Walk into Osteria La Briccola on Calle Guanajuato and the first thing you clock is the walls. Dozens of framed photographs — guests, family, the people who've sat at these tables — stacked floor to near-ceiling on dark blue plaster. It's the visual equivalent of a chef saying: this place means something to me. Everything that follows earns that statement.
Chef Davide Ghizzoni runs a scratch kitchen here. Pastas made in-house. Sauces made in-house. Desserts too. In a town that eats well, La Briccola sharpens the standard — Northern Italian cooking with the kind of specificity that comes from someone who grew up with it.
Start With the Antipasti — Both of Them
The Burrata con Prosciutto di Parma lays silky Parma ham in a wide fan around creamy mozzarella, arugula, and shards of fried pumpkin — golden, crackly, just bitter enough to cut the richness. It looks restrained. It tastes generous.
The Carpaccio di Manzo is the better argument for ordering both. Sashimi-grade raw beef, sliced impossibly thin and fanned into a near-perfect spiral, truffle fondue piped in concentric rings across the top, chives scattered over everything. The truffle isn't a garnish — it runs through every bite, and the dish is more composed than anything this price point requires.
The Pasta Course Is the Reason You Came
The Pappardelle Agnello e Pistacchi arrives in a wide, speckled bowl — thick ribbons of house-made pasta coated in lamb ragù, the sauce dark and glossy, crushed pistachios worked through for texture and a faint earthiness that keeps the whole thing from going heavy. The pasta itself has the kind of bite you only get from something rolled that morning.
Then there's the lasagna. It's called Omaggio a Nonna Rina — a tribute to Grandmother Rina — and that name is doing real work. The edges are caramelized and slightly blistered, the layers visible in cross-section: beef ragù, béchamel, parmesan, pasta. A crown of fried spinach sits on top, dark and a little crisp, adding something the dish doesn't strictly need but absolutely earns. This is the version of lasagna you measure every other lasagna against.
Before You Go
Osteria La Briccola is at 18 Calle Guanajuato in Ashland. Dinner runs Monday and Wednesday through Sunday from 5:00 pm; lunch is available Friday through Sunday from noon. Expect to spend in the $31–$50 range per person. Reservations are strongly encouraged — this room fills up, and it should. Call (541) 708-0775 or book at osterialabriccola.com.
Ghizzoni made Ashland's table better. Go find out how much.