Osteria Valenti di Marco Maffeis — Restaurant in Bergamo

It was late and I was looking for a place to have a nice dinner after a day of traveling. I checked for an Italian restaurant with both good reviews and pictures that intrigued me and found the Osteria. I knew I wanted that tiramisu!

When I arrived the place was half full. The waitress mentioned that more people were coming soon (and they did) but that I could have had a table for little less than an hour if I wanted to.

I thanked and opened the menu. Tragedy, I wanted everything from that list!!

I told the waitress that I wanted a 3 course meal and initially she said "not sure, there are other people and we need to serve them too" but then she noticed my strong desire to enjoy the night, learnt how eager I was for their tiramisu and had a word in the kitchen to help me.

I loved the amouse bouche, so simple, so Italian.

The first course was rich and filled me after 12 hours of fasting.

The second course was Arrosticini. It was good but it left me less enthusiastic than I was hoping. I had to ask for some salt as I prefer my meat salty. I think I also had the issue of being used to Irish lamb, which is incredibly tasty, usually more than what you can find in Italy. And it's around Easter time, so peak season for that.

The bed of spinach was very good, like I love them.

The tiramisu was a special treat, one of the best I have had in a restaurant. Totally worth the effort of eating the rest fast!

When I was ready to leave, the owner told me a story that made my night special. It's a story of when he was a student and his professor taught him how you should never send away a solo guest without dinner. A couple or a group can keep each other company. But what night awaits a solo traveller if late in the night they remain without a place...

Good and bad service. I arrived for dinner around 7:30pm and requested a table outside, there was someone there and the ‘manager’ was showing someone else to a seat outside too. He told me he had closed that section off for the evening and the only tables were inside.

I got a table inside and over the next hour saw several people being allowed to sit outside, they were clearly walk in’s (did not have a reservation).

At the end of the day it’s not a massive issue that I sat inside, more the fact that he wouldn’t allow me, yet would others to sit outside.

I had one dish, the ravioli which was excellent and the waitress was helpful.

The manager (big guy, bald with glasses) made a point of checking in with the other diners and taking to them, yet I was ignored.

I wouldn’t recommend here for...

Cucina tipica bergamasca

(O almeno credo, visto che non sono bergamasco!)

Scherzi a parte, siamo capitati in questa struttura un po’ per caso, seguendo consigli trovati in rete perché il ristorante in cui avremmo voluto andare era pieno...

Ma non tutti i mali vengono per nuocere, vista la bella scoperta!

Il locale si trova in una buona posizione, circa a metà tra la stazione e il “Sentierone”. Grande ma non grandissimo, ha anche un ampio Dehor per la stagione estiva, che per ovvi motivi non era agibile. Nel complesso risulta molto pulito, ordinato e arredato in maniera piacevole, seppur non particolarmente originale - casse di vino sulle pareti, qualche stampa etc...

Il menù non è amplissimo, cosa che personalmente apprezzo molto, e presenta molto piatti tipici della cucina orobica. Il piatto forte pare siano le carni - sul menù c’è scritto che l’attività era una macelleria che si è “evoluta” in ristorante - ma nessuno dei commensali ha scelto quelle portate (ammetto che i piatti che ho visto girare erano piuttosto invitanti e i profumi decisamente...interessanti)

Noi ci limitiamo ad un antipasto di salumi e formaggi locali - molto buoni! - e ci tuffiamo nella cucina tipica con salsiccia bergamasca alla griglia con polenta e funghi, polenta con formaggio fuso e funghi e casoncelli al burro.

Tutto buonissimo - a parte i funghi che accompagnavano la salsiccia, non molto saporiti - forse un po’ troppo condito e pesante. Infatti, nonostante le porzioni non colossali, ma nemmeno scarse, intendiamoci, ci siamo alzati più che sazi. Un rapido sguardo alla lista dei dolci, piuttosto ordinaria in verità, e abbiamo chiesto il conto.

Il servizio è stato nel complesso preciso - a parte in piccolo pasticcio con le forchette - ma molto freddo, sia da parte delle cameriere che del proprietario. Esempio stupido: al momento di pagare il conto abbiamo fatto i complimenti per il vino al proprietario. Molti ristoratori avrebbero apprezzato e ci avrebbero raccontato di come hanno trovato la cantina, dove si trova e di perché a loro piace...qui invece si è limitato ad abbozzare.

Il conto - € 77,00 per un antipasto, acqua vino 3 piatti e 3 caffè - assolutamente in linea con il...