L' (ordinary) Osteria

 

Best part by far of stop #29, L'Osteria Del Forno was the company. I was so happy to dine with some of my fave girls. I had never eaten there before, but Goose had a few years back and loved it. The review this time was not as good. In fact the reviews from everyone were mixed and mediocre at best.  Right from the start it wasn’t a very warm welcome from the waitresses. The place is small and it is difficult to accommodate larger parties, but a table for five should not have been too much trouble. You aren’t able to be seated until your entire party has arrived which is understandable, but once our party was entirely present they told us to step inside and then just looked at us as if we should rearrange the tables to put five seats together. We didn’t want to impose or assume we would chose the correct formation, so it was a bit of a staring contest for quite some time before we assisted one of the staff in creating a table for five. Phew, now that we had that out of the way, and luckily had a sense of humor about it, it was time to tackle the menu. We started with an insalata caprese (sliced tomatoes & fresh mozzarella with basil, capers, green olives & anchovies) and the pomodori gratinati (baked tomatoes with bread crumbs, garlic, Italian parsley& olive oil). The caprese was good, the tomatoes were just a little on the mushy side. The stuffed tomato was bland and unfortunately was a preview of some of the dishes to come. 

When Megs asked the waitress what she liked (on the menu), the response was, “what do you like” I know this can be interpreted as her trying to get more info on Megs likes/dislikes, but either way the menu “help” was vague and not forthcoming. For our main courses we all agreed to order something different so we could share. Goose had the polenta, it was decent, but the word that came to mind was: bland. Sensing a theme? Even the melted gruyere cheese that coated it did 

not provide a

 flavorful kick. It definitely should be listed as a side dish and not an entrée. Di had the penne pasta baked in Bolognese, béchamel sauce. One word: bland. Megs had the crepes filled with sautéed porcini mushrooms, ham, béchamel sauce. This was good, filling, and rich. Mendy Poo had the pumpkin ravioli 

special. We were all excited about tasting this one. I really

 liked it, but (not surprisingly) it too could of used more spice. MP thought the pasta was undercooked. I ordered one of the many pizzas they offer- the tre formaggi: imported gorgonzola cheese, ricotta, and mozzarella, no sauce.  I enjoyed it and so did the rest of the table. Crisp crust with gooey cheese, what was not to like? For dessert we had a slice of the ricotta cheesecake, being a cheesecake connoisseur, I was not a fan. MP did LOVE her espresso with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in it. Some other good things to mention are- the prices are reasonable, perfect portions, the setting is very intimate, and the focaccia bread is amazing. I think you really just need to know what to order, so my advice is to avoid most of the menu items we had. This dining experience proved that no matter how mediocre the meal, as long as you are with the right friends the meal may be forgotten, but the moment will be memorable. 

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