Simple, Scratch-made, and Seasonal at Leto’s Osteria

New Petoskey eatery opens to warm reception

Folks in Petoskey craving authentic Italian need look no further than Leto’s Osteria, which opened in April in the heart of downtown.

From general manager Todd Chinnock and chef Ray Kumm, Leto’s Osteria takes the place of POUR, which had a loyal following among locals and visitors alike. Happily, the transition to Italian has been well received. (POUR, an Asian-fusion concept, had an extremely popular burger; Chinnock and Kumm emphasize that you can still get it at their sister restaurant, Tap30.)

“The reception has been extremely warm so far,” Chinnock says. “We had a better April than POUR ever did, despite being open only 20 days.”

Leto’s is a contemporary Italian restaurant with a mix of familiar and adventurous dishes on the menu. “We recognize that may be a stretch for some people, but [we] are counting on the Detroiters and Chicagoans coming up and being excited for something that reminds them of restaurants back home,” Chinnock says.

The duo is ready to take a leap forward into the modern era of dining. “The first thing I noticed when I moved up here was that the dining scene felt at least a decade in the past to me, if not more,” Kumm reflects. “I’m from Baltimore, I cooked in Chicago, cooked in Philly—I’ve cooked all over and worked for some big restaurant groups and very talented chefs all over the country. Restaurants like the ones I used to eat at don’t exist up here.”

Three years ago, Kumm came on board POUR as a bartender while he worked the logistics of following his dream of creating an Italian restaurant.

“I’d been to his house for dinner a few times and recognized that his culinary ability was very high, and certainly for the area better than anybody’s food we had had,” says Chinnock. Eventually, they took the leap to collaborate and revamp POUR into something entirely new, developing the ideas and menus Kumm had envisioned into Leto’s Osteria.

“We are an Italian osteria,” explains Kumm. The term originated with eateries offering wine and simple food—in Italy, an easy place to stop for a quick and delicious bite to eat. “We serve simple but extremely scratch-made Italian cuisine. All the noodles are made in the building.”

Leto’s will highlight seasonal produce throughout the growing season, and spring vegetables recently hit the menu. “I’ve got relationships with local farms producing proteins and vegetables,” Kumm says. “We are trying to showcase the region and the ethos of Italian cooking. I want to put as few ingredients as possible on the plate and still have it sing.”

Classic & Contemporary Italian Picks

As you might expect, pasta is popular: “It’s definitely our bread and butter,” says Kumm. The restaurant offers seven to eight seasonal appetizers, including a Formaggio Board (think charcuterie), Tuna Carpaccio, and other choices that skew toward produce and vegetables like Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Michigan Asparagus Gratinato.

There are around 10 (just under at the moment) pastas on the menu, including the three classic Roman pastas: Cacio e Pepe, Carbonara, and Rigatoni Amatriciana (Kumm’s favorite). Those three will stay on the menu in perpetuity. “Cacio e Pepe [Pecorino Romano cheese, black pepper, and pasta] is the gateway for people,” says Kumm. The other five pastas are hyper-seasonal and will change based on ingredient availability.

Chinnock’s current favorite is the Mushroom Mafaldine—featuring porcini noodles, roasted hen of the woods mushrooms, sun-dried pepper butter, spring onions, and grana padano cheese—which is also Leto’s Osteria’s current No. 1 seller.

Large format proteins include a dry aged Kansas City strip steak, poached Atlantic cod, and braised lamb neck for two.

“We’re mostly doing that on the weekends,” says Kumm of the latter. “It’s a real commitment to eat; we had trouble selling them during the week. But several people have said that’s the best thing they ever ate! It’s super cool to be able to take something from a local farmer that they are having difficulty selling at the farmers market and be able to serve a 2.5-pound, bone-in lamb neck.”

Other notable dishes include a “really fun riff on a caesar with brussels” that Kumm eats regularly. (“It’s a caesar that’s actually kind of good for you!”) Chinnock is also a fan of the Cauliflower Frito. Both are dishes that will regularly feature on the menu, but many dishes will rotate based on seasonally available ingredients.

“It’s definitely very much the sort of restaurant that won’t have tomatoes unless it’s tomato season,” says Kumm. Come tomato season, though “we’ll probably have three dishes to feature them.”

He’s also looking forward to working with Michigan berries, cherries, stone fruit, and various greens throughout the season. “I’m just as happy being told what’s available to me and figuring out what the best thing to do with it is versus having an idea,” he says. “I’d rather let the ingredients inform the menu than the other way around.”

Leto’s also offers a selection of sparkling, rosé, white, red, and reserve wines alongside beer and cider options. Cocktails like the Coffee Negroni or Spiced Pear Spritz take a fresh twist on well-loved classics.

Find Leto’s Osteria at 442 E Mitchell St. in Petoskey. (231) 881-9800; letososteria.com

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