Pork and Beer at Osteria

I find that most visits to Osteria end up turning into a pork extravaganza. Of course they have lots of other things on the menu, but the pig products are often highlights. So the prospect of an all-pork theme dinner was attractive on its own, but combined with beer from Brooklyn Brewery, it was irresistible. And the dinner did not disappoint: the food was delicious and the beers were not only interesting and well-matched, but also accompanied by commentary from brewmaster Garrett Oliver.

I knew things would be good when someone handed me a glass of Keller Helles within seconds of arrival. Moments later, raw oysters with strips of coppa salami were passed, as was pastrami pork pizza and crunchy involtini do moratori. Once everyone had arrived and gotten settled, the food started coming for real.

Potted pork terrine with artichoke mostarda and brioche
Culatello with rhubarb salad
Brooklyn-Scheider hopfen-weisse

The terrine was absolutely delicious, fatty, smooth, intensely porky. It was nice spread on the toasted brioche, but I actually preferred the more rustic toasts that were also provided. It really reached its apex when paired with the sweet artichoke mostarda. The terrine was beautifully presented in a large jar, which was attractive, but a laughably large portion. Even among the six of us at the table, we barely made a dent in it. We saw many almost-full jars heading back to the kitchen, and it was so heartbreaking to contemplate the fate of the terrine, one of our party made the bold request to take the rest of ours home. They were nice enough to oblige, and she ended up with a HUGE heap of the stuff for later. I must find out what she did with it. Of course it would be fine to just snack on as we had, but we'd also contemplated how it would taste fried-up in a pan with some eggs...

The Culatello (pictured at the top of this post) had a pleasing salty intensity, and was especially good paired with the fine julienne of rhubarb scatted on top.

Snail and black pepper salame spiedini with fava beans

Local One

We've long said that chef Michaud has a way with snails, and this theory was confirmed yet again with this dish. Assertively salty and peppery cubes of salame offset the milder snails and sweet onions, the purée of fava beans providing a creamy backdrop.


Wild ramp ravioli with pigs foot ragu
Testina cannelloni with chanterelle mushrooms
Extra Brune

This was a contender for my favorite dish of the night, the mildly garlicky greens inside the delicate pasta wrappers given richness by the tender, almost gelatinous ragu. I love all the ravioli at Osteria, but this might have been my favorite yet.

But then the canneloni threatened to overshadow the ravioli... the pigs-head stuffing was very mild, more disctinct in its decadent texture than by flavor. But the generous pile of wild mushrooms and dusting of cheese on top balanced the subtlety of the filling, making for an ever-changing parade of chewy, soft, melty, salty, earthy, fatty...

Spit-roasted baby pig with patate al forno and toasted fennel seed
Brooklynator doppelbock

We've had the roast pig here as a special, and loved it, but this somehow seemed even more porky than usual. With its crispy skin, juicy meat, an assertive kick from herbs and olive oil, it really was the ideal roast baby pig. I'm embarrassed to admit that I made some undignified moaning sounds upon my first bite, and I think they may have continued for a while. I'm not at all sure how this manages to be so delicious, it could be down to good ingredients, or the particular method of cooking, or both. In any case, I highly recommend trying it if you see it offered as a special.




Black chocolate stout bavarian with raspberry salad
Vintage Black Chocolate Stout (winter 2005-2006)

A creamy mousse that echoed and complimented the flavors of the excellent aged stout that accompanied it. I really need to drink more beer for dessert.

The beers were good throughout, the earlier, light ones were actually a bit surprising in their complexity. The later, heavier ones were very nicely matched with the food, and the explanations about ingredients, history and process that Brooklyn Brewery's brewmaster Garrett Oliver gave added to the enjoyment.

Loudest applause goes to chef Jeff Michaud for the consistently delicious food, but thank to the rest of the crew for putting it together. I'd come to another one of these things in a heartbeat.

Osteria Update

It's been entirely too long between Osteria visits. There have been so many new places to check out, it's easy to get distracted from (not so) old favorites.

Osteria's menu is in a constant state of flow, with dishes being added and subtracted from the repertoire according to the seasons and the chefs' inspirations. We revisited a few proven classics and tried some new ones too, all to delicious effect. We started with a constant menu item, one we'll never tire of, the Lombarda Pizza. (pictured above) Their own aromatic sausage and runny egg are our favorite toppings for the consistently excellent pizzas here, and this latest one did not disappoint (although I prefer the darker crust we usually get...)

The Lardo Pizza sounded intriguing. We'd draped pieces of lardo from the salumi platter over hot pizza crust before, and really enjoyed that melting texture, so a whole pizza like that sounded great. In practice, it was a little one-dimensional. The rosemary mentioned on the menu was barely detectable, and lardo is more about mouth-feel than vivid flavor, so the ultimate effect was too subtle. The could probably work, but needed a but more seasoning, maybe just some nice coarse salt.

We quickly forgot about troubleshooting the lardo pizza when the pancetta-wrapped snail spiedini showed up. Perfectly tender snails, pancetta and the creamiest polenta celery root purée known to man. Need I say more?

Duck and Foie Gras Terrine wasn't especially photogenic, but it was as creamy and decadently rich as you might guess.

Candele with Boar Bolognese might just be the perfect winter dish. The pasta itself has the perfect resilient tenderness, and the bolognese is reduced down so that it's barely a sauce, just ground pork adhering magically to the noodles.

Pork Ribs with Black Pepper Sausage is another dish that may not look like much, but any shortcomings in visual appeal were made up by the flavors of the falling-off-the-bone ribs and assertive sausage.

What?!? MORE pork?!? Yeah, for some reason the pork dishes were really appealing to us this evening, and I think it's safe to say: if they're offering the roast suckling pig special, get it. This was totally simple, but maybe the most gratifying dish of the night. The tender, juicy roast pig was herby, salty, doused in oil, and completely addictive. Even the potatoes were eliciting moans of delight.

Sorbettos were just about the only dessert we could contemplate after that extravaganza. This is blood orange, pineapple and meyer lemon. Those bright, vibrant flavors were an excellent ending to all this excess. Well, OK, we'll also admit to attempting to eat some zabaglione gelato, and some pistachio, but we're not proud of it.

Although it was completely unrealistic to even contemplate munching on these little petit fours over espresso, we couldn't resist ordering them for the sake of investigation. And this selection of snacks does indeed make a really lovely accompaniment to an espresso or after-dinner drink. The little white cookies were airy and lemony, the candied orange peel simultaneously sweet and bitter. The pistachio and pine-nut brittles were really good with coffee, as were the biscotti. We couldn't quite figure out what the flavors were in the pâté de fruits-ish jellied thing, but it was good... This is a really nice plate to share among 3 or 4 people at the end of a meal.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable meal all the way around, even considering the inevitable sticker-shock when the bill comes. It can climb up quickly if you're not paying attention (or asking the prices of specials!) and having some wine, but when the food's this good, I never regret it.

Osteria offical website at:osteriaphilly.com
Read a more complete review at philadining.com