10/20/08

The best friendly Italian Restaurant in Center City Philadelphia.

by amarildo

The food is excellent and has an appropriate choice of wines to complement your food. The environment is warm and comfortable for a lunch or a dinner. I love the place for the accommodation it can give for parties as well.

I had my daughters? first birthday party and everything was excellent. The owner (who is also the cook) Mr. Giuseppe made that a special day for our family with his delicious food and his promptness for every single request. Everyone invited in our party liked the choice of food, wine and the place as well.

Well done Joe!

• Pros: Ambience, Food, Wine
• Cons: None

09/14/08

At least the wine was good.

by Babsel

From the moment you walk in it's clear that there would have to be something exceptional about the food because the ambiance leaves much to be desired. The first thing to notice is the rather impressive wine list hasn't been updated in 10 years and isn't well stocked. The dates online and in the menu are incorrect (though it would be unbelievable if they were still holding '96 vintage Cabs at these prices - On the plus side, they haven't raised prices in 10 years either, so even more recent vintages are offered at a surprising discount) That was the highlight of the evening. The staff are dressed in tuxedos and they make an effort to give the appearance of a fine dining establishment (the prices are equivalent to many of the top tier places in town) but before ordering we already knew it might be wise to go elsewhere, but no review we read discussed the quality of the food and we hoped it might be a pleasant surprise. Then the appetizers arrived, a warm mushroom salad so overpowered by balsamic vinegar it masked any mushroom in it & beef carpaccio which I know as thin, tender raw beef with a subtle vinaigrette, not the cured lunch meat drizzled with balsamic that we were served. Next the entrees, crab & shrimp crusted tilapia and sea scallops with swiss chard. The seafood was all over-cooked, and on the dried chewy side, we weren't even able to attempt finishing the tilapia as hungry as we were. And, not to my surprise, the swiss chard was unavailable and substituted with spinach. As they wheeled out the dessert cart we quickly asked for the check and after blowing $170 on diner food we ran down the street to Morimoto and rectified a terrible night out with incredible cocktails and desserts you wouldn't believe (that wasn't cheap either, but worth it! Save yourself from a restaurant that cares little for providing quality to a regular crowd supporting them who've never eaten at a descent place, though there are plenty within a quick walk of this place.

• Pros: Wine
• Cons: Ambience, food, price

02/16/08

Just moved to Philly burbs

by foodstain

My boyfriend and I just visited for our Valentine's dinner last week. It was small and quaint but made a BIG impression on us. There weren't many tables in the place, which pretty guaranteed good service. There were at least three gentlemen that served us throughout the night. You can tell that they truly want you to have the best experience possible. Now, about the food.... simply excellent. I ordered a Lamb dish, even though I've never eaten lamb, because the woman next to me recommended it as she was eating it! It was spectacular. The meat fell right off the bones and it was served over marinara with gnochi. Amazing! My boyfriend ordered a seafood spaghetti dish which he enjoyed thoroughly as well. Overall a great experience. Very close quarters in the restaurant, but they definitely make it work. Be sure to have reservations ahead of time. We made reservations and our table was waiting for us when we arrived. My boyfriend and I got an appetizer and 2 of the more expensive dishes they offer and our bill was still only $50! Great value!

• Pros: food
• Cons: small