Osteria Pollino, which opened last fall in the former premises of Café Via Dante, is an all-too-well-kept secret for dinner (Tuesday to Friday) or for a nice evening in Little Italy.
Posted at 5:00 p.m.
While the decor is rooted more in tradition than in fashion with wood paneling and fine cutlery, the menu at Domenico Armeni (formerly of Lucca) is “bistro” type (it’s a osteria, after all !).
The friendly chef changes what’s on the slate (and on Instagram) every week according to the local ingredients of the moment, which is quite rare for an Italian restaurant – from the South in this case.
Mr. Armeni relies on two associates, Ted Dranias (owner of Petros Taverna) and Donato Palazzo. When we visited for dinner, many regulars were at the table.
On the menu, there were three choices of pasta (our friend loved the ones with mussels), as well as a dish of lamb and another of bavette. Instead, we settled on a perfectly pan-fried salmon dish that paired perfectly with a glass of Trebbiano from the biodynamic Ausanio vineyard in Abruzzo.
We will return to Osteria Pollino, for sure, for a small or a big occasion, but also to taste the desserts and discover other Italian wines after a cocktail.
251 Dante Street, Montreal