The food is classic and authentic Italian cuisine.
On Day 25, among our best choices in Italian cuisine, we offer ...
OSTERIA GIOTTO
The owners met in the kitchen of San Domenico. In Imola, Italy.
Osteria Giotto co-owners and chefs Robert Pantusa, left, and Luca Valerin And if you know the story, philosophy and legacy of San Domenico, one of the most esteemed restaurants in Italy, you need know nothing more.
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For that is enough to explain the soft, gentle layers of pasta that are the lasagna Bolognese at Osteria Giotto, made with nine layers of pasta and bechamel.
This is lasagna genteel and refined, a joy and a pleasure - and an embarrassment to the American concept of lasagna, like comparing a velvety, aged Barolo to a flabby, sweet California cabernet.
Osteria Giotto opened in 2003 on Montclair's Midland Avenue. Osteria Giotto opened in 2003, and the food is classic and authentic Italian cuisine. "We try to stick to what we know," says Robert Pantusa, who runs the always busy restaurant with Luca Valerin.
Complementing the food is the attitude; talk to anyone in Montclair and the first thing they mention about Osteria Giotto is the friendliness. How they bring olives and homemade bread immediately, how you feel the love.
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Reservations are particularly tough on weekends; Pantusa guesses they serve about 300 people on a summer Saturday.
He doesn't use a computer to reach that tally. "I just know how tired I am at the end of the night."
• Osteria Giotto | 21 Midland Ave., Montclair | (973) 746-0111 | giottomontclair.com
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