano restaurant would serve a proving ground for Serrano’s (and Chef de Cuisine Jose Picazzo – a Andres protégé) take on modern Spanish food – something not really shown off with Picasso’s contemporary French menu.

Arriving early for our 12:30 reservation we were quickly sat at a four person hightop attached to the bar. Greeted by our server, Adrian S, a man who would be a source of much annoyance during the meal we declined Sangria and requested water – water that would be filled and remain filled by the ancillary staff quite adequately. What followed was a nearly 20 minute wait to order as Adrian simply seemed to disappear despite the fact that the restaurant’s ~150 seats were only 1/3 full. On his return Adrian took orders adequately, but seemed largely disinterested.

Sitting and chatting as the ladies had just landed 60 minutes prior to arriving at the restaurant there was a surprisingly long wait before the start of the meal – at least 20 minutes which seemed odd for a tapas place. When the food did begin to arrive, however, we figured out why there was a delay – instead of batching our dozen dishes into waves, they were about to be served all at once. With plate after plate after plate arriving and filling the table I asked Adrian why this was happening and suggested slowing things down to which he responded “this is a tapas restaurant, sir, it is how things are served.” Having already assured himself a lousy tip by this point I explained to him that although I’ve never been to Spain I have been to a multitude of Andres and Garces spots, plus other “tapas” style restaurants and have never seen anything like this. Without apology I watched him amble off to the kitchen where he actually stopped two servers carrying plates (they would have been numbers 8 and 9 on the table at once) and after this service did improve, mildly.

Without belaboring service issues any longer, the menu at Julian Serrano featured hits and misses like any other menu, but unfortunately none of the hits were “wowing” while two of the misses were far off target. Beginning first with the Pan Machego - toasted bread fresh garlic tomato sauce one-year-old manchego cheese, it was perhaps one of the best dishes of the afternoon – the tomato sauce tangy and fresh, the cheese pungent and strong, the bread hot and crisp.

Dish two, Traditional spanish chicken croquetas chicken béchamel would be another solid dish, much like the versions at The Bazaar and Jaleo the chicken was soft and supple, the béchamel creamy and mild. Classic and simple the kitchen executed this dish well, but arriving with all the other plates I did not get a chance to sample until they were already luke-warm, which was a bummer.

A third classic, Stuffed dates almond applewood bacon wrap spicy piquillo pepper would prove to be one of my favorite dishes of the meal. Sweet and smoky the dates themselves were top notch. Stuffed with an almond that I can only assume had been precooked in pork fat and wrapped in a thick slice of savory bacon before flash frying the flavors all worked as expected. Served with a side of intensely hot pepper sauce most of us stuck to the dates solo while my sister enjoyed the heat.

Having already noted her fancy for spice, Stuffed piquillo peppers goat cheese mushrooms would be another choice of my sister’s. While she enjoyed the dish, I personally found the peppers to be quite muted and the cheese overwhelming. Had I not done a double take, I’d have never guessed mushrooms were included in the filling, either. I will note, like the croquetas, this dish was already becoming chilly by the time I had a chance to taste.

Amongst the others arriving early to the party, Salmon with truffle truffle béchamel portabello mushroom did not work for me at all. Not generally a fan of salmon I will say the fish itself was quite good, albeit overcooked and a little dry. Where the dish failed, unfortunately was in pairing such a thick and heavy sauce with an already meaty and flavorful fish. While I understand that in order to convey the mushroom/truffle essence on salmon it would have to be potent, I personally would have just opted for a less dense fish – instead this just ended up tasting like a slightly fishy cream of mushroom soup.

Plate six was Mediterranean stew in deconstruction prawns bronzinni sofrito, the first of the more “modern” tapas. Familiar with European seabass I think the cut we received was a bit close to the tail and the fish’s generally sweet taste was much brinier than expected. With the prawn slightly overcooked and rubbery the seafood on the plate was fortunately brought up a notch by puréed sweet potato and “sofrito” of garlic, olive oil, tomato, and onion. Taking bites of everything mixed did indeed harken to a seafood stew, but not an exceptional one in any way.

