By Jori Diego Cherubini
“Are you looking for a charming corner in the heart of the Val d’Orcia? Nothing better than the Osteria, in the heart of San Quirico d’Orcia. A place whose philosophy is precise: to offer diners an unforgettable and one hundred percent Tuscan experience, thanks to the processing of exceptional raw materials to embellish beautiful and delicious dishes”
Mauro and Patrizia.
We met the owners Mauro and Patrizia, a couple in life and work, to tell us about their proposal, that is absolutely to try: “We focus on simplicity and taste – they proudly tell – if you eat a poached egg with truffles – they explain – you have to clearly feel the ingredients, the egg, of course, the truffle, but also the spices, you eat first of all with your eyes, then with the palate».
The idea – courageous – of the Osteria, concerns the choice to include some dishes in the menu and not others: «some enter hesitant but always come out enthusiastic, because the dishes are beautiful to see, tasty and good, we have proposals that others do not have: ‘Bruschetta alla carbonara’, ‘Panzanella’, ‘Pappa al pomodoro’, ‘Arrosticini di agnello’, ‘Caponata’, ‘Pecorino grilled with truffle or rigatino’, ‘Pecorino cheese with zucchini’, ‘poached egg with truffles’, ‘Florentine tripe’, ‘crostone with meat sauce or pork livers in the pan’, the latter cooked slowly and at low temperature, a process that is not trivial but that conquers everyone». Because: “It is possible to make a complete meal by not eating pasta”.
And for vegetarians? «… Many delicacies of vegetables: caponata, cabbage, beans, chickpeas, salads, pecorino cheese with zucchini …». Even the desserts reflect the Tuscan tradition, from tarts with spelled flour with pistachio cream and hazelnuts, donuts with wine or ‘cantucci’ (delicious and soft) and Vin Santo.
Mauro and Patrizia are originally from Rome, and come from experience in catering: «We have occasional clientele and a fixed one, those who try our cuisine always come back». Even the background music, between jazz and lounge, which keeps you company but is not invasive, there are those who enter for the music and stop».
In the dishes, at ‘zero kilometer origin’ (for real), you can perceive the passion for simple cuisine, which does not mean trivial, on the contrary, and always combined with good wine: «we have an important cellar and each dish is accompanied by a label, you can uncork a Brunello with certain dishes and a red with others, and everything is perfectly balanced». As for the meat: “It comes from a historic butcher shop in San Quirico that owns its own breeding, from which an amazing tartare is prepared, while the cheeses come from the Cugusi Dairy, between Montepulciano and Pienza, while the vegetables, grown in these parts, are delivered twice a week”.
The food-wine combination is fundamental and evokes the real Tuscany: «We try to discover the goodness of Orcia wines, which are emerging, as well as a wide selection from Montalcino, Montepulciano, Bolgheri, full-bodied or soft wines, the excellence of Tuscany in short, while the whites come mainly from northern Italy». The restaurant overlooks on one side a splendid loggia set in the beautiful village, and on the other on the central Via Dante, the main street of the town, a strategic point where to eat and “breathe” Tuscany: “This – conclude the owners – is the least contaminated country of the Val d’Orcia, where important traditions survive, such as the Barbarossa Festival, here you live Tuscany, in the eyes and in the bearings”.
Info: L’Osteria – Via Dante Alighieri 52/B, San Quirico d’Orcia (Siena). Reservations at ilrossellino@gmail.com / +39 320 2240150