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Osteria 1909, Del Ray, Italian From the Owners of La Strada - Closed Feb, 2014


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After much conisderation nothing on the bar menu bowled us over, so we ended up going across the street to the new La Strada spinoff. Sorry I can't remember the name but there were numbers in it. Decent paninis and salads. There wasn't an empty seat at 7:45 on Friday night. Definitely a different vibe for that strip and I think they will fill a nice little niche in Del Ray.

Osteria 1909

I have been following them for a little while. It is basically a galley style establishment with a long bar and some some smaller cocktail tables on the opposite wall from the bar. There might be more seating in the rear. They are promoting an always fresh menu in a seperate kitchen from La Strada. I like the concept very much, winecentric and small italian plates. Plus they are open until midnight at least 6 days/week which is unheard of for Del Ray. Will also be open for brunch in the future.

Will report on food soon!

The menu includes charcuterie, grilled steak and fish, hearty flatbreads, small plates, panini sandwiches, soups and salads.

The small plates include items like oyster rocco and grilled baby octopus.

"Everything will be fresh. No freezer or microwave," Guerra told Del Ray Patch in August.

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After a bite at the bar down the street at Cheesetique, walked down to this spot. Not bad at all, small but not cramped. I get the idea from the minute you walk in, this is not the stroller crowd spot. Both bartenders were upbeat and the place was packed. Took a spot at the bar. WBG selections were ok, that is if you enjoy every product from Michael Downey. There are other wine distributors in the area. Food was good, not great. Roasted roma tomatoes on a salad, this time of year? As well, they are somewhat clumsy on a salad. Both my salad and wife's salad were lightly dressed, something I like, not for my wife. I have the arugula and raddichio salad, lemon dressing, pecorino cheese, good bite, simple acidity. I had the capresse pannini, needed something....salt. Somewhere, and that seemed to be the common as my wife ordered the flatbread. Decent portion, but dough seemed very..meh. Needed again salt. Overall again, food was decent, will go back if not just for the bar. Good spot to get away in DelRay.

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Osteria 1909 last night, sat at the bar. I would love to report back that all was positive, but...

I like the place and not just because its in my neighborhood, but because of the feel. I just wish the food would get better. Its not horrible. Its just meh. For every item I like, there are two that just don't complete

First off, if you are going to have pin lights above tables for soft ambience, turn them on. Granted we sat at the bar, but it is something I immediately noticed when we walked in. Why have them if you are not going to use them, its obvious.

Second, Davey the bartender is good. He knows his menu, he knows his drinks, and he has just the right amount of personaility that its not cloying.

Third, to whomever does pricing on wine, ouch! $70 bones for Hodder Hill? When it goes for $20 wholesale, thats 3.5 on the markup. Pretty steep. I understand costs of buildouts and business, but that just seems to be over priced.

Fourth,the food. Cheese plate, good. Decent portions, 2.5-3 ounces per cheese. End pieces, ugh! when 50% of it is rind, don't send it out. Salads, one over dressed; one dressing so acidic my wife had to ask for Olive Oil to cut the acidity. again, the food doesn't wow and maybe that is it intention, but I just felt that it was off.

Overall, again I will continue to support the place simply because Davey really does a great job behind the bar.

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Its on the block past Howell going South. Some might say that once you pass over that Avenue you may as well be in Kansas, not that there is anything wrong with Kansas. Del Ray has loyalty issues as well, some places stay open that I can't understand how or why, others struggle with good concept and follow through and seem to fail. This spot seemed to want to be a grown ups place in a stroller and dog town. As well the food was off the mark. Let that be a lesson to future owners, food has to be on point, not perfect but enjoyable for people to come back. 

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I liked the Spaghetti Carbonara. They had a whole fish once that was good. Cheese plates were solid.

The barmaid and former manager said it was turning into a Sushi-Asian Fusion place. They weren't excited about it. A few of the staff are staying on. Stay tuned...

S

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I liked the Spaghetti Carbonara. They had a whole fish once that was good. Cheese plates were solid.

The barmaid and former manager said it was turning into a Sushi-Asian Fusion place. They weren't excited about it. A few of the staff are staying on. Stay tuned...

S

I liked the gnocchi, did a decent steak as well. We didn't love it the first time we went, took a while to get on the rotation, now it is gone. I don't do sushi, so Won't be going to the new place. Ended up at evening star where I always struggle to find a menu item that appeals all around. I'm sort of particular with the diet and they balk at substiutions in my experience.

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I liked the gnocchi, did a decent steak as well. We didn't love it the first time we went, took a while to get on the rotation, now it is gone. I don't do sushi, so Won't be going to the new place. Ended up at evening star where I always struggle to find a menu item that appeals all around. I'm sort of particular with the diet and they balk at substiutions in my experience.

You need to try across the street at Del Ray Cafe.  They're a bit more flexible.

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For all the charm of my neighborhood, Del Ray is so underrepresented in terms of high quality restaurants. The owners just know people love walking around the Avenue and going to mediocre places, as long as the kids can go to Dairy Godmother afterwards or to the back of the Evening Star for a drink. It's funny what we will consider "good" in this neighborhood... On a given night the Star will be packed, as will Pork Barrel, and the patio of the Thai place will be filled on a nice day.

The waitress was trying to explain to me that it wasn't going to be sushi completely, and I didn't get if they meant izakaya style (which might be good!) or just means it is going to be standard sushi/pad thai/General's Tso's sort of place. Shouldn't be too long, I think they had a plan of action to start up pretty soon.

S

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