Authentic Osteria in Thessaloniki(1st part)!

Sometimes you feel wrapped up in hospitality and familiarity without a particular reason. Then you get to know each other better and you understand why. You realize that the mere study of a language equals a poor stockpile of knowledge. A great number of empty luggage, perfect on the outside, but lacking essence. So last night was such a moment and fortunately there are yet many more to come.

What is an osteria?

An osteria in primis is a place where you mostly drink and you eat a little, snacks (or cicchetti as they call them in Venetian dialect). And “fioi”?  Maybe there are some of you who already know. Personally,  I ignored that the word “fio” means “young man” in the Venetian dialect. Therefore, the Venetian presence reverberates here because Jacopo e Marco are grown-up in Padova, although Jacopo was born in Messina. As a matter of fact, they don’t fall short of the Sicilian flag which is hanging on the right wall as you enter. Both of them being only children, they have become really close friends, “we are as yin and yang” as Jacopo put it, so much to come together in Thessaloniki the 2^nd of March 2016. After a hard time of work and research to fulfill their dream, they finally managed to open the first authentic osteria in Thessaloniki the 22 of September 2017.

What do they serve?

There are “cicchetti” (snacks) as I previously said, salads and three types of pasta always available: 1)garlic, oil and chilly pepper, 2) Napoli sauce: tomato, basil and onion, 3) Carbonara with egg (obviously!). The real surprise and a reason for you to keep coming back are the daily courses! A surprise dish according to the available ingredients. For example Jacopo was telling me that his aunt once brought truffle from Italy and the “pasta al tartufo” was available for a whole month. I tried pasta with sausage, broccoli and gorgonzola cheese formed as a sauce, delicious! Then another surprise awaits you after dinner and hopefully you are not a nondrinker! I won’t reveal other details…

In vino veritas

Alcohol is a very important cultural fact for them. As Marco said “It’s in our blood. In vino veritas. It’s a cultural fact. I don’t believe the nondrinkers”. In Veneto and Friuli, as they told me, it is a custom to soak the pacifier in wine when the baby is born or a few days later and give it to the baby. Try their sangiovese and merlot wine. They have anyway a pretty refined taste where wine is concerned (also!). And I, being more keen towards sobriety asked them if it is preferable choosing a high quality wine when you know nothing about them. Jacopo in a very simple way replied “sure, because that’s how you will learn”!