Osteria Ester in Orlando: Italian American Comfort in Thornton Park That’s Just Okay
If you’ve skimmed through my blog you can tell I lean heavily into the Asian food scene in Orlando. I’m aware of that and have to actively try to branch out to cuisines from other parts of the world. My visit to Osteria Ester is me making that effort to add more variety to my dining out diet.
The first thing to know about Osteria Ester is that it isn’t an authentic Italian restaurant, whatever the hell that means. It’s an Italian American restaurant. The difference is that dishes like chicken parmesan aren’t from the motherland but are creations of immigrants who had a greater abundance of food available in America.
Polenta Mozzarella Sticks Good
These were more like wide, deep fried Jenga bricks of cheese and polenta. I prefer the mixture to plain cheese since plain mozzarella would be too greasy and dense otherwise. It’s still a very heavy appetizer that feels like it will sit in your stomach, but flavor and texture wise it was good.
Kapoon Nam Gai Skip
The clams are a skip. I found them chewy with not much flavor. The bacon on top doesn’t really add much to the dish, and there was an overuse of olive oil which made each morsel of clam greasy.
Bolognese Skip
My wife ordered the khao piek sen, a clear broth chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles. The broth is light and soothing, the kind of thing that feels healing to eat if you were under the weather. It’s not ultra flavorful, but the chicken flavor is understated in a good way, and homemade noodles are always a plus. My main complaint is that this dish is kind of plain and tastes like mom’s cooking rather than something you’d pay $16 at a restaurant for. It needs more substance.
Chicken Parmesan with Spaghetti Good
I got the chicken parmesan with a side of spaghetti and tomato sauce, and I really liked the texture of the pasta. It didn’t have the exact texture of dried pasta but also wasn’t soft and eggy like fresh pasta. It had the best of both worlds for me. I usually prefer dried pasta, but these noodles had a good chew along with a dense slipperiness that felt like it wasn’t that boxed dried stuff.
The chicken parmesan itself was also very tender and flavorful. It’s obviously not going to be crispy since it’s drowning in hot marinara sauce, but the sauce helps add flavor to the panko breading. I recommend this dish. It’s a big portion, so for smaller appetites it could be a shareable plate.
Tiramisu Good
Tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts. I’m partial to anything with a wet cake or pudding-ish texture, and tiramisu fits that category with its coffee soaked ladyfingers and mascarpone cream topping. This is what I’d call a grown folk dessert. It’s not overly sweet and has some butteriness to it that’s rounded out by the creaminess of the cheese. I liked it, but I wish the layers were more cohesive. Some bites were more chunks of cheese and others were more creamy, and I would have preferred it better mixed together.
Atmosphere
Osteria Ester is right in the Thornton Park area of downtown, so unless you can find the rare parallel parking space you’ll probably end up paying for the parking garage behind the building complex.
The interior is a dimly lit, dark wood accented dining room with high ceilings and dark green touches to balance out the colors. It’s intimate but also feels like a big restaurant since there are different dining room sections and those high ceilings. This is the type of place for a date or to bring a small family, but you’ll definitely want to book way ahead for weekends during prime dinner hours.
- ✓Chicken parmesan is very tender and huge.
- ✓The polenta cheese sticks are very unique.
- ✗The bolognese pasta tasted too much like red wine.
- ✗Clams were chewy and were oily.
Tips for Visiting
- Order the chicken parmesan with spaghetti it’s the best dish I had and big enough to share.
- The polenta mozzarella sticks are good but heavy so share them rather than ordering one per person.
- Book ahead for weekend dinners since prime hours fill up.
- Plan for parking since street spots are rare and the garage behind the complex is likely your best bet.
- Better suited for a date or small family dinner than a casual quick meal.