The final plate in the first (self limited) wave was the best “modern” tapas of the meal - tuna-raspberry skewer ahi tuna “molecular” raspberry wasabi sesame seed. At $14 the portion/price ratio was poor, but the flavors and quality more than made up for it. With the “molecular” aspect a similar texture to a gelee, the sweetness of the raspberry was nicely tempered by the heat of the wasabi while the pan seared tuna coated in sesame seeds lent heft and crunch to the dish. At the same time visually appealing, texturally intriguing, and tasty this was the sort of dish I had expected when walking into Julian Serrano, though I’d have personally preferred sashimi style from the fish.

Clearly able to detect my annoyance, Adrian stopped by frequently after my complaint to see how things were going – he also asked whether we were ready for more food once we'd finished a few plates. Agreeable the second wave would feature all five dishes arriving at once…a much more manageable number for 4 people and limited table space. The first dish, Octopus cachelo potatoes spanish paprika would be a straightforward preparation similar to what I experienced at Amada earlier this year, but superior is size, preparation, and taste. Flawless in texture I’d not be surprised if the Octopus had received Sous Vide treatment prior to a pan finish, but aside from the excessive olive oil (undoubtedly at least 1/4 cup returned to the kitchen) everything of the dish was textbook…and really, the wasted oil is on the kitchen…had they given me bread I’d have soaked it all up as it was very high quality.

The second dish, Wild mushroom soup shiitake crimini oyster foie gras cream would prove to be another excellent classic dish spruced up with modern technique. Similar to my favorite mushroom soup of all time (Canoe’s creamless Mushroom soup) but topped off with foam featuring the unctuous sapor of foie gras. Taken on its own the soup itself was hearty, earthy, and minimally sweet – the cream simply added a whole extra layer of flavor. This, along with the subsequent dish would prove my favorite of the meal.

Overlooked by myself but ordered by my mother, Creamy risotto wild mushroom manchego cheese natural jus was the steal of the menu at a mere $10. With a base of flawless rice cooked in mushroom broth the dish found heft in the addition of creamy mushroom broth (quite similar in flavor to that on the salmon) while slices of fibrous mushroom added textural variety. Topped with a slice of slowly melting year-old manchego that added its characteristic aged salinity the entirety of the dish was flawless – I was especially thankful to receive this in the second wave of dishes as I imagine it would not have been as successful in the cooled state.

Where the tuna skewers succeeded, Lobster-pineapple skewer lobster tail “molecular” pineapple sesame oil failed. Whether it was the small portions of overcooked lobster or the over sweetened and disconcertingly fibrous pineapple gelee I cannot be certain, but the dish was simply unbalanced and any nuance that may have been intended was lost in the sweetness. As the final fish dish of the night I’ll simply say that aside from the octopus the kitchen at Serrano really needs to pay attention to the textures coming out of the kitchen as nearly every fish was overcooked.

The final plate would present from the “Platos Grandes” section - Chicken breast pollo sous vide finished a la plancha sautéed potatoes spanish pork chorizo. An ample half chicken perfectly succulent on the inside and crispy on the exterior the bird had clearly been brined in rosemary, parsley, and garlic. Sitting atop a pile of peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, and spicy chorizo and alongside a “mashed potato” clearly made using an ISI whipper the dish was a fine chicken presentation, but aside from the potatoes nothing revolutionary, just very well done.

Having already waltzed by Jean Phillipe earlier we originally considered forgoing dessert and heading to the Patisserie, but a look at the menu obligated a round of desserts largely because my sister was so intrigued by Eggnog Flan spiced stout foam vanilla tulipa. As someone who fancies neither eggnog nor beer I fully anticipated disliking this dish but the one small bite I tasted was actually well balanced and sweeter than I’d expected. Everyone else at the table raved the dish and it was certainly attractive, just not my cup of tea…or beer…or eggnog.

For my dessert I selected Leche fritafried citrus milkdulce de lechevanilla ice cream. At $8 I will note that the portion size for this item was quite small, but the flavor was excellent. Almost like a deep fried flan or custard the citrus was mild and married perfectly with the dulce de leche. The ice cream was tasty – but yes, Vanilla. Personally I’d have liked to see a more unique ice cream with this dish, something more conducive to a “tres leches” feel.

For my mother the choice was Crema catalane Spanish crème bruleeginger thyme ice cream. It was a good crème brulee – no more, no less while the ice cream was excellent and evidence that the kichen is more than capable of generating more intriguing options than vanilla.

