O'Barone: A Great Destination for Italian Cuisine on Van Brunt

O'Barone opened in the early part of this past summer and, after reading several great reviews, we'd been meaning to try it ever since. Luckily for us, we recently got the opportunity to go out (without the kids!) and we headed straight there.

We loved every aspect of this place. The food was delicious and reasonably priced, the wine was one of the best we've had in sometime, the decor was comfortable and welcoming, and the chef/owner was a fantastic host, explaining the origins and ideas behind each item, from the olive oil to the meat.

We started our meal with a shared plate of beef carpaccio, arugula, and shaved parmesan, which proved to be simple yet delicious, as it was made with top quality, hand selected ingredients.

After the appetizer, we went with entrees of "Casaresce with sausage Bolognese" and "Tagliatelle with mushroom and a touch of cream." We traded both plates back and forth, and neither of us could decide which one we liked better. Both were cooked to perfection and were full of flavor.

We hadn't planned on having three courses and wine, but everything tasted so great that we plunged ahead with dessert. We ordered one plate of strudel (Fulvio, the chef/owner, has some Austrian heritage mixed in with his Italian) and a dessert that was made to look like Italian sausage (really a crushed and molded chocolate cookie) that came with ice cream. Once again, we were not disappointed.

All in all, we highly recommend O'Barone and will plan to go back there ourselves the first chance we get. Readers should also take note that there are flyers floating around the neighborhood that offer a coupon for 10% off (and include a coupon of the same value for Red's Tapas Bar - another local favorite!).

O'Barone is located at 360 Van Brunt in the old 360 space.