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Cook the Book: 'Osteria'

The colder the weather, the more I crave bold, straightforward flavors. And if they're delivered with lashings of rich, warming sauce, so much the better. This is just the sort of food that restaurateur Rick Tramonto delivers with his fifth cookbook, Osteria. Written with Mary Goodbody, it's a collection of more than 150 Italian country-style recipes from Chicago's Osteria di Tramonto, laid-back sister restaurant to the award-winning Tru. In Tramonto's kitchen, laid-back doesn't mean simplistic or slapdash. It does mean flavors that are more comforting than delicate, and portions that are meant to be ladled rather than stacked precariously. Think of the dishes in this book as very high-end family food—food, that is, for a family celebration and not a...

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575 Comments | Posted by The Serious Eats Team, February 2, 2009 at 2:30 PM
Tagged: contests, Cook the Book, Italian, Mary Goodbody, Osteria, Osteria di Tramonto, Rick Tramonto

Damn You, Bruni! You Beat Me to Vetri's New Joint

A few months ago I wrote about my delicious dinner at Vetri, a stunningly good Italian restaurant on the ground floor of a townhouse on an unassuming street in Philadelphia. Last Friday I was supposed to meet Philadelphia Inquirer restaurant critic Craig Laban at Mark Vetri's new pizzeria-trattoria Osteria. I had to cancel (too much work to do at Serious Eats, and I feared Serious Eaters Adam and Alaina would yell at their overlord). Now, Mr. Bruni has beaten me and Serious Eats to the punch with a long piece on Vetri in today's New York Times. After reading his account of his meals at Osteria, which sounded like works in progress, I decided that postponing my trip to Philly...

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2 Comments | Posted by Ed Levine, May 23, 2007 at 7:38 AM
Tagged: cheesesteaks, Flavor Guides, gelato, Osteria, Philadelphia, pizza, pretzels, roast pork sandwiches, Vetri