The final dessert, and the best in my opinion, was BunuelosSpanish doughnutsbutterscotch caramel. Slightly larger and more airy than the doughnut holes the night before at Sage the texture of the doughnuts was spot on. Paired with a hefty butterscotch caramel that harkened to a similar dip at Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak in Detroit this simple dessert was once again evidence that the Serrano kitchen works best when it doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel.

Tax and moderate tip included the total cost of the meal turned out to be ~$55/person – not a bad deal considering the fact that we ordered four dishes per person and did not pick based on price. With that said, when a chef like Serrano attaches his name to something there is an expectation that follows and that expectation was not met. Overcooked fishes, muddled flavor profiles, and service gaffs (especially the sort where the server tells the diner he/she is wrong) have no place in such restaurants and considering the superstar competition that just arrived in town with two restaurants at The Cosmopolitan these are the sorts of mistakes that could send diners looking for better.

Schwa, Chicago IL

If you’re reading this site you are likely aware of Schwa, Chef Michael Carlson, the obscure reservations system, and even the GQ Article that vaulted the restaurant above other temples of molecular gastronomy as “The Most Revolutionary Restaurant in America.” Hailed by some as a genius, some as an artist, and some as a mad scientist or simply a madman there is no doubt in Carlson’s pedigree – classic Italian training both in Italy and alongside Bartolotta at Spiaggia paired with training in molecular cuisine with Achatz (while at Trio) and Blumenthal at the Fat Duck. What may be in doubt, however, is the seemingly nonchalant, renegade, or downright annoying process of getting to eat Michael’s cuisine.

Calling on the last day of September in hopes of getting a seat for the weekend of my visit in November I was shocked when Carlson actually answered the phone at 12:30pm Ohio time. Sounding a bit perplexed by my question of “Did reservations for November open up today?” he responded “Um, yeah” and proceeded to take my number (no name) and date/time of reservation. After a quick read of the BYOB policy he said “peace, see ya on the 4th” and the line went silent. Wanting to make sure my reservation was legit I tried to call back a couple times in October but always reached their full voicemail box….then on November 2nd I got a call from Mathew to confirm – 6pm – again, no name was requested.

Flash forward to November 4th - 4:00pm the phone rings as I’m browsing in Crate&Barrel – it is Matt again. “Bro, man, we’ve got a problem.” A problem with the building…we’re cancelling service tonight…we also just had two people quit…we’re really sorry…we’ll make it up to you…any date you like…etc. Explaining that I was in from out of town he stated he would “call the chef and get back to me in ten minutes.” That call never came. Frustrated I called back and met that same familiar voice recording over and over…eventually after approximately 20 calls (and 35 minutes) Matt again answered – I explained I was the guy from Ohio and got a “Oh, s&%$ man, I forgot.” To this point I’m still uncertain as to whether he forgot to call or forgot I even existed – the whole conversation was very disjointed and full of “um,” “bro,” and “dude” but regardless he told me that they were going to open up “early” the next day to get us in – when I asked for a time he told me 7:00pm and again read the scripted BYOB policy. A quick scramble to swap my Bonsoiree reservation and things seemed, at least for the time being, set.

-

Having just whetted my appetite with my sister and her friend at Great Lake we made the quick trip to North Ashland and found the restaurant looking just as I’d seen in pictures – certainly not the portrait of haute cuisine. Receiving a text message from my friend Dave that he’d be there around 7:05 I bid my companions farewell and entered the restaurant – the darkest dining room I’ve ever seen, completely empty, and Redman and Methodman blaring – I laughed and thought back to my experience at Ko…the music, the setting/neighborhood, the reservation system…everything felt a bit familiar. Standing in the middle of the room for a few moments I watched the motion of the kitchen – Carlson hand cutting pasta through the illuminated window suddenly looked up and motioned to one of his colleagues, Matt, who came out to the dining room and said “hey bro, can I help you?” Introducing myself I was met with a “cool, cool – the dude from Ohio, right – I thought we said 7:30?” Knowing for fact he’d said 7:00 but largely unconcerned he led me to the two-top closest to the kitchen where I would sit for approximately 10 minutes before Dave arrived – water was filled and I was left to listen to Wu-Tang, Ozzy, Mastadon, KRS One, Tupac, and a progression of loud music while watching the small team of three (Matt, Matt, and Michael) work the kitchen.

