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| - We ate here on a Saturday night, arriving a good 20 minutes ahead of our reservation. Parking in the area is difficult but there is a valet, which is always highly appreciable.
What struck me the most was the warmth of the welcome. The bartender immediately offered us prosecco (exactly what I wanted), and an alternative for my partner, who didn't want that at all. One of the owners introduced himself (Aniello), and throughout the evening made sure that all was well.
The decor is simple but classy. I love the idea of the bar, where you can quite happily wait for your table. We had an 8pm reservation but they weren't ready for us till at least 8.15. We didn't mind as we were catching up with our friends. However, the room is just a bit too narrow to enable people to congregate around it, and we felt we were a bit in the way. On the other hand, the staff certainly didn't make us feel like that at all. Everyone was very friendly and warm throughout the evening. I would probably have easily drunk another glass of prosecco though, had it been offered to me, and possibly sampled a few antipasti, had they been offered to me. Just sayin'.
Once we were seated, the most delicious nutty, fruity olive oil and crusty bread were put on the table for nibbling while we perused the menu. I had the polpetti (baby octopus) in a yummy tomato sauce as an appetizer (I expected it to be cold but it was hot, tender, and nicely balanced with tomato and basil). My partner had a simple, very, very fresh Boston lettuce salad dressed with lemon, oil and grated parmesan. Our friends had the parpadelle with the lamb (I think) ragù, and the melanzane parmigiana, both of which were delicious, non greasy, and well balanced.
For mains, I and one of our friends had the braised shoulder of lamb. I love lamb for its strong taste and fatty bits. I was pleased to see they had kept the fatty bits, and it literally fell of the bone. The portion size was substantial too. My partner had the swordfish, which was delicious and had a surprising mix of flavours and textures: the chewiness of the accompanying Italian couscous, and the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes and sultanas it had been cooked with. Our other friend had the spezzatino dell'Hostaria, which was a veal and vegetable stew. I often find veal a bit bland (I like lamb, remember), but this dish had an amazing flavour that made me want to have it myself next time.
I did wish there had been more accompanying vegetables. My meat came with a token potato and broccolini/rapini stalk. The staff even asked us if we wanted an accompanying salad, which we took.
I was quite sure I couldn't eat any more but the basil sorbet sounded like it might help my digestion, so I pushed my indulgence a little further, and am very glad I did. It was delicious!! I had two (very short) espressos to round it all off. With our three glasses of prosecco and a bottle of wine (sorry, can't remember what it was, but it was recommended and was a lovely medium red that went well with everything), the bill came to $345, which I consider to be a very reasonable price for such an excellent meal. Also, it was very late by the time we left (getting on for midnight), which means we ate at a very European, leisurely pace. Since the experience is as much a part of the pleasure as the food, this puts Hostaria way up there for me. I'll be back!
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