08/17/09

The right portions, the right atmosphere

by spanky194

if you are looking for a good homemade Italian BYO meal in the city this is great. The owner was out talking and interacting with the patrons. In my mind, this makes the meal, he was not intrusive. He was a little loud, but aren't all Italians! Going to a place is not just about the food, it is about the whole experience. They have a cute little bay window in the front and if you are looking for a romantic night, ask to sit here. You can watch the crowd stroll by and also get some extra room.

• Pros: food
• Cons: decor

05/13/09

Staff publicly humiliated me and my friends

by YourAverageCustomer

I made reservations for 10 people at 7:00 on a tuesday. Apparently the gentleman on the phone was more than happy to accommodate us for the dinner.

Due to some traffic, I called ahead to apologize and to let them know that we were going to be 10 minutes late. Still, the gentleman on the phone seemed happy and told us not to worry about anything.

As soon as we were seated by the nice waiter, a guy came bursting out of the kitchen with rage, screaming his head off at us "Nobody makes a fool of me!" He walked up to us pretty close and personal, screaming at us in front of everyone in that restaurant. This was clearly one of the worst dining experience I have ever had.

My point is AVOID THIS PLACE AT ANY COST!!! definitely not worth the trouble. There are way too many nice Italian restaurants out in this city who would treat their customers with respect and courtesy.

• Pros: food was good, byob
• Cons: small proportions, and unreasonably angry staff

12/13/08

A Great First Dining Experience in Philly.

by imlisi

My wife and I came to Philadelphia from Arizona to see the city for the first time. A college student from Penn recommended this place to us as the good little italian place where the college students go. Not quite knowing what we were going to find in the city and concerned how we were going to navigate the cold, we took off to find Porcini dressed in blue jeans and layers of sweaters. We took a short metro ride down market street and exited the 15th St. station. We then walked for about 10 minutes over to Porcini. When we arrived, we were afraid that we might be underdressed. We stepped through the door to ask the host/hostess...but there wasn't one. Instead, the owner of the restaurant opened the door for us as he reached out the door to wave goodbye to some of his guests. When we asked him if we were underdressed, he gave us a warm smile and said that we looked like good people and that was enough. He escorted us through a narrow walkway through the handful of tables in the restaurant to a little table in the back. I was most appreciative of the atmosphere. The people there seemed to love being there. The food was very good. A little pricey, but reasonable. We had some pesto bruschetta, and some pasta dishes along with a couple bottles of pelligrino. When I asked about wines, the owner explained that this is a restaurant where people bring their own. I've never heard of a restaurant like that before. He then grinned and said he thought he had something in the back...then returned with a couple glasses of white wine. All in all, I think the place is very charming. If I was a local to Philadelphia, I'd put this on my list of favorites.