Osteria - Palo Alto, CA

I'm finally at the end of my California posts, and it finishes with our first meal: Friday lunch in Palo Alto at Osteria. It was the four of us grabbing lunch before driving into the city. Osteria is a small, neighborhood Italian spot in downtown PA. We had a very nice meal, complete with fresh pasta, salads and bubbly.



Erica and I split a very good Caesar salad. The greens were California fresh, the croutons made in-house, and the dressing did not overwhelm. It was a lovely salad, plenty large to share.



The pastas were also made in-house, and it showed. The noodles were tender and fresh, very well made. My complaint though wasn't with the pasta, it was with the sauces on both dishes. Erica ordered a pesto pasta and I chose a marinara with pork. The first issue was quantity, there wasn't enough sauce for all the delicious noodles on the plate. But more sauce would not have changed the fact that neither dish's sauce contained enough flavor. Alyssa ordered a fried calamari steak that was probably the best dish at the table. I've never seen a fried calamari steak before.









All in all it was a nice lunch and a good way to start our weekend. The champagne was tasty and we loved our salads. The fresh pasta was great, but the sauces need some work. It's a bit fancy and I think pricey, but a fun location and good vibe for a neighborhood Italian spot.