East 12 Osteria

I met the owner of this restaurant when I spoke at Story.  I finally got the pleasure of having dinner there with some friends this past week.  In the world of restaurant insanity this restaurant is a gem.  The food is excellent, the service is too.  It reminds me of why people opened up restaurants years ago.  It was because that is what they did, it was the business that called to them, they loved food and hospitality.  East 12 Osteria is very much in line with the restaurants that feel homemade and are usually found in parts of Italy.  It is if this restaurant was flown in from a tiny village on the Mediterranean coast of Italy for the night.  I loved this place…and the food is delicious.

We split everything except our main courses.  Our first course was from the chef.  Yellow tomato gazpacho.  Perfect.  Sweet salty and creamy.  Here is another bonus at this restaurant, they do not use garlic.  I swear.

Carciofini.  Thinly sliced artichoke over avocado, pieces of mache delicately places, shavings of Parm and a mix of olive oil and salt.  Delicious.

Proscuitto, Burrata, essence of tomato, thinly sliced pickled peppers and olive paste.  Really simple and good.

Layers of fennel, baby arugula, sections of orange, pecorino cheese, toasted pine nuts with a balsamic reduction.  Another winner.

Crudo di Mare.  Excellent fresh fish.  Big eye tuna crudo with blood orange segments, chopped branzino with a light olive paste, Langoustine topped with pieces of apple and white sturgeon caviar.  Amazing.

Bolognese special with large pieces of beef with an intense red wine flavor over fresh spinach black pepper pasta.

Fresh mushrooms sauteed with truffles over spaghetti.

Classic Milanese veal chop.  Pounded, breaded and fried with a arugula tomato salad.  Perfectly done.

Our friends split the pork that looked beautiful.  Sous-vide pork shoulder, loin and rib.

We didn’t do dessert although I am sure their desserts are divine.  Looking forward to returning.  You could close your eyes and pretend you are in Italy.