Osteria di Valerio and Al

Osteria di Valerio and Al is a wonderful gem of a restaurant. Looking more like a New York eatery than a Cleveland one, this twelve-table, northern Italian restaurant serves excellent meats, pasta, and seafood in a stylish setting, accompanied by an extensive and affordable wine list.

Osteria di Valerio and Al, located on St. Clair near W. 4th St. in Cleveland's Warehouse District, is a small gem of a restaurant. Designated only by a unamusing sign on the street, you enter by walking down under from street level into a stylish black-and-white dining room with a black marble bar top, white linen table cloths, and framed black-and-white photographs of northern Italy.

The food is mostly northern Italian, with a large selection of grilled meats and pasta. A long list of daily specials, including several fish and seafood entrees, augment the regular menu. Highlights of the regular menu include the beef filet with porcini mushrooms, a succulent osso bucco with a vegetable reduction sauce, and the roasted rabbit with rosemary. Appetizers include an imaginative antipasti platter (enough for four or more) and paper thin carpaccio.

Service is attentive and knowledgeable without being overbearing and is happy to offer wine and food suggestions. The wine list, predictably heavy on Italian wines, offers something in every price range.

It's easy to see why this consistently good restaurant has caught the eye of local and national reviewers, including a recent blurb in USA Today.

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