L'Osteria
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Overall Rating: Not So Sick (67 out of 100)
104 Salem Street
Boston, MA 02113
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Phone: 617-723-7847
L'Osteria is a family-owned restaurant tucked away on Salem Street in the North End. Growing up in an Italian-American household, The King of Sick Meals has experienced thousands of home-cooked Italian dinners. Dining at L'Osteria was like dining at home. But mom never charged us over 100 bucks.
Our L'Osteria History
Our first trip to L'Osteria was on a Friday night at 8:30pm.
Appetizers
L'Osteria's menu includes nine appetizers, seven salads, and five soups; the prices range from $5.50 for insalata mista (the house salad) to $14.95 for the caprese. We shared stuffed mushrooms and the insalata mista.
The insalata mista was just like mom used to make - after a long day at work and with no motivation to cook dinner. When mom served iceberg lettuce, sliced red onions, one olive, and two stale tomato slices, we were grateful for her effort after a long day. When L'Osteria tosses this mix together and drowns it in vinaigrette for $5.50, we're not so grateful.
The stuffed mushrooms consisted of undercooked mushrooms and dry breadcrumbs bathed in a butter-based sauce.
We should have tried a bowl of minestrone or pasta e fagioli.
Rating: 4.8
Main Dishes
The entree lineup includes 17 pasta, nine chicken, 12 veal, and 11 seafood dishes. For the pasta dishes, you can choose from linguine, ziti, and spaghetti; the pastas range from $9.95 to $17.95. The chicken, veal, and seafood dishes range from $15.95 to $23.95. House specialties include chicken merenga, chicken pescatore, bocconcini di vitello triestini, and veal valdostana.
We ordered shrimp francese as well as the veal and eggplant and we got exactly what we expected - something like mom would have made with a few hours of preparation on a Sunday evening. The veal and eggplant were baked with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. The shrimp francese was breaded perfectly and sauteed with an appropriate amount of lemon and wine. Both dishes were served with a bowl of pasta. Portions were substantial.
Rating: 8.4
Drinks
A carafe of the house white (Pinot Grigio) or house red (Merlot) is available for $18. The house white was mediocre, but the wine list included a fair variety of selections. A bottle of white starts at $26 and a bottle of red starts at $24. Beer is available for $5. Hard booze is not served.
Rating: 7.9
Service
The lifeless staff went through the motions. No one wanted to be there. Neither the menu nor our waitress explained the house specialties.
A busboy cleared my plate before The Queen of Sick Meals had finished her meal. He also scooped up my half-finished ziti without asking if I was finished.
Sometimes, mom went through the motions, too.
Rating: 5.4
Ambiance
Located on quiet Salem Street, I had always wanted to visit L'Osteria. A good crowd, dim lighting, candles, and paper "Italia" place mats added to the experience. "Grocery store" Italian bread and disinterested staff detracted.
Rating: 7.2
Et Cetera
Trivia: If you're with your significant other and would like to walk off an evening of sick meals in the North End, head to Battery Street - to Burroughs Wharf - and walk beyond the condominiums until you reach the water and see a park bench. This tranquil, romantic spot is one of the sickest in Boston.
Menu: Check out the dinner menu here
Reservations: L'Osteria is on OpenTable
Parking: L'Osteria validates for the Parcel 7 Garage located next to the Haymarket MBTA station at the corner of New Sudbury and Congress. With validation, parking is only $1 for up to two hours and $3 for up to three hours.
Dress: You can dress casually at L'Osteria.
Labels: Italian, LOsteria, North-End, Not-So-Sick
