Who else could entice people to street-park their Bentleys and Porsche SUVs on this previously drive-by stretch of Broad above Spring Garden? People have long talked about reviving North Broad, but this restaurant, slipped into the ground floor of a massive renovated apartment building, is the first spark of its new life. And they're coming in droves to this bustling urban loft-turned-rustic Italian haven. Its 100-plus wooden seats are packed with that mix of power diners, foodie high society, and chefs on their night off that is the telltale sign of destination-dining buzz.
In this case, a taste of pizza is enough to know that Osteria - the more accessible, and (slightly) less expensive casual sibling of high-end Vetri - is definitely worth the hype.
You can find all kinds of spectacular seasonal pies emerging from the 700-degree heat of the wood-fired brick oven here. There are pizzas topped with snails and fresh spring garlic scapes. There are crusts laced with tender octopus sparked by chile flakes and smoked mozzarella. They come stuffed with white truffled robiola cheese, or scattered with woodsy slivers of snappy bluefoot mushrooms. There is also the Lombarda, which sports homemade cotecchino sausage and a sunny-side-up baked egg.
But it's the Margherita I love. The height of refined simplicity, its crust, sauce and toppings channel such vivid harmony that I'm transported to the pizzeria in Naples where I first encountered this taste.
