Nina’s Trattoria is a casual Italian restaurant located in the Italian Market. Probably more thought of as a place for dinner, they are open Tuesday-Sunday for lunch as well. Expect an every day brunch menu, plus a shortened list of Italian plates from the dinner menu.
Posted at 12:48 pm, December 20th, 2012 under BYOB, Italian, Italian Market.
Simple, meat filled hoagies from a plain looking (or even menacing looking) corner deli are one reason I love Philly. Ricci’s Hoagies has been family owened and operated since 1920, according to their website. There are 2 locations, the original by Passyunk Square and the newer store, which I checked out, in Point Breeze. The hoagie shop has bars on its windows, but sometimes the least inviting looking places will have you coming back for more important reasons.
Posted at 1:43 pm, December 5th, 2012 under Italian, sandwiches, South Philly.
I love reading the write ups from my fellow local bloggers. I do it daily. So it was thanks to Philly Phoodie and Mac and Cheese that I learned about Mr. Joe’s Cafe, the classic, homestyle Italian spot in South Philly. With its olde time furnishings I had thought this place had been around forever, but its actually just a few years old. Adding to that old school feel, the hostess/waitress Annamaria, lauded for her front of house service, makes you feel like you are being taken care of by someone’s Italian aunt. As a disclaimer, the menu items are pretty much all over $10. But essentially with each order you are getting a 3 course meal.
We’ve all played the game of imagining our last meal on earth, though we hope the time for such a feast is far far away. Every year however, I plan out my last meal. My last meal before I am without bread, pasta, and most good carbs for a whole week because of Passover. This year it was easy, I knew my perfect “last meal” had to involve the Philly King of Bread- Sarcone’s.
Posted at 12:24 pm, April 9th, 2012 under Italian, sandwiches.
Cacia Bakery is a tiny spot in South Philly with rolls and slices of pizza behind glass for you to point at and take home with you. The snack sized square slices are barely over a dollar, but you will need a few to fill up.
I had heard tales of their tomato slice, but I just didn’t want to give up cheese. Instead, I was directed to the “pizzaz” slice.
Back at the Meatball Competition at the Swedish Museum, I was in charge of focusing my attentions on the talented amateur contestants. I had a lot meatballs to try, and I didn’t really have the stomach room to sample from the professional competitors vying for the people’s choice award. I did manage to sneak a try of a meatball from Dad’s Stuffing. While Pastificio was the ultimate winner, I heard Dad’s came in second, and their meatball stuck out in my mind and was good enough to make me check out their South Philly spot.
Dad’s Stuffing is located on Ritner street, if you have never been, I want to paint this picture for you. While walking to Dad’s, I passed a duo of older gentleman speaking Italian and setting up dominos on a little sidewalk table. Adorable.
The tiny storefront holds the quintessential Italian deli, where the brothers running the shop are the 4th generation to work there. All of the customers looked like regulars. It makes you contemplate moving into the neighborhood.
And it is far from just stuffing and meatballs here. Every inch of the deli is crammed with sauces and prepared foods. But I stuck to what I came for.
Posted at 11:14 am, February 6th, 2012 under Italian, meatballs, sandwiches, South Philly.
If you find yourself on South Street and you hear happy Italian music, you might be in front of La Fourno. This Italian trattoria has a very reasonably priced menu with paninis, pizzas, calzones, and some pasta dishes that all fall under $10.
