Rosalia Osteria has opened in Vancouver’s Yaletown neighborhood, offering a menu fresh pasta made in-house.
Brothers Dom and Frank Morra, who are also behind Via Tevere, Dante Italian Sandwich, Don’t Argue Pizza and Straight Outta Brooklyn, named the restaurant after their grandmother.
The idea came from the Sunday dinners they grew up with, when pasta was the main reason everyone gathered at the table.
The rose-toned dining room seats 13, with another 20 seats on the garden-inspired courtyard patio. Culinary director Phil Scarfone leads the kitchen. He was previously the opening head chef at Nightingale and Elio Volpe.
Here’s what we tried at a recent media event.
We started with the House-Made Buffalo Ricotta and slices of Livia bread. The ricotta spread easily, and the orange honey gave it a little sweetness.
The Prosciutto di Parma came with Parmigiano Reggiano, aged balsamic and potato chips. The chips added a salty crunch, and the balsamic brought a little sweetness to the prosciutto.
The Braised Meatballs were tender and came in house tomato sauce with more Livia bread. They were one of my favourites.
We tried two pastas. The Rigatoni alla Vodka was al dente, and the heat from the Calabrian chilli came through at the end.
I loved the Spaghetti alle Vongole. The Manila clams gave the garlic and white wine sauce a briny flavour, and there was a little heat from the chilli.
We finished with the Tiramisu, which came with roasted cherries and Cardamaro, an Italian wine-based digestif. The cherries were tart against the soft tiramisu, and the cacao left a slightly bitter finish.
Rosalia Osteria opens for dinner at 4 p.m. seven nights a week, according to the opening announcement.
Rosalia Osteria
1127 Mainland Street, Vancouver, BC