Somehow,
Frank Bonanno opened another restaurant in Denver and it escaped my notice for nearly a year. Named for his youngest son,
Osteria Marco is everything that I love about Italy ... unpretentious, artisanal, and relaxed yet a celebration for the senses. We visited on a Sunday evening and grabbed a seat on the Larimer Street patio. I quickly scanned the menu and was enthralled to discover they were serving
burrata, a cheese you can only enjoy very fresh. The menu included numerous
salumi and cheeses made on site, pizzas that make you feel like you're dining in a Tuscan hilltown piazza, and Sundays feature Whole Roasted Suckling Pig. As tempting as the Sunday pork feast was, I was determined to see what Bonanno could do with pizza, and couldn't miss the burrata.
The wine selection by the glass was superb for the humblest of Bonanno venues, I chose the Aglianico and was quickly transported back to a lunch we'd had in
Cortona. The burrata was lush, thick and angelic... if you are a fromage/formaggio-geek, get it, it simply defies explanation how good this stuff is, a cheese which is almost unseen here in Denver. The pizza was
Robiola, wild mushroom and truffle oil ... earthy, carnal, anything but mundane despite the $9 price tag. Reservations are available
here.
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