BiNA Osteria Boston: AMAZING!

Because I am going out with a friend tonight for Valentine's Day, The Husband wanted to take me out last night to celebrate the day.  (Friday the 13th seemed like a much cooler day in which to celebrate love over Saturday the 14th anyway.)

We booked a table at a newer restaurant NOT in our neighborhood of the South End. (We decided for Valentine's Day, we wouldn't be lazy and just walk down the street.)  We booked a reservation at BiNA Osteria in downtown...

At a traditional osteria, wine is the main event, and the food is secondary to it.  But at BiNA, it's the other way around.  In fact, I didn't even have any wine with my dinner.  Just a great cocktail of elderflower and gin, and some bottled water.  The food was so good, I didn't need wine to enhance the experience.

BiNA has a prix fixe menu they offer, and it allows you a chance to taste quite a few different dishes.  The Husband and I weren't quite that hungry.  We looked at the menu and decided to try the following:

• Gnocchi - This was the best! The hand-roll the gnocchi in their walk-in freezer. This prevents moisture from getting into the pasta.  And it is so light.  It was delicious!
  
• Piccola Insalata - This was also a light starter.  And it had some beautiful watermelon raddishes in it.
  
• Spaghetti Carbonara - Spaghetti (probably my least favorite noodle nest to macaroni) was not used in this dish. It was actually angel hair pasta (my favorite pasta noodle).  They poach an egg and serve it right on top of the pasta, which has parmesean and pancetta scattered throughout it.  You break the egg when it is served to you, and it melts the cheese. It was amazing.
  
• Chicken Marsala - I have made this for dinner many times for The Husband... And my recipe is quite respectable.... But this one completely blew mine out of the water. 
  
• Chocolate Truffle with Hazelnut Gelato - We had to share a dessert, it being a date and all. The truffle (cake) was served freshly baked, and when you cut into it, chocolate would ooze out of the center... Missing with the hazelnut gelato on top. I don't think I have to tell you how I felt about this dessert.

It was definitely worth the trip on the Orange Line to Dowtown Crossing to get dinner there. You are crazy if you don't try this place.  And, it has a nice lounge area near the bar, making it perfect for cocktails.