Osso Buco - Mangia! Mangia!

The culinary history of Italy established a reputation more than 2,000 years ago, and while some of the most popular dishes associated with the Italian culture include pizza and pasta - there is so much more to Italian cooking. The unique cuisine of the Italians stands out through the styles of cooking, eating habits, and local ingredients throughout the many regions in Italy. This diversity began after the fall of the Roman Empire, each region began to support separate identities, traditions and started to display its own unique way of cooking, right down to the formation of a meatball, to the characteristic of cheeses, the wine produced in a locale, diverse types of bread, varying shapes of pasta, and preparation techniques also differed region by region.

Milan, the capital of Lombardy is one of the world capitals in fashion and design. In the culinary aspect of this region, it is more a butter/rice culture than a pasta/olive oil culture and features almost no tomatoes. Some typical dishes of Milan are Cotoletta, breaded fried veal chop. Risotto alla Milanese prepared with saffron onions and white wine. Büseca is a stew of tripe, butter, tomatoes, and beans. Cassöla is a stew made from fish. Piccata Milanese fried chicken cutlet. Panettone is the tall, fruit-filled Italian sweet bread that is served particularly at Christmas and Osso Buco alla Milanese – is braised veal shank. (This dish was formerly prepared with no tomatoes, since tomatoes were not available to Italy until the mid 19th Century. It is commonly served with a Gremolata, which is a combination of chopped parsley, garlic and lemon zest).

At Osso Buco, on the Upper East Side, the veal shank is braised with tomato, onion, stock and wine, served with fettuccine. If you like veal and you have never tried Osso Bucco, you totally should. The restaurant is family-style, reasonably priced portions and pretty tasty. The restaurant is nothing special in décor, its pretty average but great for large parties. The menu features both single portions as well as family size, with a great selection of chicken, veal, beef, seafood and pastas. The staff, well – some are more attentive than others.

The Caesar Salad - perfect amount of dressing on it, plus shavings of parmesan cheese. The Zuppe di Mussels - fresh, and meaty, simmered in a white wine, garlic and plum tomato sauce – Tip: order the garlic bread to mop up all that sauce. I happen to love their tomato sauce, - it’s perfectly seasoned and probably the best sauce I have had since my days as a child growing up in Little Italy. The Mediterranean Shrimps - large and sautéed in garlic, white wine, and plum tomatoes. Of course - the main attraction - Osso Buco (translates to "hole in bone") here, the veal separates effortlessly from the shank and sits next to a hefty serving of fettuccine; a tiny fork is placed (I think they should use a demitasse spoon) in the center of the bone, where the cooked marrow clings to the hollow of the bone, so that you can scoop it all out - a nice presentation of the dish.

Although Osso Buco is not the very best Italian food I have had, there are definitely many items on the menu executed better than others and worth having. It’s a great local restaurant, perfect for a casual meal – this is my first choice whenever I crave Italian. Mangia! Mangia!

Osso Buco
1662 Third Avenue
at 93rd Street
New York, NY 10128
212-426-5422