Inside: Osteria di Valerio & Al

Descending down from St. Clair Avenue, quietly tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the Warehouse District sits Osteria di Valerio & Al, the intimate restaurant that has a reputation for dishing up some of the best Italian fare in town.

Food: Our server described it best: getting fed is a lot of fun and Osteria is here to feed you and hopefully make it a bit of an adventure.

The menu is centered around authentic Italian dishes and features plenty of options to ponder. Guided by our server’s recommendation, we sampled the mussels with marinara and a pinot grigio reduction ($11), slow roasted osso buco with natural vegetable reduction ($28), and two pastas: veal tortellini with fresh peas and prosciutto and the beef ravioli special with a crimini mushroom sauce ($24).

The plump mussels, a rather predictable appetizer, were a pleasant surprise, most notably for the sauce. Be sure to hold off on eating the hot, crusty bread that quickly finds its way to the table. You’ll want to save it to soak up that wonderful marinara.

If calories don’t count, the veal tortellini was sinfully good. The only thing that could have made this dish better was if the chefs took the extra step and made the pasta in-house. Instead, all the pasta comes from nearby Gallucci’s. The beef ravioli was tasty, albeit a bit too rich and in need of a few more mushrooms.

The slow roasted osso buco, served with Thanksgiving-quality mashed potatoes and green beans, was not as tender as promised but nonetheless, a wonderful, hearty and aromatic dish.

Another route to consider when dining at Osteria is to close the menu, loosen the belt buckle and let the chefs take over. Depending on what you’re craving, how hungry and any dietary needs, the chefs and servers will put together a tasting course for you. Or if you’re stuck between two dishes (as in our case with the pastas), they will happily give you a little of each to sample.

Libations: There is a seemingly endless supply of wine at Osteria. The 15-page wine menu is sectioned off by the many regions of Italy. While mostly bottle options, there are several pours available like the Barbera for $10. Italian beer, like Moretti and Peroni, and cocktails are also available.

Décor: Small and intimate, this 50-seat restaurant that sits below street level dons a simple black and white décor with a lot of photos of Italy, candlelight and white tablecloths. It’s acceptable but in need of freshening up.

Service: It’s a shared service approach with meals arriving promptly and quickly cleared while drinks and bread are routinely refilled.

Insider tip: Live entertainment is featured every Thursday and Friday.

Bottom line: Let Osteria feed you the next time you’re craving Italian. It’s sure to be a memorable—and filling—experience.

Add a comment