Arriving with wine, Dave was greeted quickly and the bottle was taken back to the kitchen. Not recalling what wine Dave brought I’ll note that glasses were kept full throughout the evening and Matthew even opened up some of the wine in the kitchen to pair a Pinot Noir with the lighter courses. Still the only full table in the restaurant both Matt and Michael visited the table to welcome us and service began quickly. Without going into too much detail I will note that throughout the evening service was excellent despite the fact that the chefs were also the servers and although there was a lot of slang and mumbling the plates were delivered with extensive description of ingredients, technique, and inspiration – the team also went out of their way to learn about diners (asking what dishes/ingredients worked or didn’t, inquiring about our jobs and interest, etc.)

-

Without further ado – while I’m sure some of my descriptions are lacking an ingredient or five (the menu I was given at the end of the night listed 3-4 ingredients per plate) the meal started off with the night’s amuse - Clarified Bloody Mary with spicy tomato, pepper, and pork. Similar to Alinea’s Thai Distillation this simple shot was exactly what you’d expect from the title – hot and savory, smooth and refreshing. Interestingly when Matthew saw me snap a picture he offered the advice “don’t worry if you wanna use flash dude, it’s pretty dark in here.”

With the soundtrack blasting Busta Rhymes our first course arrived – “Octopus - Pineapple, Macadamia Nut, Char.” Featuring supple slow boiled octopus that lacked any semblance of chewy/rubberiness cascaded across the plate atop smears of burnt pineapple and macadamia nut puree the flavor of the cephalopod was nicely complimented by the sweet and nutty admixtures. Adding complexity and texture would be thinly sliced pan seared arctic char, shaved nori, baked yucca chips, and micro greens while dots of aged Sherry vinegar lent a savory finish.

When course two arrived we were still enjoying our three:two server/chef:diner ratio and Carlson delivered the plate himself. Titled “Elote – Corn, Lime, Cojita” the plate featured Warm corn soup made with “mayonnaise and cilantro pudding” and a side salad consisting of charred corn, lime puree, chili spiced popcorn, and cojita cheese. Interestingly using the lime to adhere the cup to the plate we were instructed to eat this “however you like” and after a taste of the soup – a fantastic flavor/texture best described as cornbread veloute – I proceded to add bits of corn, cheese, and lime to the admixture which produced more nuanced flavors. All in all my least favorite course of the meal, but a successful take on the popular Hispanic street food which the course was named after.

It was with course three that the soundtrack switched from Rap to Metal, loud and heavy either way, and more patrons began arriving…as a matter of fact, the restaurant went from empty to full almost immediately at 7:45pm and we chuckled as a few patrons were turned away despite bringing boozy gifts for the kitchen. With service slowing only slightly the next plate was one of Carlson’s more famous options - “Tagliatelle - veal heart, huckleberries, honey.” Featuring a spiral of hand cut pasta snaking up the edge of the bowl and topped with chopped veal heart, whole huckleberries, Tellagio cheese, honeyed veal demiglaze, shaved black truffles, and arugula this course once again showed off Carlson’s fondness for sweetened proteins. Tender and al dente the pasta itself was beautiful but the star of the show was undoubtedly the manner in which the sweet gravy enhanced the savory offal. This course and its follow-up were the only courses where I truly wished there was bread service at Schwa as I would have loved to sop up every drop of the sauce.

Our next course would be offered as a “bonus” and true to rumor when a later table requested the dish they were told it could not be accommodated as the kitchen had “run out.” As much a signature as anything at Schwa, Carlson’s famous Quail Egg Yolk Ravioli with Buffalo ricotta, brown butter, white truffle, and Chive was every bit as good as the rumors. Likely influenced by his time at Trio with Achatz (who was then perfecting Black Truffle Explosion) the Ravioli was served solo and we were instructed to let it cool a moment and then eat it in a single bite. Bursting in the mouth and potentially the only dish of the evening lacking substantial sweetness I’m going to go out on a limb and say I enjoyed this even more than Achatz’s fabled dish – the texture of the molten egg yolk was simply one of the best mouth-feels I can imagine and the brown butter/white truffle combination was divine on the palate.

