Branzino Ristorante
261 South 17th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
After my wonderful experience at Hot Diggity, my girlfriend,
her father and I ventured over to Rittenhouse Square to have dinner with my
aunt and uncle. We were late as per usual, but found my aunt and uncle as soon
as we walked in the door.
Branzino is a BYOB, so we brought a bottle of Malbec and a
bottle of Riesling with us. I had read some good things in a recent issue of
Philly magazine, so I was looking forward to trying a few of the dishes I had read
about. I decided on starting my meal with an arugula salad, and then a pasta
course of gnocchi Sorrento. I really shouldn’t even call it a salad, because
when it came out I was beside myself. It was a mountain of arugula and parmigiano! I probably shouldn’t have eaten it all, but it was so delicious I
couldn’t help myself. The arugula has a really nice peppery flavor to it, and
the acidity from the lemon juice combined with the saltiness of the parmigiano,
really makes for a match made it heaven.
By the time that I dusted off my mountainous salad, our main
courses were ready. My gnocchi was placed down in front of me, and I
immediately knew I made the right choice. They looked beautiful, and I dug in
immediately. They were some of the biggest gnocchi I have ever seen, but they
were wonderfully light and fluffy. The tomato sauce was simple, but flavorful,
and the melted bits of mozzarella cheese only carried the richness through to
another level. I also had the pleasure of tasting my girlfriend’s vitello al
lemoni, or veal with lemon. It was ridiculously tender and so expertly
prepared, that I couldn’t even begin to look for a flaw in it. Again it was
simple, but the execution was so spot on that it makes you think that food
can’t get much better than that.
Between the five of us, we split three desserts, the
mascarpone cheesecake, the ricotta cheesecake, and the molten chocolate cake. I
sipped my delicious espresso while we waited for our desserts to come out. We
all took turns taking bites of the desserts and passing them along the table. I
was in richness heaven with each and every bite of the molten chocolate cake.
It was warm and chocolatey and I devoured what I could of the molten chocolate
cake while it was in front of me. I also really enjoyed the mascarpone
cheesecake. It was creamy and delicious and a bit better in my mind because it
wasn’t as dry as the ricotta cheesecake. All three of the desserts were a hit
in my mind, and the perfect way to end a terrific meal.
Three and a half pints for Branzino for its flawless preparations and delicious taste. The food that we had was simple, yet really complex. I would go back in a heartbeat for a plate of that gnocchi and some of their delicious cheesecakes.
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