Now That's Italian

I felt like I was in Italy Wednesday night.  What was supposed to be a night out for dinner with business colleagues turned out to be a last-minute change of restaurants and dining with a friend.  We landed in the heart of South Philly (on Broad near Passyunk) at Ristorante Pesto, known simply as Pesto.

Pesto, in its 7th year, won the South Philly Review Readers' Choice 2010 award.  It's also on the ballot for 2010 Best of the Philly Hot List.  High accolades, right?  I have to say it was very good.  I can, however, think of one change that would make it even better.

My friend and I were hungry so we were pleased to see the dish that was brought to our table as we were looking at our menus.  It was simple - al dente, sliced carrots in balsamic vinegar with oregano and another spice - and simply delicious.  We poured glasses of wine from the bottle we brought.  (The restaurant recently got a liquor license but diners are able to bring wine and there is no corkage charge.)  We both settled on salads and chicken dishes.  The chicken came with a small side of potatoes and vegetables.  Just because we were in this cozy Italian restaurant, we also ordered a side of pasta.

When the different chicken dishes arrived - mine with prosciutto, mozzarella, and artichokes and my friend's with capers, olives and tomatoes - we anxiously began eating.  Almost immediately, we both said our dishes were too salty.  We wondered whether the prosciutto in mine and the olives in hers were the culprits?  Or maybe it was just over-salted?  In any case, it didn't slow us down. We enjoyed our meals overall and appreciated the cozy surroundings.  But that is the one change I would recommend.

Pesto (and its sister restaurant Io E Tu on 9th Street) is owned by the Varallo family.  In Pesto, at least, they have created a comfortable and tasty restaurant that feels like it is direct from Italy.