Osteria Morini Awards

Osteria Morini Restaurant Review:

Chef Michael White, a partner at restaurants Marea and Ai Fiori, set out to bring a "real" osteria to New York and he has succeeded. Osteria Morini is clearly run by a very professional team, but it still maintains the personable feel of a local restaurant. The menu features the venerated cuisine of Emilia-Romagna, with rustic fare such as farro and bean soup with porcini mushrooms and sage to start. Follow up a plate of salumi with a traditional pasta such as creste loaded with mussels, scallops and shrimp, or skewers of sweetbreads and Hampshire pork with guanciale, peppers, onions and sage. There's also a crispy veal cutlet wrapped in prosciutto cotto, served with spinach, Parmigiano and truffle cream. Desserts range from a light panna cotta with strawberry marmalade and poached orange segments to the more decadent, like the chocolate peanut butter bar with Valrhona ganache and buttermilk gelato. Many of Osteria Morini's wines are from native grapes from small-production wineries throughout Italy, and there are plenty of good values to be found.