Philly is considered the City of Brotherly Love. And recently we put the concept of brotherhood to the test. Anxious to score a prime table at Vetri Cucina while in town for The Annual TMA Conference, my good friend Brian Gleason tapped his fraternity brother Marc Vetri for reservations at his namesake landmark. And boy did they come through for our crew.
Brian scored us a great round fourtop at Vetri’s townhome located right in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia. And we loved the intimate dining room the moment we took our seats. Simple yet elegant, the menu was inspired by both classic Italian recipes and Vetri’s extensive culinary research across the globe. Deciding what to get was totally a challenge. Everything sounded amazing.
We kicked off our meal with a round of complimentary cocktails and mocktails while we dove into the exceptional basket of homemade bread. The fluffy challah was spongy and chewy with a crunchy top and the sourdough slices were addictive slathered with soft, salted butter. Wow.
It’s a fancy spot with coursed dishes so our table was graced with an amuse-bouche to get our palates excited for dinner. This mini savory brioche bomb was topped with a sublime liver mousse. We devoured it in one single mouthful. (Food in the photo looks larger than it was in person! I swear.)
Course one for me was the Artichoke Alla Giudia with sunchoke and parmigiano. Crispy leaves in a mild dressing with shards of potent parm graced my plate. The balance in this dish was terrific and I gobbled up every bite.
They surprised us with an additional course next (OMG) of mixed seafood with grilled octopus, and tender lobster with olive oil and spices. The fish was heavenly and we loved that the whole table shared this deliciously unexpected treat.
Next was our pasta course. I opted into the Tonnarelli with a meatless wild mushroom bolognese. It was outstanding! The noodles were exquisite and the sauce? Wow. My tablemates had the Lobster Bisque Cappeletti with tomato butter. Those pockets were delicate works of art. The attention to presentation and the detail of each dish was so impressive.
For the main event, I ordered the Halibut with fennel salad and nori beurre blanc. Tender flaky fish paired perfectly with the aromatic fennel and parsley. What a divine flavor combo.
Dessert was insane. I had the Baked Chocolate Custard with hazelnuts, caramel and crème fraîche. Easily the best warm chocolate dessert I’ve ever tasted. The custard had a toasty brownie feel but smoother and richer and the crème was the ideal sour offset with the nuts offering a nice salty crunch. I was blown away. The Molten Pistachio Cake with roasted figs and ginger frozen yogurt was an absolute stunner too but disappeared before I could snap a pic of that green goddess!
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