Philadelphia's barren pizza scene has long needed some manna from heaven. For a city steeped in Italian heritage - not to mention red-and-white-checkered tablecloths - the lack of quality pizza is strange. So who better to revamp this staple than chef Marc Vetri, who has set the standard for Italian cuisine with his critically acclaimed (and eponymous) restaurant at 1312 Spruce St.?
Osteria, Italian for "Inn," sets this city's pizza record straight. The bases are light, crisp, and bear the hallmark char of their wood-burning oven. And the toppings, which vary from minimalistic to intriguing, all revolve around the chef's sagacious balance of flavors and textures, and none is out of place.
I challenge anyone to deny the childish joy of the margherita ($15), oozing with milky mozzarella and uplifted by fresh basil leaves. The earthier boscaiola ($20), with taleggio and bluefoot mushrooms, is also a treat, as is the parma ($20), topped with prosciutto, arugula and parmeggiano. Best of all is the lombarda ($17), with homemade cotechino (a fresh sausage with cloves and nutmeg), bitto cheese and soft-baked egg. Avoid the foccacina ($22) though, which is stuffed with pale robiola (a name that befalls many different Italian cheeses), and drizzled with white truffle oil. The imitation truffle flavor of such oil is of zero gustatory interest.
There is no need to limit yourself to Osteria's pizze: the pastas are also impressive, notably the mezzi rigatoni ($16) with gorgonzola (of the milder, 'dolce' variety) and raddichio, which nicely balances the creaminess, tanginess and bitterness of its constituents. The fusili with fava beans, pecorino cheese and fresh mint provides an ambrosial taste of spring. As with every item on the menu, the ingredients of this dish are the stars of the show.
The cotechino ($16) is even better as an appetizer, where it is chunkier and more expressive, served with a sunnyside-up egg, and with Vetri's addictive polenta. Osteria's ribeye ($38 for first 2lb), dry-aged for an almost unheard-of 45 days, takes center stage and gets my vote as the best steak in town. Its perfectly charred exterior yields into a thick slab of marbled bovine delight.
The desserts still need some work, and I would abandon the Nutella pizza ($8), which is quickly tiresome. Nonetheless, the textbook gelati del giorno ($8), in particular the bacci and pistachio flavors, are passable but unremarkable. Osteria's wine service is exceptional, however; no surprise given the auspices of Vetri's partner, the vino-encyclopedic Jeff Benjamin. On a recent visit, our sommelier wisely steered us towards a fine Venetian rosato, and a 1940 Sercial Madeira for after-dinner aromatherapy.
The improvement Osteria has undergone since its recent opening is impressive. Unlike Rocky Balboa, Osteria hasn't taken long to hit its stride, and is now delivering knockout flavors with poise and charm. Finally Philly has a pizza pie worth singing about.
