A RECENT AFTERNOON VISIT to Italian-centric bistro Osteria G was punctuated by frequent phone rings. One patron after another called to make a dinner reservation for that night or the following evening. “I’m convinced we have the best clientele in the state,” says convivial proprietor Joe Reinis, a Long Island, New York, native who runs the casual fine-dining restaurant along with his wife, Ashley Startek. “We’re a regulars-driven restaurant built on word of mouth.” It’s easy to see why so many folks enjoy dining at Osteria G, which is situated in a small strip shopping center straddling the border of Apex and Holly Springs. For starters, the seasonal menu features locally sourced ingredients, and inventive weekly specials draw a crowd. “We have a minimum of five food specials daily, and they are always rotating,” Reinis says, adding that the eatery sources essentials from Raleigh-based Ford’s Produce and Charlotte-based Inland Seafood, among other purveyors. Executive Chef Manny Lozano, who received his culinary training in France and has worked at high-end restaurants in New York City, finesses pasta, seafood and beef dishes with creativity and skill. “He’s truly special, and all of his dishes are layered and well composed,” says Reinis, Evidence of Lozano’s prowess is witnessed in practically everything that emerges from the kitchen. Consider the popular starter called Chowder Baked Oysters involving mollusks sourced from Prince Edward Island stuffed with a light cream sauce, diced bacon and an oyster cracker crust. Signature appetizer Meatball Wellington features puff pastry filled with a house mixture of veal, beef and pork and topped with a Madeira mushroom sauce. continued on page 96
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