Midtown Lunch

Last week I posted my recommendations for the best value lunches during Restaurant Week. So when a group of my friends decided to go, I consulted the list. As I tweeted on Friday, we went with Barbuzzo, and it was so successful I had to give a full report. Now some people worry about the value of doing the RW menu as opposed to the regular menu, but I calculated it, and what I ordered for $20 would have set me back $27 normally, so its like getting the dessert for free. I think that makes it a good deal, no? Well that and the quality of each of the 3 courses.

Barbuzzo’s RW lunch menu doesn’t stray too far from the regular offerings. The first course that I chose, normally available for lunch, is the roasted beet salad, with goat cheese, orange, and pistachio pesto over kale. I have never had kale prepared like this. Instead of being cooked down to oblivion, it was finely chopped and dressed in the perfect coating of that pesto dressing. The highlights of beet and orange worked as a season appropriate pairing. The kale was so surprisingly delicious  that the goat cheese wasn’t even needed, but I was glad to have the extra dose of richness on my plate.

Barbuzzo makes their own pasta from a machine imported from Italy. The rigatoni in the pasta with pork ragu, escarole, burrata, and basil dish was delightfully irregular in shape and had a lovely chewy texture. True, we could have used more pork pieces, but the pork sauce was vibrant, it is apparent that they are using extremely high quality olive oil.

I don’t ever enjoy salmon, but I had to snap a shot of this gorgeous presentation of sicilian style salmon.

Now for the reason we all came here, the dessert that everyone in Philly is changing their panties over- the salted caramel budino. I just don’t get it, what is all the fuss about, it isn’t that great….. haha nah,  I am totally lying, it really is that great. Unsweetened whipped cream on top, a layer of sticky, salty caramel, the soft custard, and surprise of cookie crumbs at the bottom- how could that combo be anything but amazing. This dessert can turn even the classiest of ladies and most dapper of gentlemen into  jar lickers.

This is the last week to get the RW menu, so make that reservation! It is completely worth it. And if you can’t manage to stop by this week, Barbuzzo is certainly worth a splurge for future lunches.

Barbuzzo, 110 S 13th St (@ Sansom) 215 546 9300