Showing posts with label Osteria. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Osteria. Show all posts

Friday, August 8, 2014

Osteria del Bosco, July 2, 2014


 I have to admit that I’ve got a new favorite Osteria…del Bosco.  In Italian Bosco means forest, and it is also the name of a small town just outside of Perugia on the way to Gubbio.



Luigi is the owner and host of this wonderful tasty oasis for foodies, Osteria del Bosco.

Owner & Sommelier Luigi


I’ve been 4 times now in the past year and it just keeps getting better.
Inside you will find a kind of old school simply furnished restaurant, while outside is a classic patio. 

view from parking lot of Osteria

What’s placed on the tables is what makes it special.  While I am usually pretty into the atmosphere aspect of dinning out, I can leave all that behind when the food and service distract my artistic eye.




Fabrizio the chef says that he is lucky because Luigi allows him to use some very high quality ingredients, which make all the difference in the world.  So true.   In every bit you can taste that difference, and also see it on the beautifully prepared plates.

Chef Fabrizio

This was a really nice little 

surprise that Fabrizio 

prepared for us in the kitchen. 

It was a sample of his innovative 

new vegan burger, 

served as an antipasto















Luigi is also a sommelier and totally into wine.  I have to say that he is a little challenging to please though.  On a recent visit to Vinosofia I couldn’t find the right wine for him, but his friends all confirmed that he has taste buds all his own.  These are some of the most interesting moments of being a sommelier/enotecaria.  When having guests like Luigi, that know what they like, which is not the usual or easy to please, I just hope Graziano will be at Vinosofia the next time he comes!

we started the evening off with a nice
Villa Franciacorta Brut


this was so colorful and delicious

California girls love these kind of plates


Carpaccio di salmon with apricots, 

peaches and almonds


Some of these photo’s are from a great dinner we enjoyed for Graziano’s birthday in July. 

I adore Barbaresco,
and this vintage was perfect










Fois Gras detail




When we selected the wine Luigi wasn’t quite convinced that it was ready yet.  So he called Graziano into the cellar and had him hand pick an older vintage, and it was perfect. 

fantastic Fois Gras


















































A couple others photo’s were from January & May.

Ummmm Barbaresco 

look at that color!


tartar detail



Enjoy and no drooling please.


Octopus detail

mis en place, inside from May 2014

Graziano and his digestivo

from the vintage in which he was born!

a little olive oil tasting on homemade bread
by Luigi's wife, from January 2014

a little complimentary salumi taste, 

from January 2014

Graziano's Grappa

nice Pinot Noir from our dinner 

in May 2014

front door of the Osteria

Franciacorta, homemade bread 

and a classic menu 

grilled steak

salad from May 2014

Grilled Octopus, 

from May 2014 




Grilled Snapper from lunch in January 2014



Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Osteria Dodici Rondini, April 2014

Whenever we just want to relax and have a great dinner out with no stress we go to Dodici Rondini
(12 Swallows) in Foligno.
The subtitle of Dodici Rondini is MANGIARE BERE PENSARE, gotta love it!

A simple with an attention to atmosphere restaurant, where I am sure to always have a home-cooked style dinner and enjoy the wine, music and local scene.

Damiano, the owner of Dodici Rondini is really passionate about wine and good local food.
In fact we often find ourselves at the same wine events (trade shows) tasting new wines for our venues.
Graziano's Chianina Burger

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chianina
mis en place



Outside from the newly restored Piazza






Damiano, Proprietor & wine aficionado



While we don’t always have the same taste in wines, one thing we do have in common is that we like things to be as natural as possible.  



Let’s just say he likes the more “rustic” or rough around the edges, stinky wines, while I like the more pleasing on the nose and softer styles.

But this is what makes each wine list and establishment unique right?











cute label, but...







fresh seasonal artichokes


one of my favorite things is

Pane Burro & Alici 

(bread, butter,French, salted from Normandy & Spanish anchovies)

interesting ceramics with even more interesting toppings
sgombro on its own plate!


the musicians

late night local entertainment


for more info                                       http://www.osteriadodicirondini.it

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Osteria Del Circo, Madonna di Campiglio, March 6, 2014

It has been my experience that Hotel Restaurants are usually not the best, and are generally used as a last resort when you’re too tired to go out of the hotel. In Madonna di Campiglio this is not the case.  In fact, all of the best restaurants we ate at where hidden inside the hotels.  The hotels had their standard hotel restaurant, and then they also had a specialty restaurant.

Our first choice of hotels was the Cristal Palace Campiglio Alpine Hotel, but it was completely booked.  We were still intrigued by it and read great things about their Osteria Del Circo, so we made dinner reservations.  They offered their own taxi service to and from our hotel too which was great.
As we came down the honey colored wooden staircase, we entered into a room filled with warm light, piano bar music and movement. Our jackets were shuffled off and we decided to stay at the bar for a splendid bubbly, Ferrari Riserva Del Fondatore (complimentary).
Then we were guided through the bustling hotel restaurant dining room, where the dinner  buffet was in full action.  All the food looked great  and well stocked.
Main hotel dining room after everyone left

Then a ruby red velvet curtain was opened and we entered into the circo! The host gave us a choice of 3 tables and we choose the corner one. 
As we were reading the menu, some interesting looking, serious and tall gentlemen came in and sat at the table next to us.  The one Italian speaking of the three immediately asked the waiter for a menu in Russian. The waiter said we don't have one but we have Sascha, I’ll send him right away.  Sasha arrived subito and basically read the complete menu by memory in Russian.  He was very efficient.
Back to our table, we ordered some pretty filling plates and enjoyed every bit.  The owner came to our table and introduced himself and gave us one of his music CD’s.  He was so nice.
The trip advisor questions came up and we were encouraged to explore that option.  I, of course wrote a nice little review for them.

Unfortunately it was really really dark and the photo’s didn’t come out that well.
Graziano's sausage, potato
& sauerkraut plate

Osteria Del Circo
our friendly waiter was from the Marche region,
and yes, his tie is plastic, really fun
A locale Trentino wine from the Tenuta San Lorenzo,
a Merlot and Carménère blend, nice but a little too young


I thought this mirror was fantastic, a little creepy
but like a scene on a film on a boat or something...
seasoned alpine butters
Graziano's Pasta
an Alpine classic, polenta & cervo (venison) 
After dinner drinks

fun & creative table setting
loved the silverware & mis en place
my big ravioli