Osteria Crescendo — Restaurant in Westwood

Osteria Crescendo is a modern Italian restaurant in Westwood. They start you with delicious bread and dipping oil. What is really nice they will gladly give you a second helping of it too! To start we chose the Paradiso Ravioli and the roasted beet salad. The Paridiso Ravioli was OUTSTANDING! It's a must order! It was cheesy on the inside, and it came in a light lemon zest sauce. I wish I had ordered it as my dinner because I certainly didn't want to share it! The roasted beet salad was very good! I loved the bottom layer of Gorgonzola dolce and sunchoke! For entree we chose the lamb neck for two which was HORRIBLE! It was full of fat and the texture was just disgusting! Our waitress should of been better informed of what lamb neck like because if we would of known it's all fat we would of NEVER ordered it! We were not told how fatty it was! I could not eat it! It was that gross! It also came with a dry arugula salad with no dressing and nothing in it! This probably would of been a 5 star review if we had ordered something different! It's really not the chef's fault, but the fault of the wait staff for not informing people it's all fat! I can't imagine anybody possibly liking this dish at all! Take it off the menu! For desserts we ordered the bread pudding and the budino. While we were waiting for desserts another waiter went to the table next to us and informed his table there were two desserts specials. Our waitress never told us of any specials at all! I asked the waitress about the flourless chocolate torte special, and she said she forgot to mention it. The bread pudding was AMAZING! I highly recommend ordering it! The budino was just ok not that good. I ended up switching it for the flourless chocolate torte, and that was DELICIOUS! I would definitely love to come back and dine here, and try some more dishes. I definitely won't be ordering anything I never had before like lamb's neck! I'll stick to the pastas, seafood, and steaks. I highly recommend dining here, but save yourself the disappointment and don't order...

Came here as couple to celebrate an occasion. Overall, the experience was excellent.

We were seated quickly and our server took her time explaining the menu and specials, which was helpful. After our order was placed, we quickly received water however we waited quite some time for our bread, and mixed drinks. This was probably the low light of the evening.

However, once the food started to arrive, it was delicious, properly timed and we will definitely be coming back.

We ordered the Fried Squash blossoms as our appetizer. They were delicate for a fried food that it really took us by surprise. The sauce was a sweeter tomato based sauce that paired well with the blossoms. Really a good way to start the meal.

Afterwards, we shared a tortellini polenta primi special. The tortellini was stuffed with polenta in a sauce. 7 came to an order. The pasta was al dente, maybe a touch under, but the texture from the pasta against the creamy filling and sauce made for a perfect bite.

For our secondi, we shared the BBQ Quail in a bean Israeli couscous. Couscous was delicious, flavorful and very filling. We weren't the biggest fans of the quail. Although cooked well, and very moist, it didn't have to much flavor apart from the char on the outside of the bird.

Lastly, for desserts, we tried the Budino and the Olive Oil cake. At this point in the meal, for two people, we definitely did not need two desserts. However, we really wanted to try both.

The Budino is a vanilla pudding, with a berry compote and two different types of corn preparations. Really tasty, the perfect level of sweetness and well done. The Olive Oil cake was moist, flavorful, and a pretty large portion.

Great meal, service picked up after the initial wait, and food was well done. You should definitely give this...

With a show-stopping corner location on Jefferson Avenue in the heart of downtown Westwood, this establishment has been on my bucket list. The reservation was easily made with Resy.

Upon arrival at Osteria Crescendo to celebrate my milestone birthday as first-timers, my partner and I were greeted by the staff. The space was split in two: one side is a bar, and the other is its pristine dining room filled with details such as white marble tabletops and glasses reminiscent of Italian craftsmanship. We were led to a table by the window with a wide range of music playing, evoking a vibe that was posh and modern yet still had its callbacks to the old country.

Their menu adopts a more traditional Italian approach with antipasti, primi, secondi, per la tavola (“for the table,” for sharing), and dolci. Sampling cocktails and nibbling from their bar menu takes us back to Venice, which, inspired by the Italian tradition of cicchetti (snacks), offered small plates, such as fried calamari and house-cured salumi, meant to be enjoyed with a glass of wine or a cocktail.

As an appetizer to share, we opted for the Burrata. For our main meal, we decided on the Lancaster Amish Chicken and Spinach Girelle. We even saved some room for dessert and got their Apple Pie Sundae with vanilla gelato accompanied by a lit candle. Complimentary bread with oil started our meal.

The food was delicious, presented well, and generous portions from a well-thought-out menu with a complete balance of flavors. Not only were the noodles freshly made in-house, but they're also perfectly cooked, wonderfully firm to the bite.

The entire staff was exceptionally friendly and attentive, especially our server Chanelle, who made the experience even better. We can recommend it to anyone looking for a...