Philly RW Part Deux

Sadly, last week capped off my very last Restaurant Week in Philly. My motto, of course, was "go big or go home" so I knocked off three places from the list in the span of three days. Blew through quite a bit of cash in one week, so will be recovering from this extravagance for awhile.

Barbuzzo

Barbuzzo is hands-down one of my favorite restaurants in Philadelphia - I don't have a #1 choice, but it definitely falls within the top 5. The menu is very carb-heavy (at least the good dishes are), but also gives you a pretty good portion for the price. I was only able to finish 1/3 of my main entree pizza, so if you count the fact that I technically got two meals out of this dinner (I had the rest for lunch the next day), $35 for the pre-fixe menu is not a bad deal at all.

The place has a very rustic feel and the tables are rather close together - I have found that it is a more ideal lunch spot than a dinner date

Top: Sheep's milk ricotta; Pear, pecorino & walnuts salad
Bottom: Roasted beet salad, roasted bone marrow (ordered a la carte)

Paccheri al Forno, wide pappardelle -type pasta with braised lamb and greens
Capricciosa Pizza, mozzarella, olives, basil, meats

The famous Salted Caramel Budino, one of the most decadent and amazing desserts every created

Just a few highlights: the sheep's milk ricotta is a must-order item. It is lightly whipped and slightly sweet (almost like mascarpone) and also goes perfectly with the bread they provide as well as the leftover crusts of their pizzas. I always love getting one of their pizzas because of the sheer size as well as the crispiness of the crust - I usually prefer thin crust over the normal density, though won't say no to deep dish now and then (Chicago represent!). Finally, their salted caramel budino alone is a great reason to visit Barbuzzo. I believe they offer them for take out as well, which is extremely tempting.

XIX (Nineteen)

XIX is absolutely gorgeous. Imagine semi-private dining rooms with wine storage walls, giant pearl chandeliers, stone and glass sculptures throughout, and you'll just start to be able to picture what XIX is like. If I were to ever host an extremely fancy party or reception in Philadelphia, this venue would be the first choice to come to mind. Each dish on their Restaurant Week menu was plated just as beautifully, but the inconsistent service and egregiously long wait times in between courses made this experience fall a bit short of expectations.

Warm Wild Mushroom, arugula pesto, purple haze goat cheese, sourdough crouton, aged balsamic vinaigrette
Lobster Mac & Cheese, Maine lobster, orecchiette pasta, tarragon, mascarpone and parmesan cheese
Blood Orange Creme Brulee, shortbread cookies

I'd say the only memorable dish from this menu was the mushroom appetizer, which combined a variety of flavors and textures that worked beautifully together. The pasta was served at a lukewarm temperature and there were only a few chunks of lobster on the plate, and the creme brulee was nothing special, though the orange flavor was rather refreshing.

Butcher & Singer

My last stop of Restaurant Week was Steven Starr's Butcher & Singer, which is arguably one of the best deals on the list. My main course, an 8 oz. filet mignon, cost $35 on the regular menu, which is the price of the entire pre-fixe during RW. The menu was extremely simple, as are the menus of most steakhouses, but still very filling. A great end to a great week.

A brief snapshot of the bread, my filet (with sides of green beans and creamed spinach), and two of the dessert options