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Firenze Osteria
By Bruce Wildstein

Situated on a rather unassuming stretch of Lankershim Boulevard, Firenze Osteria has given the Toluca Lake and North Hollywood areas a dose of classy Italian dining. Fabio Viviani, formerly of Bravo TV's Top Chef show, helms a lovely interior with subdued lighting, a full bar, and a busy open kitchen. Walking inside, you'll notice an elegant chandelier providing a beautiful focal point for the main dining room. The Italian born and raised chef studied cooking growing up in Italy and spent years honing his craft there and in Europe. After settling in Southern California, he opened Café Firenze in Moorpark. Now this new eatery is his latest venture, and he puts his experience in Italian, Spanish, and French cooking to good use. With numerous meat, seafood, and pasta dishes, the menu should have something for most anyone.

We attended on a recent Saturday night and the dining areas were mostly full which was a good sign. We perused the wine list, which includes a variety of whites and reds from Italy, Australia, and California. The Mazzoni Rosso Toscana sounded good, this being a "super Tuscan" blend of sangiovese and merlot grapes. If you've never tried a super Tuscan, this would be a good start. It's a full-bodied wine with some nice berry flavors. And the "mixologist on duty" can also create a number of specialty martinis with various fruit flavors as well as Maragritas, Sangria, and the call brands.

Warm Tuscan Foccacia and some garlic and rosemary breads arrived as we checked out the appetizers. The Cesare Salad we ordered was fresh and delightful with crostinos, white anchovies, and crisp romaine. Other salads include a Caprese di Burrata, with imported burrata cheese, and the Caprese di Bufala with bufala mozzarella. Our first Antipasti was the Crostino di Pancetta, which featured their light creamy burrata cheese with the sliced pancetta meat on toasted bread. With a touch of butter and sage, it was wonderfully good. We also sampled their jumbo shrimps (Gamberoni in Camica). These plump morsels were grilled, wrapped in pancetta, and filled with Gorgonzola cheese while sitting atop some delicious Parmesan polenta. They were nothing short of excellent. And lastly in the appetizer department, we had fresh Scallops, which were grilled and sat on some wonderful creamy butternut squash.

For our entrees, we had Grouper, which Fabio prepared with cooked cherry tomatoes. And after that tasty dish, we just had to try one of Firenze Osteria's pasta entrees. The Trofie con Anatra e Finocchio sounded like winner and it was. Trofie is a homemade rolled pasta, not flat or ribbon like, and it was accompanied by duck sausage, caramelized fennel, and of course Parmesan cheese. We really did enjoy this dish. Other pastas include a Ravioli all'Uovo, with lobster and braised vegetables, basil, cherry tomatoes, and shrimp in a white wine lobster reduction. And if you're a meat lover, you could try their Rib Eye Steak, the Ossobuco Veal Shank, Kobe Beef Short Ribs, and much more.

Believe it or not, we had room for dessert! And how could we pass up Fabio's Cannoli's? We couldn't, and delighted ourselves with this traditional Italian dessert with ricotta and chocolate chips in the crispy pistachio encrusted shells with a touch of powdered sugar. It was enough to make any other Italian restaurant jealous. You might also want to try the Flourless Chocolate Cake with vanilla gelato, the Panna Cotta with strawberries, or the Vanilla Crème Brulee.

Based on our experience, Firenze Osteria has taken off in the few short months it's been open. They offer a seven course Chef's Table with alcohol pairings, special wine tasting events, and Fabio periodically teaches a cooking class-check their website (www.firenzeosteria.com). It's also worth mentioning that on weekends there is fine guitarist providing entertainment at dinner. No matter where you live, you should give Firenze Osteria a try. They are located at 4212 Lankershim Blvd, telephone 818-760-7081. Dinner reservations recommended.

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