I don't know how to say "fantastic" or "grand" or really anything positive in Italian. If, like me, you learned your Italian from watching mobster movies and ordering pasta, then Osteria il Bertlodo will leave you speechless...until it's time to order the next plate!
The osteria is tucked into a a side alley, which every savvy traveler knows is already a good hint of the deliciousness to come. True to Italian custom, they don't open until late (19:00, if I recall correctly), and the dining room is small, but we were lucky enough to get a small table at 20:30 without any reservation.
The menu is drawn from traditional Sorrentino cuisine, not Veronese, but that didn't stop me from giggling and moaning like a naughty nympho during the primi (first course) and secondi (second course). I feasted first on Spaghetti Gaetano, a veritable ambrosia of mussels, peppers, garlic, and a touch of parsley and tomato. I stole from my company some spaghetti with mussels and pecorino. We had ordered glasses of various white wines, and it was fun pairing and cross-pairing the wines and primi to see what was the best combination.
The secondi brought things to the next level. The veal escalope was nice, and a first-rate ambassador for the cuisine of Sorrento. But my tagliata di manzo served with arugula, juicy wedges of tomato, and slices of sharp provolone brought me to a higher plane of existence. In a moment that could only be described as serendipity and compared to fate, the beef was grilled perfectly as to order - rare - which I was informed made both me and the cook happy, as I "didn't ruin his meat" by ordering well or medium. One can judge a kitchen by how it prefers to serve its beef, as only high quality beef can be served rare. That tender pyramid of pink, adorned with provolone, bejeweled with tomato, dressed in a skirt of arugula...ahhh, the first forkful set my heart aflutter when it landed on my tongue, and I spent the next many minutes in gastronomical ecstasy. It was all I could do to leash and restrain myself from devouring my plate in seconds.
Wine was there too. It was delicious. But it was a supporting role next to an Oscar-winning performance by the actor known as Beef.
Dessert was a wonderful interpretation of the Sicilian cannolo. While not quite authentic, I certainly enjoyed it. The cream was light and slightly citrusy, and the shell was nice too.
I don't know how much dinner cost (the tab was withheld from me), but it was worth every penny.
By the way, the waitress speaks amazingly fluent English, and I believe some German too. There was a cute moment at the end of the night when the proprietors gathered behind the bar with the waitress for a grappino and she was giving a short English lesson on toasting.
I heartily recommend this osteria to anyone looking for a top-flight meal in Verona where it doesn't have to be Veronese cuisine! read more