Returning to the menu, course four was an interesting dish of opposing flavors that worked much better than one would expect. Titled “Roe – Watermelon, Violet” the course was served in a rounded bowl and featured Steelhead Roe floating in a semi-solid watermelon gelee and topped with viola flowers. On the edge of the bowl rested a curl of watermelon rind and on the plate balancing the rounded bowl was a bit of tempura steelhead roe. Taking my first bite of the dish I was instantly struck by the hefty flavors of watermelon – a flavor so strong it almost tasted artificial like Bubbalicious – but on mastication a pleasant salinity broke through as the caviar burst on the tongue and the overall effect was something like tapioca pudding in texture and with the aroma of violet the course seemed to serve as a palate cleanser to both the tongue and the nostrils. Not to be forgotten, the rind was cured and somewhat vinegar-sweet while the tempura roe was intensely briny and crisp.

For our fish course, “Halibut – Anchovy, Black Garlic, Zucchini” would arrive as the largest portion size of the meal. With easily 3 ounces of broiled and seared Halibut centering the plate the day boat fish was perfectly flaky and tender. Seated amidst crispy garlic chips, grilled zucchini, sprigs of lavender, and drizzles of sesame oil the fish was additionally paired with three distinct smears – sweet black garlic, tangy Greek yogurt, and subtly briny white anchovy puree. Tasting the fish with each component provided a different experience and although diverse in scope each item served to highlight the protein without distracting from the others.

Course six would be another familiar face on the Schwa menu – “Biscuits and Gravy – Sweetbreads, Red Eye Gravy, Mustard.” Described as a tribute to Michael’s southern grandmother the dish featured three plump and crispy sweetbreads with characteristic creamy centers juxtaposed with three tiny buttermilk biscuits from his grandmother’s recipe. A lovely start, the plate was next supplemented with bitter braised mustard greens, fibrous Chinese black beans, ground pink peppercorns, micro-arugula, miniature pearl onions, and coffee spiked redeye gravy. With each flavor playing a part in the entirely southern feeling dish I have to admit I was a bit taken aback by the spiciness of the gravy – it was appropriate for the dish, but required nearly a whole glass of water on my admittedly un-southern tongue.

Our main course, arriving during a particularly loud and profanity laden track by Nas, would be one of Carlson’s more recent creations – a dish detailed as “S’mores – beef mole, graham, marshmallow, campfire.” Having to walk through the kitchen to get to the restroom I’d seen this course being prepped earlier in the meal – or at seen Carlson taking the Wagyu from the sous vide bag and shredding it. Featuring Wagyu short ribs in a cocoa nib mole that literally melted on the tongue, the dish was topped with crumbled graham crackers, a creamy graham cracker puree, and black cardamom marshmallow all placed in a cone. With the cone resting in a smoking vessel we were instructed to lift the cone and eat with a spoon while the campfire smoke poured forth. Again pairing intense sweetness with a traditionally savory dish I can say that of all the creations I experienced at Schwa this is probably the most memorable – it was a truly beautiful and on par with the Tagliatelle for best of the night. As an added bonus the dish included an ounce of Gran Marnier consommé as a “sidecar” – intensely boozy with hints of orange and cinnamon, another intriguing palate cleanser.

The night’s cheese course would prove to be small, intense, and unlike any other cheese course in my experience…no surprise, all things considering. Titled “Pretzels and Beer” the course featured a small pretzel gougere stuffed with Chimay Cheese and topped with Chimay Beer Foam sitting on a puddle of Mustard Paint. A single bite, a flash on the palate – first mustard, then beer, then a creamy lingering finish. While I’m a fan of neither mustard nor beer neither of them were overly potent when compared to the cheese and I still wonder how Carlson managed to form a pretzel that dissolved on the tongue.

For our dessert course we received the dish I’d expected, “Celery Root – Banana, Chocolate, Caramel.” Featuring a pool of sweetened celery soup with slowly melting white chocolate mousse at its base and a disk of celery root cake at the center the cake itself was next topped with a shard of white chocolate while a rum roasted bruleed banana doused with salted caramel sat alongside. Topping the dish with Banana leather and clover I have to say that the cake itself was almost too celery for me – someone who eats celery frequently and loves the flavor – and my friend did not enjoy it at all. The key to this dish, however, seemed to lie in combining everything at once and taking a bite – the bitterness of the celery, the sweetness of the banana, the smoothness of the chocolate, and the salty caramel forming a unique flavor that tasted something like heavily sweetened matcha.

