Melrose Hill’s Best-kept Secret
This much is obvious: Osteria La Buca is a fucking gem. The place is the size of a closet and you always need a reservation, but you always feel like you’re in on some secret when you’re eating there. And it’s dark.
The homemade pasta is unfailingly delicious, and the sauces comprise a laundry list of classics—hearty bolognese, creamy carbonara, spicy arrabiata, savory amatraciana. (My favorite may be their boscaiola, a cream sauce with peas, mushrooms and ham.) The daily specials often include a handmade pasta with a unique addition to the dough—saffron or cocoa powder, for example.
La Buca’s salads, appetizers and pizzas range from passable to great, and the tiramisu is flawless. The waitstaff is charming, even/especially when they’re making fun of your friend for ordering decaf coffee.
It looks like La Buca is also nearly finished with a long-awaited expansion into the adjoining space. The new space will clearly accomodate many more diners, but the real question is whether or not they’ll be able to maintain the intimate charm that is such an important part of the La Buca experience. I hope so.
