Raddicchio Café
402 Wood Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
My
fiancé and I invited my aunt and uncle in to the city to see the church and venue
we are going to get married at. After seeing both places, we drove over to a
little BYOB we wanted to try. We know the owner, and frequent his restaurant in
New Jersey, but we had never ventured to his little BYOB in the city called
Radicchio Café. We were seated right away, although extremely close to the
door, which is never exactly fun. However, from the moment we were seated, we
had a familiar feeling that we were used to at his restaurant in Jersey. We
were welcomed with open arms and made to feel right at home. We had our wine
opened, and we looked over the menu with gusto.
The
gentleman that took care of us had a very thick Italian accent, which made us
feel right at home as most of the servers and workers in his other restaurant
are all Italian as well. The service was great. We ordered the grilled octopus
and sausage with broccoli rabe to share for the table and then we each ordered
our entrees. The grilled octopus is some of the best I have had anywhere. Ive
had it numerous times at La Locanda in Jersey, and it was just as good here and
prepared the same way. Crispy, tender and delicious with a simple seasoning of olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice. The sausage and broccoli
rabe is one of my favorite things on his menus. The rabe is spicy and
incredibly flavorful and pairs with the rustic flavors of the sausage so well.
My
main course was a little something different for me. It was gnocchi with thin
slices of beef and a deliciously rich sauce. The gnocchi was light, but still
had some density and texture to it. The beef was very tender and it had a nice
sear to it. All in all it was a well balanced and tasty dish. For dessert, we
went with the pumpkin and hazelnut cheesecakes. The pumpkin cheesecake is one
of my favorite cheesecakes anywhere. It’s a ricotta based cheesecake with just
enough pumpkin flavor to keep you coming back for more. I was pleasantly
surprised that the hazelnut cheesecake was just as good as the pumpkin. It
tasted like a nutella cheesecake because of the hazelnuts, and come on, who doesn’t
love nutella.
Three
pints for Radicchio Café. I have been to the owner's place in Jersey, and while
I think that Luigi's restaurant there is better than Radicchio, the food at
both locations is fantastic. You always get great service and a really good
value for money. The food is authentic and very well prepared. Give it a try
and let me know what you think! Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment