Dinner at Posto

The original Bertucci’s pizzeria was in David Square, Somerville, next door to the original Steve’s Ice Cream store (a pizza place next to an ice cream place: stoner marketing at its best). When owner Joey Crugnale turned Bertiucci’s into a national chain, he sold his two local stores. Both buildings were razed to be replaced by Carberry’s Bakery, which was replaced by a Bolocco burrito joint, then a vegetarian sandwich shop, and then nothing. The location was considered to be doomed to failure because it was just far enough outside of David Square proper to be ignored.

When I heard that a new restaurant would be opening at that spot, I hoped that someone finally had figured out the right establishment for that location, which, ironically, is a pizzeria with wood-fired ovens. Posto opened about six weeks ago, and if the meal we had was any indication, they will be in no danger of failing.

After an unsuccessful attempt to eat there on Saturday evening (at 8 PM on Tufts University’s graduation weekend — what were we thinking?), we tried again at 6:30 PM on Sunday and were seated immediately. It didn’t take us long to decide on our dishes, starting with three appetizers and then moving on to two pizzas.

Calamari, marinara sauce

Lightly breaded with a crispy exterior and a tender interior, served on a bed of greens. After He Who Will Not Be Ignored demolished most of the plate, She Who Must Be Obeyed and I shared the remaining “salad” of arugula, lemon juice, and batter shards.

Nonna’s meatballs “al forno”

Someone’s grandmother has a killer meatball recipe. These were moist, a combination of beef and pork served in a meaty sauce with a generous layer of melted fresh mozzarella on top.

Crispy pig ears, lemon aioli, sea salt

These would have been right at home on the St. John menu. The long strips of ear had a crisp crust on the outside, and chewy skin beneath, with the aioli lending acidity to the fatty treats. He Who Will Not Be Ignored declared them “better than the ears you cooked two weeks ago.” I have to agree, I think this dish will always be on my dinner order on future visits.

Margherita pizza (San Marzano, basil, fior di latte)

We had to order this, it’s the standard by which pizzerias are judged. Only four ingredients: dough, sauce, cheese, and basil – there’s no hiding behind a margherita. And this one was one of the best: crispy crust with some blackening on the bottom, the product of a wicked hot oven (and just the way I like my crust), not too much sauce, a decent amount of cheese, and smaller basil leaves instead of the four honkin’ basil doormats you find on some versions.

Asparagus pizza (guanciale, parmesan, fried egg)

Another winning combination: shaved spring asparagus, guanciale, and parmesan, all on that perfect crust, topped with a fried egg — it’s as if the chef knew me before I ever walked through the door. It took a lot of self control on my part to make sure I shared this pizza with the rest of my family.

She Who had an Aviator, a gin concoction from the cocktails list. I went old school with a glass of 2003 Revello Barolo Vigna Giachini, served from their custom dispensing system.

I’ll leave the final impression to He Who Will Not Be Ignored: “I give it five stars for the food, and one star for the atmosphere. It was to loud; I couldn’t hear my video game over all of the talking.” We agree about the food, the atmosphere was lively but not overwhelming, a good sign of Posto’s potential longevity.

This entry was posted in food & cooking and tagged . Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to Dinner at Posto

  1. Bryan says:

    All right, this one is going on the list.

Comments are closed.