According to Eater, Osteria Posto opened in Waltham yesterday. They are in a strip mall next to Bonefish Grill and across the street from the Westin. http://boston.eater.com/2015/11/23/9781882/osteria-posto-soft-open-waltham
Anyone been here? Weāre meeting friends for dinner tonight.
I saw this too late; I hope your meal was good, and Iām curious as to what you thought.
I went a few weeks ago and was impressed by the level of service and finish to everything. I had the cap steak, which was cooked perfectly and was terrifically tender, and my d/c had the ribeye, which they declared the best steak theyād had in Boston. Of the sides, I really dug the foraged mushrooms. The fingerling potatoes and brussels sprouts were fine, but nothing terrific for the price. We also tried their sweetbread marsala (which tasted like a meatier version of the foraged mushrooms), the really terrific calamari, and my favorite bite of food of the evening, the chicken liver bruschetta, which was one step away from foie gras. Their bar staff seemed extremely knowledgeable and helpful and their selection of liquors, digestifs, and amaro was excellent.
EDIT: one odd thing; after I posted this, I looked to see if there were any other reviews out there and found one with a photo of the exact same steak Iād ordered. My steak was tasty, but had no sauce on it whatsoever, certainly not the ābone marrow fat brothā they describe. It was just a cut of meat on a plate. So now Iām unsure what to think.
We had a nice meal. There was nothing unique enough that Iād rush back, but it was an extremely convenient spot between the city and our friends who live west along Rt.2.
I absolutely agree with your comment about the service. It was extremely efficient and professional. The pacing of the entire meal was excellent, and I was particularly impressed as they have been open less than 2 months. The room is fine, pretty much what Iād expect from an upscale place in a suburban strip mall type location. They were excited to show us their patio, which looked nice except for the scenic vista of 128.
The food was good overall, with some things more successful than others. While I liked the flavors in the crudo misto, they could have been a bit more subtle. I like to taste the actual fish in a crudo. Others disagreed and ordered this as an entree after sampling the app. I am not a huge fan of fried calamari generally, but the fry job was perfection. The mushrooms were a favorite dish of ours as well. The tagliatelle pasta itself seemed to be hand made and cooked well, however the bolognese wasnāt particularly memorable and a bit under-seasoned. My wife ordered the whole branzino and it was a lowlight foodwise. It was not prepped well (bones did not separate easily and skin was difficult to remove. I though it tasted a bit fishy and the texture was mushy as if it was not very fresh. Someone else in our party didnāt like their entree. I forget what or why, but they took it off the bill without being asked and brought some complementary desserts as well (the tiramisu was enjoyable).
I had the cap steak as well, which was the perfect portion size not to feel gluttonous as the only one ordering a steak. This cut is something Iāve learned to order when I see it on a menu. I enjoyed my steak, but do feel like the one service glitch was their steer on my order. When I ordered my steak medium rare, the waitress told me the chef strongly recommends medium for this cut. It took me a bit off guard, but as she said it was their specialty I thought there might be something I did not know. I split the difference and asked for medium rare āplusā. The steak was cooked closer to medium, however since the thickness varied from one end to the other it was more half and half. The truly medium rare pieces were much more to my liking. Iām still scratching my head on this one. My plate looked more like yours than the one in the picture, however the steak did have a lip coating richness reminiscent of bone marrow. Maybe they are just finishing with it in the pan and not plating the sauce?
There are worse places to meet friends between the city and burbs. While I wonāt personally seek out Osteria Posto, Iāll be fine if someone else picks it. If the food can get a bit more consistent it will be a nice option indeed. I think they are going to be very successful, as everyone in our party who lives west of Waltham will definitely be back. However if I am going to choose, it will probably be to go back to Moodyās.
Very interesting! My d/cās ribeye looked like the photo, very clearly drizzled with a glaze, but mine didnāt, although the char on it was fatty enough that it might have had the bone marrow going on. If and when I go back, Iāll ask. For the record, when I asked how they recommended the cap steak be finished, my server recommended medium-rare, which is how I normally order as well.
I had the same reaction to the calamari. Iām fine with calamari, but donāt typically order it. When my tablemates got it, we were all really impressed by the light and crispy fry and the tenderness of it. None of us got pasta, but Iād like to, next time. Thanks for the heads-up on the branzino, as I had waffled on that when I was there, and now Iām very glad I didnāt order it.
Quick update: I returned to Osteria Posto with friends and asked about the bone marrow sauce situation. My waiter said that āall steaks are brushed with the sauce but it may have been too subtle to noticeā. I ordered exactly the same steak Iād ordered before ā cap steak, medium rare ā and this time it not only had a fantastic crust but was liberally drizzled with the sauce and topped with caramelized onions, the way it appears in promo photos of the restaurant. It went from being an enjoyable steak to a really terrific dish.
It was also one of the weirdest meals Iāve had in awhile, because (in a restauranteurās nightmare) the fire alarm went off in the middle of Valentinesā Day dinner, and everyone had to stand outside for a half-hour in the snow. To their credit, they handled the situation very calmly and professionally, got everyoneās food out surprisingly promptly once back inside, and even comped our deserts.
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