Mamma Mia, Here They Go Again!
Lupo Verde is back at it with their newest location, Lupo Verde Osteria, now open in the Palisades.
The menu boasts authentic, rustic, Italian fare featuring a variety of small plates, house-made charcuteries, breads, cheeses and antipasti. Six house-made pastas, and four entrée selections including whole roasted fish and a premiere selection of meats are available during dinner. A family-style “Sunday Supper” menu is also available exclusively in the third floor private dining room.
Fresh and dried house-made pastas are also available for purchase by the kilo in the market, along with jams, olive oils, pastries, sauces and other imported Italian products. At lunch, a selection of house-made paninis, salads, pastas and Roman-style pizza by the slice is also available for purchase. A “Lazy Box” is also available, and includes a nightly selection house-made pasta and sauce for two to ten guests, priced starting at $25.
Additionally, parties of four to eight guests can reserve “Dinner with Chef”, an exclusive chefs table experience, which is available nightly in the first floor market. “Dinner with Chef” consists of nine courses and is priced from $120 to $140 per person, with an additional $50 to $75 per person for wine pairings.
We checked out the dinner menu, and have picked out some must-tries for you when you visit!
To start, try the popcorn cocktail, served with a snack – a mini bag of popcorn!
Must order appetizers include the burrata salad with gorgeous roasted beets, hazelnuts and sorrel – the green of the moment. Sorrel is super vibrant with a slight tanginess that livens up any salad.
The fried artichokes are what it’s all about if you’re having trouble deciding on an appetizer. Pretty confident I ate this entire plate myself. Served bagna cauda style, the crispy yet tender hearts are intended to be dunked into the herbacious, anchovy dipping sauce. I’ll take two, please!
A real crowd pleaser is the Porchetta. Pork belly is smoked and braised with loads of rosemary and topped with fresh fava beans, peppery watercress and a rhubarb puree. There’s a lot going on here, but it’s worth sharing. If rosemary ain’t your thang, I’d steer clear.
All the pastas are fantastic, but it comes as no surprise with Chef Todd Sprik at the helm. I tried the always delicious cacio e pepe, swimming in salty Parmesan with lots of cracked pepper and a toothsome noodle.
But the stars of the evening were the garganelli and a squid ink pasta special.
The garganelli noodle is so fun to chew – it’s thick with a great bite, cooked perfectly al dente. Simply prepared with a classic ragu and fried parsley, I could not stop eating it. Talk about a comfort food…
If there is a pasta special – order it. It will likely be something amazing like this squid ink pasta with calamari and other sea creatures in a light cream sauce. Insert Homer drooling GIF here. 🙂
So take a drive out to the Palisades, which I did not even know existed, and try out the newest location from the Lupo Verde team for some delicious Italian fare and a market that will leave you with something spectacular to cook up the next day!