A luscious Italian newcomer to N. Broad

I'll never look at mozzarella sticks the same way after devouring the crisply fried bread-and-cheese squares of mozzarella in carrozza. But Osteria's starter-course pastas, made from firm semolina, were revelatory.

The unusual gnocchi sardi, more tiny pastas than puffy dumplings, were a shade salty (saltiness also dogged the John Dory tartare). But I found the texture of those grooved little "gnocchi" shells, tossed with peas and crumbled prosciutto in a creamy olive oil sauce, totally addictive. The fusilli with fava beans, pecorino and mint were the pasta essence of spring.

The postage-stamp-sized francobolli ravioli sandwiched a dab of creamy robiola cheese between the most delicate pasta skins and the snap of shaved bluefoot mushrooms.

Entrees evoked some heartier, home-cooked dishes. The soulfully slow-braised rabbit casalinga recipe was taught to Michaud by his Italian wife's grandmother, Anna Carrara, and he replicates it faithfully in the pancetta- and sage-infused white-wine gravy, as well as the polenta that stews in a pot nestled in the wood embers of the pizza oven.

An amazingly tender pork chop from Country Time Farm was an impressive centerpiece for a trattoria classic - a crisply fried pork chop Milanese topped with arugula salad. A thick slice of baby lamb, deboned and rolled around an earthy stuffing of ground-lamb parts, concentrates the intensity of roasted meat and rosemary after two hours on the spit. A $60 price tag seems like a lot for the steak "Fiorentina." But the 32-ounce rib steak is more than enough for two, and the well-marbled prime meat painted my palate with a hauntingly herby garlic savor.

The ricciola (yellowtail) was the only dinner entree I didn't like, as the steam oven left the thick white fish with an unpleasantly flabby, undercooked texture. At lunch, where lively salads, pizzas and elegantly crisped paninis are available, you can also avoid the heavy Taleggio asparagus lasagna, which was bound with béchamel as thick as paste.

Otherwise, my three meals were a dream, down to the sides of crisply fried Roman artichokes and thick, smoky spears of wood-grilled asparagus.

Even dessert brought some unexpected delights, from a gently sweetened polenta pudding topped with hazelnut chocolate gianduja to an array of stunningly silky frozen treats. A creamy coconut gelato tingled with a surprising afterburn of chiles. And sorbetti of blueberry and strawberry were the distilled frozen nectar of the ripest fruit.

Could these be the sorbetti that save North Broad Street? I'll drink a shot glass of perfect espresso to that. Actually, give me another.

Osteria

Excellent

Contact restaurant critic Craig LaBan at 215-854-2682 or claban@phillynews.com.

Read his recent work at http://go.philly.com/craiglaban.