Posto [Bedford and Somerville, MA]

Went to the new Posto in Bedford last night with 4 colleagues, two from out of town. The senior one (who picks up the tabs) is extremely fond of Italian restaurants and we had been lacking a good one in the area. We may have found our spot.

To start, we shared three antipasti: the Nonna’s Meatballs with mozzarella and Pomodoro sauce (5 to a serving). Everyone else loved these; I just had the knockout version at SRV last week so I was a bit more critical (though I did keep it to myself, lol!): I thought they were a bit stodgy although tasty. The arancini (4 to a serving) had arborio rice, lemon and oregano and a tangier tomato sauce than the meatballs. The bruschetta (3 to an order) were the sleeper hit of the antipasti: bread lightly charred in the pizza oven, spread with a fair amount of really tasty goat cheese and topped with roasted grape tomatoes, red onion and basil and drizzled with a judicious amount of vin cotto. I will pause to say here that in most places we go if we ask that the appetizer portion size be adjusted to give us 5 (or whatever) pieces so we can easily share, it is no problem but that was not the case here. I have no idea if that was just our waiter though. He was decidedly odd.

I got one of the night’s specials: roasted duck breast on wild mushroom risotto with dried? roasted? cherries. It was spectacular: the duck breast was perfectly pink inside and the fat nicely rendered, it was sliced thinly but not too thinly, the risotto was loaded with wild mushrooms and nicely wet but not swimming, the cherries had lovely flavor. After all the apps I brought about 2/3 of it home and can hardly wait to eat it tonight. Others had the salmon on lentils with root vegetables (I tasted and it was good although the salmon was cooked longer than I prefer); the gnocchi with short ribs (proclaimed wonderful and hoovered up) and a salad. We also got a Toscana pizza (salumi, pepperoni, sausage, roasted garlic, peppers) for the table. Neapolitan pizza is really not my thing (I always find it soggy in the middle) but it was undeniably tasty with good quality toppings.

The space is large and has a huge bar in the middle. To the left of the bar is the main dining area and it has 3 of the biggest booths I have ever seen. We were in one of them and it was extremely comfortable. There was a large group at the bar who were essentially right next to us which made it hard to hear each other until the group got seated but I’m not sure how often that would happen and the noise level was otherwise fine. On the other side of the bar there is some high top seating and beyond that what looks like a private dining area. It is a very large restaurant and we did wonder if it will get sufficient traffic. They serve lunch Monday to Friday. I am very glad to have this near the office as a resource for non-adventurous diners. I am also glad I have some visiting colleagues who think Holi or Sichuan Gourmet or Gustazo is a wonderful choice. :slight_smile:

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Great write up! Thanks. And they do lunch.

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Thank you for this timely review! Nothing locally compares to SRV’s meatballs for me, except Moody’s back before the change in administration (haven’t had ‘em since their changeover). SRV plays at a such a high level.

I’m encouraged by your report overall. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Also I should ask: How’s the noise level? Does the room lend itself to conversation?

The noise level was fine except when a large group of drinkers was right next to us in the bar area, separated only by a half wall. Then it was terrible. But I have no idea if that is a nightly hazard or whether it was just a chance holiday celebration and other nights the bar is fairly empty. Also this was a particularly loud group.

And make no mistake: Posto is in no way comparable to SRV which does indeed play at a very high level. But it was a nice dinner in suburbia.

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Thanks again, Gretchen! Will look forward to trying.

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This is curious, and highlights how well a place like SRV does the little things. They go out of their way to accommodate this specific situation. Even if we don’t request it, the waiter always suggests adjusting the order for the size of the party. It is greatly appreciated detail that elevates the service.

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@GretchenS Thanks for this timely report. My family is converging on Arlington next week (my brother usually hosts in NY, but it’s getting tougher to transport mom and dad to NY from RI) and I’m out of practice with holiday hosting. My parents love Italian food since they usually eat Korean at home so I’m going to suggest one night out at Posto. Hopefully one of those big banquettes/booths can accommodate 6 adults and 3 preschoolers.

Honestly, this intrigued me more than the food!

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Nice report, but don’t think I’ll be getting to Bedford any time soon. Thank you.
CocoDan

He was just kind of … aloof? We couldn’t figure out how to describe him. If I hadn’t asked I do not think we would have heard about the specials. He kept making weird hockey jokes after he heard one of my colleagues talking about coaching hockey. He was just odd.

Would think you’d fit OK as long as you avail yourself of the unannounced coat room, just ask as you come in.

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Just had lunch at Posto Bedford with two former colleagues. It was very good. We shared the arancini which were really fabulous, then two of us got the chicken milanese panino which was enormous and came with buckets of fries. Both sandwich and fries were very, very good. Easily sharable, I brought more than half back with me (although DC ate all of his). Our other DC got the small size of rigatoni bolognese which was a perfect lunch-sized portion and he said was terrific. Service was really pleasant. Place was hopping but never entirely full and noise levels good. The chairs, which are sort of woven, were extremely comfortable. We will definitely be back.

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