With the place jam packed and the decibel level rising as people enjoyed their beverages of choice (yes, even the guy who brought the case of PBR) Michael and Matt both visited our table once again to thank me for adjusting my schedule to accommodate the issues of the night before – “we really wanted to cook for you guys, but sometimes s#@% just happens – it’s awesome that you could make it.” Thanking them we were told we could hang out as long as we liked as they had no more reservations for the evening – they even offered to pour us some beer which we politely declined. Arriving with the check and a copy of the menu Matt said “seriously guys, we don’t f#$& up – whenever you’re ready” and opening the check we found that we’d been given half off the tab. Leaving a $75 tip for the awesome evening we thanked the crew once again and made our way to the street.

A bizarre restaurant and experience in all ways it is really hard to sum up what Schwa “is” in the grand scheme of restaurants when looking back on it. The best comparison I can offer up is the one I assumed going in – Momofuku Ko. Obscure reservation system, off beat location, “come as you are” dress code, blaring music, and obscure ingredient pairings that somehow work. With that said, the bar stools, snooty attitude, excessive price tag, and NO pictures policy at Ko speaks to a restaurant that doesn’t care what you think – they believe it is a privilege to experience their vision. On the contrary, quoting Michael Carlson himself, “We cook food we want to eat in an environment we want to eat it in” and “Our game plan is the same game plan as every night. We're making 30 people happy." On November 5th 2010 Schwa made me very happy and it was absolutely worth the effort.

Osteria, Philadelphia PA

As a visitor to the City of Brotherly Love I guess I didn’t realize just how far the city itself spanned – as it turns out the walk from Carman’s Country Kitchen to the Art Museum is nearly three and a quarter miles. Happy for the morning breeze and an Ipod loaded with Interpol the walk went quickly and the museum itself (plus the Late Renoir exhibit) was exemplary…even if I didn’t run the steps Rocky-style like many other visitors. Full on culture and low on fuel I would soon turn east and march yet another mile to my lunch destination – the second Vetri establishment on my tour, Osteria.

Helmed by Jeff Michaud, a Beard Award winner who actually began his cooking career as a youngster at a pizzeria, Osteria has gathered quite a following since its opening despite being rather far from the rest of the city’s fine dining. With extensive training first at Vetri and then in Michelin Starred restaurants across Italy and especially fond of rich, bold, and rustic foods it was actually as much Jeff’s menu as Marc Vetri’s that I had enjoyed at Amis – that fact alone had me excited for my visit.

Making my way into the rustic stylized interior of Osteria I have to say it is a beautiful space. Highly polished woods, walls made of broken down boxes of wine, a vintage salumi slicer, and simplified table settings with rustic seating all lent to the feel of something vintage yet refined. Greeted by the hostess I was led to a nice table near the bar and shortly thereafter was greeted by my server, a pleasant and unobtrusive sort of fellow who filled my water and presented me with the menu.

In my traditional fashion of wanting to taste as many different dishes as possible while conserving stomach room I inquired about half orders I was assured that the pastas could be accommodated but told steadfast that half and half pizzas were generally not done. Having spoke to Shane James, service manager, via E-mail I found this strange as I was assured this was common practice and although I did not want to make a big deal of it I must note I had to insist on speaking to Mr. James when my server again refused. A friendly man both via e-mail and at the restaurant Mr. James happened to be in house and after a quick discussion I was assured that a half and half pizza could indeed be done - just not the Lombarda given the manner in which it bakes as compared to the other pizzas (due to the egg.) Misunderstanding resolved I was now presented with the arduous activity of deciding how to narrow my selection from twenty different things to a more reasonable amount.

-

While weighing the pros and cons of the myriad fantastic sounding pizzas and pastas my water was refilled and I was presented with a bucolic basket made of a hollowed log. Inside the basket would be warm slices of sea salted focaccia and semolina white bread and alongside an oil can of mildly sweet and glossy olive oil. Not wanting to fill up on bread I would invariably fail in the task – while the semolina white was good, the focaccia was superb; moist, oily, and salty with a great crumb.

