Not eating pasta at Osteria Morini
When I think of the name, "Michael White" I think about a jolly fat dude who brings joy (of pasta) to the masses. And he flies around the world in one night and delivers Italian food to all the boys and girls of the world. Almost. Well maybe he's not Santa Clause. But getting to taste his food in an affordable setting is almost like getting a gift. Because let's face it - Marea is a little on the pricey side. Osteria Morini is the most accessible restaurant in Chef White's expanding restaurant empire. The decor makes the restaurant feel warm and accessible. It's not a white table linen kind of place. The casual atmosphere doesn't necessarily mean you're getting casual prices. The Polpettine, which is "prosciutto and mortadella meatballs baked in tomato sauce, " is $10 dollars. Four golf ball sized meatballs per order and each ball comes out to $2.50. Them are some delicate and expensive balls. I guess you pay a price for delicious balls.
The value proposition gets better with the dish called "Piazza Maggiore - brick oven baked eggs, soft polenta, sausage ragu, parmigiano" ($17). Some might be put off by paying such a price for what is essentially grits, but Osteria Mornini's version is delicious. Some folks enjoy shrimp with their polenta although this one doesn't need shrimp. It's perfect with just the sausage ragu and the baked eggs. Mix a bit of the yolk ooze with the polenta and it's heaven. And having tried the polenta at Locanda Verde and grits at Colicchio and Sons, I can say that you can't really go wrong ordering the Piazza Maggiore at Osteria Morini.
There was also a fish dish that day at lunch. It came with some red cabbage and a piece of squash (I think it was squash). It was perfectly passable but it was around $23 dollars and maybe a little too much for a lunch dish. I know it may seem weird to not eat pasta in the house of the pasta king, but other stuff stuck out more. It just means that I gotta go back for more next time.
Osteria Morini
218 Lafayette Street .
New York, NY 10012
212-965- 8777
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Funny enough, I just went there last night. Crowded as hell! I got the meatballs, musseto, and sformato to start. No pasta either. Then the petroniana and braciola. Food was good, afforable (for NYC standards) but they need to get the kinks out of service and seating. At least for dinner, they do.
hungry
January 14, 2011 12:15 pm
@Hungry,
haha, I bet that place is just packed every night. It's probably one of the more notable places in the neighborhood for Italian. Beats the pants off of Little Italy, that's for damn sure.
Danny
January 18, 2011 10:59 am