Willow Osteria — Restaurant in Clovis

When I saw that Pardini opened his third Italian restaurant (after The Annex Kitchen and Annesso Pizzeria), I was genuinely happy. As an Italian born and raised in Italy, I often feel that the Valley is missing truly authentic Italian cuisine. That said, once I saw the location, I immediately imagined a more modern style of cooking with some creative reinterpretations rather than classic dishes—and that’s perfectly fine. However, several of the items we ordered didn’t quite hit the mark for me, and I’d like to explain why. We started with the arancini, which were very good—the flavor was there, and I would definitely recommend them. For the main courses, we ordered an eggplant parmigiana and a lasagna, accompanied by a few slices of bread (for the scarpetta 😉) served with a bit of olive oil on the side. My issues were mainly with the flavor of both dishes and, in the case of the parmigiana, also the texture. Beginning with the parmigiana, I immediately noticed it wasn’t traditional. It was quite tall and very “steady,” and when I took a bite, the texture felt firmer than usual. A traditional parmigiana is much softer. I understand this version may involve eggplant pulp combined with breadcrumbs or something similar before being layered and baked. Texture aside, the bigger concern was the flavor—I could barely taste the eggplant. It was present, but very faint. Now, regarding the lasagna with boar ragù: I appreciated the pasta (or lasagna noodle 🤮, sorry i can'tstabd the word noodle!)—it was very well made, and the ragù was flavorful. But again, I couldn’t really taste the boar because the flavor of the wine dominated the sauce. In places like Florence and even Naples, the boar flavor tends to be much more pronounced. As I mentioned earlier, I understand this is a modern-style kitchen, and I haven’t yet tried the rest of the menu. But if I could offer one suggestion—especially regarding the eggplant and the meat—let those core ingredients shine more. Their natural flavors make a huge difference. At the moment, I still feel that The Annex Kitchen is a step above Willow in terms of the food. Willow has great potential, but based on what I tasted, it just needs a bit more refinement to deliver the flavors that truly make me feel at home.

P.s. As dessert we ordered the Torta al Latte that was sweet ricotta on top of a nicely wet flavoured bread (or sponge bread, not sure about the name in english). The only thing I didn't like, wile my wife loved it, was the olive oil on...

A lot of hype around this new addition to Clovis. Admittedly I also had a lot of expectations. We went for a date night. We were amazed with the interior decor and the ambiance. We were greeted with warm hospitality at the front door. Service was prompt. Our only complaint was the lack of options on the food menu. Perhaps they are in their soft launch phase. Really felt like they just mixed dishes from annnex and Annesso to Clovis. I wish they had more vegetarian and pescatarian options. That’s being said. I enjoyed their burrata app and salad. Their old fashion was also very delicious and fairly strong. Definitely a must try but be aware of the similar food choices between annex and this new...

Expected more. Hostesses were mid. Bartender was excellent, as were the drinks we ordered. Salad was on par with other nice places, but the three pasta dishes I sampled/ate from were mediocre. I expected to savor each bite like I have at Annex and I wasn’t impressed. The vibe is fine but feels very “instagrammable” which isn’t my vibe. I just want to eat really good food and this did not do it for me. Will stick to Annex...