Today I’m coming to you with a little mid-Restaurant Week post to tell you about the glory that is Barbuzzo (110 South 13th Street). In all of my Philadelphia dining experiences, I had only been to Barbuzzo once for lunch. I knew this year I was making my reservations early, and I was so happy this little place did not let me down.
Joined by my friends Eric and Frannie, we stopped by for dinner on Thursday. I’ve heard that Barbuzzo can feel crowded, but we were seated towards the front and were just fine. The cocktails and wine list looked great, but after glancing at the menu, I knew it was going to be a brew night for me. We were greeted with complimentary grilled bread (a common theme of my meal) and sheep’s milk ricotta drizzled with EVOO. I don’t fight these things.
First course was a tough decision, but, let’s be honest: I literally can not resist a meatball. So imagine my glee when our waitress told us this dish was actually two fontina stuffed meatballs. There was spicy meat. There was obviously, more bread. And there was glee. Judging by the amazing portion size, I followed one of my cardinal Restaurant Week rules, asked for my first box for one of these glorious balls of meat.
Because I had heard the pizza at Barbuzzo is one of their best items, and because I also can not resist pizza, I ordered the butcher’s pizza as my main course. We’re talking san marzanos, smoked mozzarella, buffalo mozzarella, hot coppa, prosciutto cotto, rapini, taggiasca olives, and chile. Spicy and delicious. The crust was probably my favorite part, and, according to Frannie, that’s how you know when pizza is the real deal. I also asked for a box for a few slices . . . because I knew what was coming next.
Dessert! If you read any type of food blog/magazine, you’ve heard of the salted caramel budino from Barbuzzo. Even though they had another dessert I was seriously eyeing (chianti soaked dried plums – hello lady), I couldn’t resist. Budino (in case you don’t know, but it seems most of you do) is a custard-y little dish, complete with with dark chocolate crust, vanilla bean caramel & sea salt. It basically tasted like melted Werther’s candies, and for that, I was grateful.
If you can still snag a reservation this week (if we get all this snow they’re calling for – that would be the perfect time for you ladies within walking distance to sneak on in!), I highly recommend. If not, treat yourself and make yourself a reservation anyway – because it’s just that lovely. xx
