Osteria Povera

If you've even had Italian eats out in Port Moody, I'm sure you've come across Rosa's.  That place had been around for 22 years and was a favourite of many including local celebs and sports stars.  I had visited the place a few times and to be honest, as much as it was solid with generous portions, it wasn't my favourite.  Well, doesn't really matter now as Rosa has retired and in its place is Osteria Povera.  It is by the same people that run Originals Mexican down the street.  Eileen and I ended up trying it out for her birthday.

If we had known that they were going to serve us some complimentary Focaccia with tomato puree, parmesan, calabrese and spianata, we wouldn't have ordered so many appies.  But whatever, more food means more fun!  Also, that tomato puree was money being mildly tangy with aromatic depth.  The focaccia was also good with a crispy exterior giving way to a fluffy centre.  This was a great appie in itself (for 2 people), but hold on, we got way more...

That would mean more cured meats, cheese and you guessed it, foccacia. This came in the form of the Affettati e Olive Fritto.  We found mortadella, cacciatore, spianata, capacollo, calabrese and olives pan-seared in olive oil.  As you can clearly see, they were shy with the amount of meat and olives (this was only $19.00!).  Loved the warm olives (I love olives in general) as it went well with the cheese and foccacia.  Suffice to say, we didn't finish this.

You would think this would be enough cured meats right?  Nope, we also had the Prosciutto, Rucola e Burrata.  Gotta say that they give you your money's worth of cured meats here.  Although it wasn't the most expensive prosciutto, there was a lot of it (yes, we didn't finish).  It rested on a bed of arugula and a small piece of creamy burrata sat in the middle.  This was finished off with olive olive and a bit of pepper and salt.

We had one more appie with the La Bomba con Pane e Polenta.  This was essentially an olive spread with hot peppers, olive oil and other veggies.  This was served over the same foccacia as well as seared slices of polenta.  As simple as this dish appeared, it happened to be one of my favourites.  I loved the spiciness combined with the tanginess, saltiness and aroma of the EVOO.  The seared polenta was quite nice with a smokiness as well as the unmistakable texture.

Over to the pastas, we started with the Tagliatelle Ragu with ground beef and short rib.  Continuing the theme of generous portions, this pasta was not exactly huge, but much larger than many other spots.  It featured tender ribbons of tagliatelle that were just marginally al dente.  No problem with that as the mouth feel was good.  There was a good amount of meaty ragu that had natural beef flavours as well as a balancing sweetness to go with the savouriness.

Next we had the Fileja al Pomodoro Picante that featured Calabria-style pasta with a spicy tomato sauce.  This was essentially an Arribiata sauce with plenty of spice and tang.  I thought that they nailed the balance of flavours here where the spice was at the forefront but did not overwhelm the tanginess of the sauce.  Furthermore, the amount of cheese on top helped bring things down a few notches.  The pasta itself was al dente and clung onto the sauce well.

Last pasta was the Gnocchi e Filetto alla Parmigiana sporting a large breaded beef tenderloin cutlet atop gnocchi with a tomato basil sauce.  That beef cutlet was huge and super tender with plenty of parm on top.  Hence it was salty, nutty with the tang from the tomato sauce coming through.  Underneath, the gnocchi were tender and fluffy.  I would've liked a bit more bite, but they were still good nonetheless.  Sauce paired well with it.

Not to be outdone, we also ordered La Pizza Margherita with roma tomatoes, cheese and fresh basil.  This was a more Roman-style pizza than the Neapolitan style we find at most places these days.  Hence, the crust was a bit thicker and slightly chewier.  It was still soft though and nicely seasoned.  There was a good amount of tangy sauce and cheese on top.  I especially loved the ripe tomatoes as they were delicious.  The fresh basil also added aromatics and herbaceousness.

For dessert, we had both the Frittelle di Carnavale and the Grappa Tiramisu.  Unfortunately, the donuts were hard and chewy.  Too bad really, as they looked good.  On the other hand, the tiramisu was good with rich and creamy mascarpone and properly-soaked lady fingers. Overall, we found the food quite good at Osteria Povera. Sure, some of my favourite Downtown Italian restaurants are better, but this is good for Port Moody.  They completely renovated the place, so it is more modern and clean.  Seating is a bit tight, but that is the limitations of the building.  I wouldn't mind coming back.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Generous portions
- On point service

The Bad:
- Donuts were not good
- Seating is tight