il pittore

Good morning,

What's morning without mouthwatering pictures of delish food?! When I moved to Philly 2 years ago (2 years, ekk!) my perception of Philly's dining was similar to most people. Philly Cheese Steaks right? Wrong! Philly has so much more to offer than just Cheese Steaks! Philly's abundance of amazing restaurants, welcoming atmosphere and exceptional service is almost overwhelming. It's difficult to find a bad restaurant.

Thank you Steven Starr for revamping the city known for its cheese steaks to a food lover’s dream. Steven Starr, if you did not already know is the creative mind behind well-known restaurants such as Buddakan and Morimoto. In Philadelphia alone, he owns over 20 restaurants. 

Let me introduce you to me newest Steven Starr love, Il Pittore. The pictures below are only a portion of our food that evening. Leon was too hungry to wait for me to snap pics! I wish I took a picture of his grubby little hands full of homemade bread, mouth stuffed and telling me "Oh my god, this bread is amazing!" 

A roasted  Fresh  Asparagus : pancetta vinaigrette, fried egg and pecorino pepe

This was okay, decent but didn't blow my socks off. If you want asparagus and cheese, go to A Kitchen. A Kitchen serves up a cold version with no egg. 

Tortellini : lobster filled pasta with chives, black truffle and burrata

The Tortellini was served perfectly al dente. Coming from a major seafood city like Boston  and the daughter of a former fisherman, I would give this dish 6/10. I couldn't taste the lobster but the overall flavor of the dish and the pasta itself was excellent!

The slow cooked suckling pig pear mostarda, roasted baby carrots and cavalo nero (kale) was superb! Currently my best of Philly dish!  We were informed by our waiter this dish required a 5 day preparation. The pork was tender, juicy and perfectly seasoned. It was topped with an irresistible layer of fat which seemed to have been broiled or torched to create a crispy exterior. A must eat next time you are in the area.

My love for Burrata Cheese has grown since traveling to Florence, Italy last year. I would have preferred Burrata at room temperature, watery and in its full form gooey goodness but the brusell sprouts with warm burratta were like tiny balls bursting with flavor.  

Another best of Philly! Chocolate Bomboloni : nutella filling with a vanilla bean dipping sauce. It is out of this world! The mini donut balls are hot out the oven, the nutella filling was not to sweet and served with a side of vanilla bean dipping sauce that I could drink by the gallon.

I loved the atmosphere of Il Pittore. The first floor has open windows where you can sit and dine. The second floor's roof top is made of glass and decorated with potted plants. I could not speak more highly of this restaurant. The wait staff were also friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommend! 

On another note, it has been such a great day at work. I got to see 4 of my heart transplant patients who were so appreciative and pleasant today! Thank you for reading and hope you enjoy the pictures. I am over joyed by all of the positive responses on my facebook page yesterday! Thank so so much, it means the world to me!