It was not the first time we were dining at Vetri in Philadelphia: we went two or three times already, and decided to go back for our wedding anniversary. This place is incredible and we were glad to see that they were still there. We learned, talking to our waiter, that the restaurant closed for several months and the owners decided to pay for the medical coverage of their employees until business could restart. This is a nice gesture that certainly brought gratitude and loyalty.
The restaurant is, like many in Philadelphia, in a townhouse, giving the impression you are dining at a friend ‘s home except that the bill comes at the end. Spread over two floors, it is mostly quiet, if it was not for a table of four who were talking about having healthy food while dining there! Not that the food at Vetri is unhealthy, but if you are only eating salads, this is not the place for you! But if you are vegetarian, they do have great dishes so you do not feel left out.

Here is what we had:

As a welcome drink, they brought us their take on a Spritz as well as an amuse: a vegetarian tart.
After trying a couple of wines, I decided to accompany my drink with a glass of Brunello de Montalcino, a red wine from Tuscany that was well balanced, not acidic at all.

Then, the amuse was a vegetable tart (they knew Jodi is vegetarian).

We had a four course meal. For the appetizer, Jodi got their sweet onion crepe with truffle and parmesan fondue. This is an interesting dish that started as a sort of take on a French onion soup, but deconstructed. It has been on the menu for years and each time we go, she orders it. Imagine: to caramelize the onions, it takes them more than 10 hours!!!

Sweet onion crepe at Vetri in Philadelphia

On my side, after long hesitation, I decided to try their barbecued quail. It is not that often that you find quail on a menu and this is not that easy to cook because it can become dry quickly. Well, at Vetri, they surely know how to make quail. It was served with stone fruits such as peach and prune and topped with mustard seeds, giving a nice acidity and some freshness to the dish.

Then came the pasta dish. Jodi had tagliolini with a Morel mushroom ragu that was earthy and homey, while I had spaghetti alla chitarra with bone marrow and frutti di mare, a surf and turf in disguise, where everything was perfect: from the pasta was was well cooked (as were the tagliolini), to the delicious sauce that light enough to let the seafood shine. I could have eaten more of it for sure!

For the secondi, jodi had the Summer squash crostata with buttermilk ricotta and fig vincotto, vincotto being a sort of vinegar. The presentation was beautiful with all the colors and what you might be able to see on the photo is the fact that this was half a tart.

Summer Squash crostata at Vetri in Philadelphia

On my side, I opted for the whole roasted fluke that was served with sweet Summer beans that were huge and agretti, that are needle shaped leaves that taste somewhat like spinach. This was a superb dish with the fish being perfectly cooked and flakey.

Whole roasted fluke at Vetri in Philadelphia

They then brought us some coconut sorbet with watermelon as a palate cleanser.

And then we had dessert. It was a black Forrest tiramisu for Jodi and a molten pistachio cake. I admit that I did not like the black Forrest tiramisu: I thought that the tiramisu was nowhere to be found there. However, the pistachio cake was amazing: buttery, the center was melted and oozed as I cut the cake. Even Jodi who does not like pistachio love it!

We finish the meal with some cookies they brought us (the macaroons were filled with hazelnut that is one of my favorites).

Needless to say that we appreciated the walk back to our hotel. Yes, quantities might look small but after a meal like this, you feel full and satisfied. One more time Vetri did not disappoint and it will not be the last time they will see us there!

Enjoy (we really did

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Vetri - 1312 Spruce street, Philadelphia, PA 19107

Amazing dinner at Vetri in Philadelphia

I Just Want To Eat!