![]() An outdoor patio is being designed to provide additional seating in a garden like setting. ![]() Also on the horizon is a major addition to the 130 seats here now. Watch for modern takes in the world of craft cocktails to hit the Umbra menu soon. His next foray into finding perfection is with premium spirits. The olive oil comes from one vendor in Italy, who was so confident that his oils were the best, he sent a dozen different bottles to Marco free of charge, who hasn’t been disappointed with one yet. He works with 4 different Italian importers, to ensure he has only the best imported brands on the plate. He spent another whole day trying to find the best Grissini. He went on one trip to Torrino, shopping a whole day for the highest quality chocolate. ![]() The wine racks were fabricated and shipped from Milan. The bubbly glass chandeliers are from Venice. These are not your average dishes, these elevated selections are meant to dazzle.Īlthough he’s clear about using fresh ingredients and produce, he’s gone far and wide to make this place a showcase for the best of Italy. Here they skewer the tubes, lightly encrust them in fresh bread crumbs, grill them, and plate them with a zesty, lemon vinaigrette on a bed of frisee. The calamari, found on every Italian menu, and typically made for the American palate by serving them up to look like onion rings and French fries with a side of marinara. The Caprese Salad, also a stock menu item everywhere, gets a lustrous twist here with a composition of big, fresh, sliced tomatoes, imported burrata, and the unexpected basil gelato, or course made in-house. Most often we see them filled with a soft cheese like ricotta or goat cheese. But these lightly battered beauties are stuffed with mozzarella – which is new to me. As an example – the zucchini flowers, a childhood favorite of mine, and now found on many fine dining menus around the country. I suspect that constant tension to outdo each other is what keeps things around here fresh and unique. He and Sabrina, together for 31 years, are competitive and he says (not shyly) they bicker every day. Here at Umbra, the plates are filled with items made in house, pastas, sauces, and gelatos. He’s emphatic when he says the best foods are always homemade. At about 14 years old he started to put dishes together on his own. Marco shared many stories about the path to his own place, starting with cooking at home. Now more than 90% of the Sagrantino grape is grown in Umbria. Sagrantino was an Umbrian varietal largely lost until Caprai focused on the recovery of the grape, reinvigorating a 400 year old tradition. Wines that have a story like Sagrantino, which have been put back on the map by Arnaldo Caprai. He’s also well versed in the history of wine, especially those from the Umbrian region. His knowledge goes way deeper than just understanding what he likes to drink. If you love wine, you’ll definitely want to check out Osteria Umbra, because they have the perfect wine to go with your dinner. Marco doesn’t just like wine, he knows the wine, sells the wine, LOVES the wine. He’s clear about his love for bold Italian reds, his preference for a Barbaresco to a Barolo, and his obsession for Brunello. A good part of Marco’s after dinner chat with us was about wine. The talk at Osteria Umbra includes wine, a lot of wine. That’s about 88 pounds of Parmigiano Reggiano a week and that doesn’t include the parm they use in other dishes or tableside. They go through about a wheel a week for this must-have dish – Taglierini Alla Gricia. They definitely had me at pasta tossed in a blazing wheel of cheese. Oh and then there’s this spectacle, a huge fiery cheese wheel. Add to that a Chef and his wife, both from Umbria, working together, on a dream to come to the US to open a memorable restaurant, and you really got something. Beautiful dining room(s), well trained, attentive staff, a skilled Italian Chef, and an interesting wine list with a bottle for every palate. Osteria Umbra has everything you want in an upscale Italian eatery. No need to call 911, this blaze is totally under control.
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