Orders placed I would sit back and wait while reading a few e-mails via free Wi-Fi in the connecting building. Seeing my neighboring tables enthralled in their pizzas (a family of 3 on one side and a business meeting of 4 on the other) I grew more excited by the minute. With less than 15 minutes passed my pastas would arrive first. Presented plainly yet elegantly, my first taste would be that of Corn Tortelli with Ricotta Salata. A half portion consisting of six small packets of luscious corn and cream the pasta was more tortellini that tortelli (traditionally round rings) but honestly I did not really care – paired with a simple sauce of clarified butter and shaved pecorino the dish tasted like the creamy equivalent of fresh buttered corn off the grill – a perfect summer dish for the warm weather outside as each pocket burst with dazzling flavor.

My second pasta, served simultaneously with the tortelli, would be the Chicken liver rigatoni with Cipolline onions and sage. This time appropriately titled and served in a rustic bowl the handmade rigatoni was ideally prepared with just a bit of spring in it. Utilizing ground chicken liver sweetened by melted Cipollinie onions and heavy hints of sage the sauce adhered beautifully to the pasta while grated parmesan added the slightest bit of bite. At first somewhat grainy in mouth feel the sautéed liver actually melted on the tongue with minimal mastication and the entirety of the dish was decidedly rustic, but at the same time restrained despite using such heavy hitting ingredients.

With my pasta plates mopped clean using a piece of focaccia they were cleared and my server would stop by to check in and chat – moments later he would return with a refill of my water and seconds later with what was expected to be the star of the afternoon, one of Osteria’s “classic” style pizzas. Featuring a Romanesque thin and crispy crust that was lightly charred and slightly aerated despite its thinness I was impressed by the flavor the wood burning oven imbued. Beginning with the left half as it looked the most interesting I was greeted with a rush of heat, flavor, smoke, and brine as I bit into Polpo. Utilizing wood grilled octopus atop the wood grilled crust and pairing it with sweet tomatoes, coarse red chili flakes, and smoked mozzarella the entire dish had the essence of a hearty cioppino but in the form of a Pizza. Not subtle in the least each flavor fought for the palate’s attention yet none managed to overwhelm the others – a dazzling pie to say the least and I especially loved the presentation of whole tentacles both visually and orally.

The second half of the pizza was one suggested by Shane – he said it was the best pizza in the city. Entitled Pannocchia and featuring blistered corn, grilled scallions, bufala mozzarella and black truffles it would honestly be hard to say whether this or Tacconelli’s white was the best Pizza in the city – in reality they’re both amongst the top 5 I’ve had anywhere. Underlied by the faintly woody charred crust, the flavor of the corn and scallions were perfectly paired while creamy pools of mozzarella accented with olive oil and the aroma of black truffles rose to the palate.

Finishing my pie the server stopped by to ask if I might want to see the dessert menu. Having watched table after the table order gelato I was told that it was the house specialty but having read otherwise I did indeed request the menu – as expected, the item I’d heard a trusted fellow gourmand refer to as the most “shockingly good” dessert he’d ever had was there – I ordered it along with a cup of coffee. Brought without hesitation and refilled thrice the bold flavors of Colombe proved a wonderful brew once again – enough that I’d order it again at Vetri and take 3lbs home from their Rittenhouse store the next day. Aside from the house coffee at Daniel I can’t think of a better coffee to compliment chocolate desserts.

Arriving with my first refill of coffee was my highly touted and unassuming dessert – the Polenta budino with GianduJa mousse and candied hazelnuts. Different from my previous budino experiences this version was nonetheless an absolute masterpiece. Slightly gritty in texture and topped with the characteristic flavors of sweet chocolate and hazelnut in the form of an airy mousse the delicate pudding was sweet, salty, textural, and ethereal in mouth feel. Adding a spoonful of candied Hazelnuts for added crunch and texture completed the picture and formed what is undoubtedly a member of the top 10 things I’ve eaten in 2010 and on par with Vetri’s Gnocchi as my fondest Philadelphia food memory. As an added bonus I will note that after my meal I e-mailed Shane James a thank you and he sent me a copy of the recipe.

When the meal was all said and done it turned out that Osteria’s Credit card machine was down which forced them to run each card by hand (and led to jokes about being BYO and Cash only given the current trend.) A stellar meal from start to finish aside from a small miscommunication about the half-pizza I can only say that Osteria is a formidable contender in my mind for best food memories of the year and that the budino will definitely be making an appearance at a future family get together. With Amis and Osteria now in the books the only logical thing to do would be to complete the troika that night at the flagship.