Another day of pouring rain in Fairfield county. Joy! :-( It made me want to close my eyes and dream of a warm sunny Mediterranean island. I can almost see myself sunning at the beach as I ponder over what my next meal should be. As my imagination took over my brain, I began craving that wonderful cuisine of the mediterranean islands which boasts lots of fresh ingredients, herbs and delicious spices. Mmm... I must have me some hummus with pita. Yes...yes.... and some olives. Oh! and some pasta and...
While sunning on a Mediterranean island is a dream yet to be realized, I can certainly settle for the next best thing. The food! Osianna in Fairfield is the perfect spot for that fix. A family owned and family run restaurant, the menu is rich with recipes passed down by generations. Their award winning pastas are all home made. So are all their sauces. When a restaurant and its chef take the time to make their own pasta, it tells me about their passion for what they do. I know that they are perfectionists and love to create food that befits their personal high standards.
Osianna just won the Best Mediterranean Restaurant in Fairfield County award by Fairfield County Weekly 2013! It is owned by the same folks who own Quattro Pazzi in Fairfield and Stamford. These restaurants have had die hard following of diners who come week after week for the same delicious food that transports them to another world.
I had a wonderful lunch with some old and new friends at Osianna. The owners Gino and Maria joined us and talked about what this restaurant and food means to them, as they served us some highlights of their menu. We started with the instantly-gratifying Mediterranean Spread which had all the things I had been craving. It was all the superb mediterranean flavors rolled into one appetizing platter. A must try when you are there.
The Sicilian Arancini boasted an absolutely mind-blowing texture. The warm and crisp exterior coating enclosed a wonderfully soft and moist filling of tomatoes and rice. Served with a delicious Kalamata Aioli, it was the most perfect appetizer. I would like some more of this goodness please!
The gazpacho was divine with amazingly fresh flavors of tomatoes and cucumbers. One of my dining buddies ordered it, and the rest of us had to ask for extra spoons to dig in and dig in and .....
For our main course, the Linguini with Fresh Artichokes was calling out to me. I have never had this dish before and was curious about what it would taste like. Lemony, garlicky, crunchy, meaty (from the artichokes) goodness all rolled around the perfectly al-dente homemade pasta. Yum!
For our grand finale, Maria and Gino had us try a large selection of desserts: three different kinds of baklava, two kinds of cookies, walnut cake, and a really really REALLY yummy dessert called Ekmek made of layers of shredded wheat, pudding and whipped cream. This was supremely divine, with delicately soft yet contrasting textures, perfectly sweetened with hints of spices. This is Maria’s mother’s recipe, and I could totally tell why she is so proud to have it on the menu. I am in love with this dessert and it is sure to end up in my mouth every time I visit Osianna.
Osianna’s outdoor patio is now open. Hope you visit them this summer. And when you do, I will be curious to know what you enjoyed there.
Osianna Mediterranean Taverna, Fairfield CT | http://www.osianna.com
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