"Money should not be the reason why you open a business. It should be the result."
-Founder and Owner of Osteria 57 and One Hospitality Group, Emanuele Nigro
It's not who you know, it's WHOM YOU KNOW and we are delighted to now know Emanuele Nigro, Founder and Majority Owner of Osteria 57 and One More Hospitality Group and native of Milan, Italy. Your stomach is glad he came to the USA in 2006!
The business is One More Hospitality Group; the name is derived from the idea that it is one more company doing positive work in the community, Emanuele tells us.
Osteria 57 is the first business of this group and it began in 2017 by Emanuele.
Over time, Wael Deek (Lebanese) joined as an owner and beverage director and Riccardo Orfino from Padova, Italy (near Venice we are told) joined as owner and Executive Chef and Culinary Director.
The minute we walked in, Wael and Emanuele graciously greeted us.
All suppliers are small farms and they go to the farmers market three times a week and change their menu four times a year to make sure your dinner is the absolute freshest of the season. Lani's Farm, Norwich Meadows and Flowering Sun (mushroom farm) are among their suppliers.
Emanuele tells us they are health-focused and care about the environment and their concept incorporates a holistic approach to health.
Osteria 57 is Pescatarian Italian and has a local clientele and they welcome visitors as well!
We absolutely ADORE this level of attention to detail and source of product, and before anyone rolls their eyes and says there goes Peachy talking about another Italian...we can assure you, this one is a winner! We began with Market Salad. Red and golden beets, watermelon radish, kale, mizuna salad and red sorel make this party nutritious and the colors are really this vivid. We don't edit. Of course they put the dressing on the side and listened per Ms. Pretty Picky's request.
There is absolutely a percentage of Peachy's composition that is Burrata, so of course we ordered it. It arrives in style with roasted asparagus, charred Sorrento lemon and watercress and the burrata itself is honored with these ingredients spectacularly singing backup.
The burrata here is superior and is matched with ingredients of similar quality not ravaged with trendy nonsense like you can find at lesser venues. The burrata itself is creamy and outstandingly smooth and flavorful. The Octopus appetizer is pleasantly arranged but is cut up (some guys like our pal Fouad serve it whole) and is joined by heirloom potatoes, fava bean pesto and pickled onion for a terrific springtime touch. The Octopus itself is perfectly grilled and not over or underdone-we like Goodyear tires on Corvettes but not our dinner plate. The below Super Tuscan was ravishing and versatile and Osteria 57 is interested in serving you wine that your personal palate desires.
So, obviously you want to know how the fish was because this is a Pescatarian endeavor. It is triumphant! Meet both the mid-Atlantic swordfish stuffed with almond pesto, salmoriglio and charred fennel, and perhaps even better is the Branzino, which Emanuele tells us is fed with live microorganisms like shrimp and algae. Braised endive, olives, and super smashing green garlic tapenade team up with wasabi mustard greens to make the Branzino sublime to your senses. Emanuele tells us that the menu changes seasonally four times a year and they only ever work with seasonal ingredients.
The pasta section has six choices and we narrowed it down to two, both seafood-influenced of course. The classic Linguine Alle Vongole, Gragnano Linguine, is perfectly al dente. Manila clams star in this number in divine performance along with garlic, parsley and olive oil.
Perhaps even better is the tantalizing Saffron Garganelli, made at their pasta lab. Handmade saffron-infused Garganelli teams up with sensational lump crab, Calabrian chili and Sorrento lemon breadcrumbs. The crab itself was exquisite.
We like all the usual vegetable side suspects, however, we like it even better when you rock our vegetable world and do something different that is delicious and not ridiculous and trendy. From the Grilled Asparagus with romesco sauce and hazelnut to the standout Snap Peas, our favorite, with mint, crispy garlic, charred lemon and Pecorino, Osteria 57 is making eating your springtime vegetables fun again! There are 75 coveted seats here: make one yours.
We were impressed on our first visit and we look forward to seeing what they do next.