D'Angelo's Ristorante Italiano

 D'Angelo's takes this blog back to the beginning.  The genesis for 22nd & Philly came while we were sitting outside enjoying a meal at  D'Angelo's.  Read the first post here. That was in May of 2008.  It's a complete coincidence, but we headed back to  D'Angelo's again on a recent Friday night almost two years to the day.  And we didn't realize until now that we never reviewed D'Angelo's.  So here goes.

D'Angelo's is a solid Italian restaurant.  We sat outside the first time we went, but this time it was chilly so we sat inside.  Neither of us realized how big the place is inside.  Downstairs is a bar and upstairs is the main seating area.  It's a nice atmosphere although we got stuck in the back corner much like FARMiCiA.  Two in a row...

Since you can't have an Italian meal without wine, Kristy had the chardonnay and I had the pinot noir.  Nothing special even though we are not picky wine drinkers.  I thought the price of $9 a glass was a bit steep.  

We both thought the bruschetta was amazing during the first visit so we ordered again. The tomatoes didn't have much flavor, which I hope is not a sign of things to come this tomato season.  The bruschetta is different than others as it is smothered in mozzarella and sauce.  It is good though and both of us would recommend.

I went with the penne arrabiata.  I also had this two years ago.  It is still very good.  The sauce passed my "did i clean the plate with bread test" with flying colors.   The sauce has a nice kick.  Excellent.  

Kristy had the tortellini again. Yes, we both went the same dish from out first visit.  The sauce again passed the clean plate test.  The tortellini was a bit undercooked though.  

Consider  D'Angelo's a nice neighborhood Italian restaurant.  The only drawback is that is not a BYOB.  The wine is too expensive when the restaurant is not any better than any nearby BYOB.  Can save yourself some bucks by going to other simple BYOBs such Caffe Casta Diva, La Baia, Salento, among others.

Brunch at FARMiCiA

A few weeks I read Craig Laban's review of Green Eggs Cafe.  We haven't been to Green Eggs although will plan to do so at some point.  But, the idea of brunch on Easter Sunday sounded like a great idea!  We've heard good things about the brunch at FARMiCiA so off we went.

It was a beautiful morning so we were hoping that we might get a seat outside.  No luck though as others likely had the same idea. Kicking us while we were down, we were seated in the far back, right corner of the restaurant, which was very disappointing since we had made reservations and it was not overly crowded yet.  It also took about ten minutes for the waiter to even say hello.  We were not in a rush, but were anxiously waiting some mimosas. Brunch was off to a rough start, but quickly changed direction (even though the service stayed sub-par).

 We started off with the mimosas and I ordered coffee, which were both quite good. Kristy ordered the quesadilla, which is really a breakfast burrito.  It was huge and is stuffed with eggs, cheese, potatoes and chorizo.  I thought it could have a bit more punch to it, but it was quite good and Kristy enjoyed.  She was able to eat about half and took the rest home. 

I had a omelet and one pancake.  I went for the goat cheese and herbs omelet.  It was good, but I now know that I'd rather have cheddar and bacon omelettes.  The pancake was the best part.  Light and fluffy with a touch of sweetness.  If/when we go back I'd go with the pancakes or try the french toast.  

Verdict.  We would both suggest for brunch and trust the service issues were an anomaly rather than the norm.  I would like to go back for dinner since I like supporting and trying places that support  local farmers/producers.   

The best brunch place we've been to is still Honey's by a long shot, but I am excited about the growing brunch scene in Philly.  Brunch is not something we do every week, but it is the perfect event to casually meet up with some friends or family.