We were craving for an early Italian dinner before seeing a Broadway show. Osteria Delbianco actually has two locations: one on 49th and another closer to Bryant Park. Both locations are really easy to get to. We were able to walk in without reservations at around 5 PM on a Friday early evening. The one appeal to me about this restaurant was that it seemed like a local Italian restaurant, and these typically can be hit or miss. The prices seemed reasonable, so we decided to try.
From the site, here’s a little more about the restaurant:
Chef Diego finished culinary school in his native region of Emilia-Romagna, and worked several years in his hometown of Riccione, where he refined his passion for authentic and traditional Northern Italian cuisine. From Italy, he moved first to Paris, working at the acclaimed Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenée, and then on to New York City where he’s spent a decade evolving his own personal style.In 2020, his dream of establishing his own restaurant has finally come true.
Ambiance & Service
The interior is very similar to other Italian restaurants around the Midtown area. The service was very prompt and fast. Because it’s early in the evening, they generally have a good a ratio of servers to diners. As the night progressed, the restaurant was definitely getting more busy, but it never became overcrowded.
The restaurant would be great for an after work dinner with colleagues or even a date night.
Food
I ordered a glass of Montepulciano ($18). The waiter told us that the glasses were not on a menu unfortunately, so I don’t know what vineyard it came from. When I drank it, it had some slight acidity, medium body, and a noticeable dry finish. It paired nicely with all the foods we had tonight, and it’s my usual red wine for Italian.
They gave us complimentary bread with some sort of olive oil peppery tapenade. The tapenade was pretty delicious and was not spicy.
The Scaloppine di Vitello al Limone ($36) came with veal scaloppine, lemon, white wine, and mashed potatoes. The veal was thinly padded and also very tender. I wished there was more of this because it was that good. We took some of the extra bread to scoop up the sauce. This was by far our favorite dish for the night.
The Pollo al Tegame ($33) came with boneless chicken, spicy sausage, black olives, and red peppers. The chicken was tender, but the flat flavors of this dish was basically peppery with some olive flavors. It was our least favorite dish of the night, but it was good if you like chicken with spicy notes.
The Lasagna “Omaggio alla Nonna Delbianco” came with spinach pasta layered with bolognese sauce, bechamel, and parmigiano. This lasagna was surprisingly rich and filling. We were surprised by the bolognese sauce being quite aromatic and meaty. The cheese was also slightly crispy too. Overall, this is one of the better lasagnas we had in the city.
Final Verdict
Osteria Delbianco is a restaurant that we would return to because the flavor to value ratio was very good. If you’re in the area and want something pretty affordable for a party of 2 or more, this would be a good Italian option.
Yelp Jabs
So they say this is one of the best lasagna’s in NYC. That’s quite a bold statement… The pasta sheets don’t have the best texture and the meat sauces lacks the depths of flavor you’re looking for in a rich lasagna
First off, who are “they”? Second, the bolognese was actually quite rich in flavor. Lastly, the pasta sheets are very soft, and that’s subjectively what some people prefer. This Elitist doesn’t really elaborate what is the “best” texture, so it’s hard to know what they’re talking about.
My wife ordered salmon and noted that it was among the best that she has had in a restaurant.
It’s hard to take any Elitist commentary to be serious when they probably only have been to a small amount of restaurants that have this dish. This restaurant is not going to win any accolades nor be the top in gourmand lists, but it’s a pretty good value to taste ratio. Compared to Italian American restaurants like Tony’s Di Napoli, this is probably going to taste better.
Revisions
- Apr 19, 2024 - Initial revision.