Students returning to campus in early September were greeted by a new restaurant on Main Street’s North End. With its wooden gate, black-and-white woodwork, and neon sign, Osa is definitely eye-catching. Inside, the pitched ceiling and long table at the center of the room draw the eye to the bar and a view into the kitchen.

Osa is the brainchild of Chef Matthew Wick and restaurateurs Kevin Wirtes and Rich Garcia. Wirtes and Garcia also own Krust Pizza Bar, which has served wood-fired pizza and over 400 types of whiskey on the North End since 2012. Think of Osa as Krust’s similarly well-designed and slightly more upscale sibling, but instead of pizza and whiskey, shareable plates and Italian amaro are the stars of the show. As Middletown’s first small-plates spot, Osa wants to bring something new to Main Street but remain pretension-free.