Ossobuco is the culinary embodiment of the proverb “the nearer the bone, the sweeter the meat.”

The dish, which dates back to the early 1800s in Northern Italy, centers around a slow-braised meat shank — beef, veal or pork (I’ve only had the latter, as far as I know). Translated from Italian, ossobuco means “bone with a hole.” The meat is definitely bone-adjacent — thus tasty and tender. And sweeter.

Two locally owned Italian restaurants square off this week: Buona Ristorante on St. Pete Beach and Gratzzi Italian Grill in downtown St. Pete.

BUONA RISTORANTE

First, kudos to Buona for resilience. The small space in Dolphin Village was hammered by last year’s hurricanes and underwent a three-month rebuild. Then in mid-May, a large portion of the shopping center — including a CVS and a Publix — burned down.

Buona, unaffected by the blaze, closed for a couple of days per the fire marshal, but news reports said the untouched storefronts would be shut down indefinitely. That confluence of events, plus the ongoing construction nearby (as can be seen in the photo) have seriously hampered business.

Yet Buona persists and will continue doing so — so said Alison, the manager I spoke to.

We arrived at 6:30 Tuesday, and even though Buona has outdoor seating in the front and back, we chose a four-top inside for our party of three. Bonnie and I opted to split the Rosemary Osso Buco ($34) and added a house side salad for five bucks.

Appearance

In my experience, ossobuco always looks striking, and this version made the grade. The bone jutted upward, with a sprig of rosemary on top. The pork shank was joined by a generous helping of parmigiano risotto and sautéed broccolini. A bonus: the dish arrived with steam wafting upward.

Taste and Texture

Part of the fun of eating ossobuco is fork-peeling delicate pieces of meat from the bone, and seeing it all fall apart. Even better is eating the sublimely tender morsels.

It’d been several years since I’d had the dish, and Buona’s version lived up to my high expectations. The rosemary demi-glace was vividly rich, accentuating the flavor of the pork. I’m not much of a risotto fan, but I enjoyed this cheesy version. The broccolini was crispy to the point that it needed cutting with a knife and fork.

A sizable piece of the shank remained, and it’s sitting in my fridge as I write this.

GRATZZI ITALIAN GRILL

News accounts have noted how difficult this summer has been for Bay area restaurants, with several closing. Gratzzi — open for 15 years, but it seems like longer — is an exception. At 7:15 on a Wednesday, in September, the restaurant was at capacity. Our party of three was fortunate to score a four-top in the quieter dining room, away from the bar, without a wait*.

Gratzzi presents as an old-school Italian eatery — as in, dark. With velvet curtains on one side of the room. You get the idea.

Our eyes widened a little when we saw that the Pork Ossobuco cost $52. We wondered aloud why Gratzzi charges such a hefty price. “Because they can,” I said.

Appearance

“Where’s the bone?” I asked with a twinge of panic. After a bit of inspection, we saw that it laid horizontally, buried under braised pork. Phew. This version wasn’t pretty, although it did have a purple flower, which seemed out of place amid a mound of brown. The vegetable medley included carrots, a good sign.

Taste and Texture

The meat’s texture was firmer than the competition’s, with a slightly bolder flavor. I consulted the menu later and saw that Gratzzi uses “Kurobuta” pork, which, according to the AI machine, refers to a Berkshire breed whose meat is often called the “Wagyu of pork.”

The demi-reduction was more like a gravy than Buona’s. And the ample portion soaked the porcini mushroom risotto that sat beneath the meat. (The dish did not taste of mushroom, for which I was grateful.) The soft carrots were a bonus, as expected.

And the Winner of the Awesome Buco Battle Is …

Gratzzi.

This was a close call, and I’d gladly order either one again. The factor that tipped the decision toward Gratzzi was its “gravy.”

* A Closing Note: We at first sat down to eat ossobuco at Cafe Cibo, whose pricing is closer to Buona’s. When our server told us that it was no longer on the menu, we got busy on our phones and were relieved to discover that Gratzzi serves it, so we pivoted and hustled downtown. The Gratzzi menu says to “ask for availability,” of ossobuco, so we lucked out. Sometimes field work for Friday Food Fight can be downright harrowing.

More from the AI machine: “The nearer the bone, the sweeter the meat” proverbial saying, late 14th century. Usages reflect both the belief that meat close to the bone has the best taste and texture, and the idea that it is valued because it represents the last vestiges of available food. In another search, I turned this up: The final part of something is the most exciting.