Osteria Vera

"Those looking for the perfect little neighborhood Italian restaurant might look to Osteria Vera from seasoned chef Nicola Mastronardi, a jolly gray-haired cook who seems to relish this second tenure in Brentwood. Mastronardi was the chef of the neighborhood revered Vincenti for 22 years, serving grown-up pastas and other pan-Italian specialties to the tony neighborhood. With Osteria Vera, he’s opted for a lovely little brick-lined space that was Pecorino for 17 years, a fully open kitchen where he and five cooks plate excellent starters of roasted beets with burrata, roasted octopus legs, and tempura shrimp with tomato agro dolce. The chitarra pasta is tossed tableside in a wheel of pecorino cheese for a textbook cacio e pepe while the lobster paccheri is so delicious you won’t want to share it with the table." - Matthew Kang, Eater Staff

"Osteria Vera is a six-month-old restaurant from seasoned chef Nicola Mastronardi, located in Brentwood. The restaurant offers a brick-lined space with a fully open kitchen, serving starters like roasted beets with burrata and tempura shrimp with tomato agro dolce. The chitarra pasta is tossed tableside in a wheel of pecorino cheese for a textbook cacio e pepe. Even on a Monday, Osteria Vera’s dining was close to full, with happy diners." - Eater Staff

" If you’re familiar with the Brentwood Italian beat, you may have heard the names Vincenti and Pecorino. You might also know that those restaurants are no longer with us, at least until Osteria Vera immortalized them. This upscale San Vicente restaurant lives in the former Pecorino space, is run by the Vincenti people, and serves a menu full of its predecessors’ greatest hits like paccheri in sweet lobster-infused tomato sauce, cacio e pepe tossed tableside in a giant cheese wheel, and a mind-bogglingly plump off-menu rotisserie duck. Osteria Vera can get pricey once you add a glass or two of wine, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone given this spot’s pedigree. " - brant cox, arden shore, sylvio martins

"Osteria Vera has famous parents (it lives in the former Pecorino space, and is run by the Vincenti people) but that’s pretty common in this part of town. If you enjoyed its predecessors, Vera serves a menu that’s a baby of the two in a warm, brick-walled space that will cause ragú–induced deja vu. Neighborhood dads gather to drink wine and complain, local families split radicchio salads with balsamic dressing, and a solid cacio e pepe is tossed tableside in a giant cheese wheel. The best dishes, however, are the classics held over from Vincenti, like paccheri in sweet lobster-infused tomato sauce and a mind-bogglingly good off-menu rotisserie duck that you should ask about, even if your server doesn’t mention it." - sylvio martins, arden shore, brant cox

"Osteria Vera has famous parents (it lives in the former Pecorino space, and is run by the Vincenti people) but that’s pretty common in this part of town. If you enjoyed its predecessors, Vera serves a menu that’s a baby of the two in a warm, brick-walled space that will cause ragú–induced deja vu. Neighborhood dads gather to drink wine and complain, local families split radicchio salads with balsamic dressing, and a solid cacio e pepe is tossed tableside in a giant cheese wheel. The best dishes, however, are the classics held over from Vincenti, like paccheri in sweet lobster-infused tomato sauce and a mind-bogglingly good off-menu rotisserie duck that you should ask about, even if your server doesn’t mention it. " - sylvio martins, brant cox, nikko duren