Le Virtu, Paradiso, Osteria

[brescd01]

In response to recs for these places on the fora (both eGullet and Chowhound), I tried Paradiso (with my wife last week) and Le Virtu (with my wife and parents last night). I tried Osteria for the third time Friday night for a business dinner.

First, Osteria: I don't like it. I have not liked it any of the times I went either, so this is not just a bad night. The service is warm and the vibe is lively, I definitely felt each time I was in a happening place. But it is also noisy and less comfortable than either Le Virtu or Paradiso. I do not understand the menu in that I am sure there is endless refinement in the recipes, the pizzas, etc, but I am not smart enough to appreciate it. The presentations and flavors taste precious to me, for example a special ravioli I had that was so delicate I did not feel I ate anything afterwards. I had sea bass, and it was well prepared and its tomatoes were delicious, but in the end, it felt like French nouvelle cuisine rather than what Italian means to me. I had gelato for dessert and this was robust and tasty. Service was warm and attentive, but again, the whole production was pretentious in that the "special" pizza was "Sicilian" style rather than "Neapolitan" style. It tasted good but not particularly specific and I don't think pizza are so refined or distinctive in Italy. I have been to Italy once and the pizza I had in Milan was wonderful, but tasted like NYC pizza to the tenth power. Focaccia, a similar item distinctive to Lombardy, varied from one place to another in the same city (Genoa) in a way that would defy generalization, and I think pizza is probably the same. I just don't feel Italian food lends itself to such intellectual approaches.

Paradiso and Le Virtu succeed for me in this area, that one does not have the sense that the dishes were intellectualized. Call it dummed down. One vituperative post on Chowhound lamented the amateurish service at Le Virtu and I found very amusing to observe that in fact, the service was amateurish compared to the polished service at Paradiso. But that does not mean I got bad service at Le Virtu. Paradiso was my favorite of the three. Its service was warm and attentive but not overbearing. The food was good but did not rock my world. I had the oso bucco and it tasted good though not at all distinctive. Nothing was really distinctive or memorable, just fresh and tasty. We enjoyed ourselves.

While I liked Le Virtu I think my family was unimpressed. And why should they be? The food was mostly forgettable like Paradiso's, maybe slightly less distinctive or tasty. Its web site advertises that it contributes to PAWS but my request to bring my dog to the patio was a no-go. I had the timbalo because it is a famous dish but it was nothing special. Nothing was special. The patio is very pretty. I thought my wife's seafood plate looked nice and its fish seemed fine. But again, not memorable.

Osteria cost the same as Paradiso, I think $55/person. Le Virtu $45/person. This is approximately what I spent, not a formula or what they will cost someone else.

Edited June 7, 2009 by brescd01 (log)