Dine and Dish: Willow Osteria in Clovis

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) — A taste of the travels taken through Italy by Chef Jimmy Pardini can be yours at Willow Osteria at Willow and Shepherd in Clovis.

“What we tried to do with the design is incorporate traditional Italian, meaning the places you might find in Florence or Rome,” he said.

We got a look at the Prosciutto di Parma with burrata.

“Fett’unta, which is a grilled bread with garlic, olive oil, sea salt and marinated mini sweet peppers with balsamic olive oil, herbs and capers,” Pardini said.

Pardini said he wanted to share this meal with us because he views it as the “epitome of how to start an Italian meal.”

All of their pastas are made in-house.

Chef Jimmy makes the dish come together quickly, but only after a long day of prep.

He showed us the braised beef sugo, which Pardini said is a five or six-hour braise.

The Pardini family also owns The Annex Kitchen and Annesso Pizzeria.

“The Osteria is, I think of as between sort of the casual mainstream Trattoria and the high-end tablecloth Ristorante,” he said.

Pardini showed us the Cotoletta Alla Bolognese, which is a breaded pork chop.

All we could say was “Grazie,” Chef Jimmy, and the city of Bologna for such an indulgent dish.

“It has prosciutto from the region, and then we have melted fontina and Parmigiano Reggiano on top,” Pardini said. “Lightly fried and then finished in the oven.”

“It’s our goal to be the best part of somebody’s day. That’s in our mission statement.”

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