Madre Osteria
Everybody needs to have a great neighborhood Italian restaurant, a place with consistent food and just an overall comfortable vibe. And this is a neighborhood restaurant that has been severely upgraded. We are at Madre Osteria in Milton, Massachusetts, sort of off the beaten path on Wharf Street overlooking the Neponset River, and I would consider this to be one of the top hidden jewels in all of Greater Boston.
The food here at Madre is all about home style, scratch made Italian. They have great seafood, delicious pasta dishes, amazing chicken parm. They even have one of my all time favorite desserts, and I'll show you that in just a couple of minutes. But first, let's just talk about the design, the aesthetic here. You certainly don't see a lot of neighborhood Italian restaurants that look like this, and it's all because of this woman. Her name is Taniya Nayak. She is known as one of the top restaurant designers in all of America, and she also happens to be one of the owners of this place.
Taniya Nayak: “As a designer, but also an owner, this space hits a lot closer to home. We're from Milton, and my husband grew up here, so when we were able to take over the spot, it became a neighborhood spot that was meaningful for us. So we wanted Madre to convey in that way it's like home. We wanted it to be approachable, comfortable, but also have a vibe like it's just a cool, relaxing vibe. And I think we did a good job.”
I judge a lot of Italian restaurants by the bread basket. The house made focaccia here at Madre is spectacular, very fluffy on the inside, little crispy on the outside, and it comes with some dipping sauce. Now, this bread isn't free. You do have to pay for it, but I tell you right now, it is worth every penny.
I like to start any meal with some fresh shucked oysters, and they do a great job with oysters here. As a shellfish lover, I definitely love the mussels here. These are sofrito mussels. They're cooked in a broth with some shallots and garlic and a creamy white wine sauce with a little fresh parsley, and of course, you got the grilled bread. I mean, if you're not asking for extra grilled bread after dunking it into all that sauce, you ain't doing mussels right. The number one appetizer I would recommend is this one, the crispy polenta. It's plated up with some whipped goat cheese, Pecorino, shallots and golden raisins, truffle oil and a little drizzle of honey.
Taniya Nayak: “The polenta is one of those things that people don't think that they would order. It is off the charts. It's delicious.”
The pizza here is a margarita flatbread. They make the dough fresh. They stretch it out long, like a rectangle, then they actually throw it on the grill. Once you get the grill marks on the dough, you got some sauce, you get some cheese. Goes into the oven to get finished. It's super thin, super crunchy, very cheesy and very addictive.
Now, if you're a big eater, or if you want to feed the whole family, I recommend coming here on Sundays, because that's when they serve something called Sunday Suppers. So this is a fixed price meal with everything you need for a big Italian feast. You get their fresh focaccia, a big fresh made Caesar salad served up in a giant wooden bowl, and a massive platter of fresh pasta with their homemade meatballs and Italian sausage. This is fresh bucatini pasta. The tomato sauce has the perfect balance of sweetness and acid. And who doesn't love a good meatball? I mean, this thing is packed with savory flavors and all those classic Italian herbs and seasoning. The only thing better than spaghetti and meatballs is bucatini meatballs and sausage.
Every item on this menu is tempting, but the number one seller out of everything is the chicken parmesan. Just look at what a beautiful piece of chicken parm this is. You have a nice, fresh white meat chicken breast that is pounded out very thin, coated in a panko batter. It gets fully smothered in their signature homemade tomato sauce and plenty of fresh mozzarella cheese. It's all served over a big old pile of bucatini pasta. To me, this is Italian American comfort food personified.
When it comes time for dessert, there is only one thing you need to know, and that is that this place makes Baked Alaska. So if you've never had Baked Alaska before, basically you have like a shortbread on the bottom that's topped with some strawberry sorbet, then some vanilla gelato, and then the whole thing is meticulously covered in their homemade meringue. And then to put it totally over the top, they bring a blowtorch to it. That's right, the fire creates those little marks on the outside, add some crispiness. The only thing better than how it looks is how it tastes.
Taniya Nayak: “It is just the most delicious thing. I highly recommend it. It's so off the charts delicious.”
This restaurant is really what phantom gourmet is all about. It's out of the way. You may not have heard of it, but if you. Get here, I guarantee you're going to become a regular customer, because whether it's the food or it's the atmosphere, you can't do much better than Madre Osteria in Milton, Massachusetts.
