"L" is for Le Virtu

Several wise men throughout history have been quoted as saying, “There is nothing better for the empty stomach than a big bowl of pasta. And nothing worse than a hot dog bought at a gas station convenience store that has been rotating on those weird machines for a month.”

OK, I made that last part up. For that matter, I made up the first part too. But, in my mind, they are both nonetheless true.

I’ve leave the hot dog story alone for now and focus on the pasta. When I go out for Italian food in south Philly, I don’t expect to leave hungry. I’ll almost always order pasta of some sort, and when it is done right, man, it is hard to beat. But it’s not as easy as it sounds. For starters, the pasta can be too stringy or too thick, undercooked or overcooked. And the sauce may be gloppy or gloopy, runny or ruddy.

The funny thing is, it looks so simple. Pasta is basically just flour, eggs, water and salt (I’m sure I’m missing something, but I don’t remember off the top of my head). The problem is that everything must be combined in very exact proportions, cut precisely, and boiled for a precise timeframe. Get anything wrong, and it’s not going to taste right.

Which brings us to our latest stop, Le Virtu, slapped down in the heart of south Philadelphia. It’s a very attractive restaurant, with a spacious, somewhat romantic outdoor patio that is made for eating outdoors in the summertime. The view isn’t great – Linda’s Fold and Wash across the street, I’m sure, does great work, but it sort of kills the mood a little – but Le Virtu has done the best it can with the space is has. As my four trusty readers should know though (yes, we have a new regular reader!), I’m about the food way more than the ambiance.

The verdict there was, well, mixed at best.

The menu really is well put together, with a healthy smattering of appetizers, pastas, and heartier meat dishes. There were quite a number of entrees I considering before settling on the “guitar string” pasta with lamb ragu. For whatever reason, I had it in my head that “guitar string” pasta would be thicker, sort of like linguini. It wasn’t. It was very, very thin pasta.

Fortunately, they did give me a healthy plate of pasta, which was nice because I was starving (our appetizer of grilled shrimp and squid was yummy, but sparse). That’s the best thing I can say though. I ate because I was hungry, not because the dish was particularly outstanding. There was nothing specifically bad about the dish – the pasta was cooked right, the sauce didn’t have any bones it in (I’ve had that problem before), and everything was hot. But there was no real interesting flavors there – I ate because I was hungry and I got down to the bottom of my plate. I will say that the wife’s dish looked a little more promising – it was sort of a bowtie pasta kind of shape with wild mushrooms. Again, though, it was just OK.

Our dessert -- Pizza Dolce – also sounded great on the menu, but it just didn’t come through. The sponge cake was too soft and the filling wasn't anything special. All in all, a very average meal in a very crowded category of Italian restaurants.

On to the full review…

THE FOOD: I was so hungry I would have chowed down on anything edible, but I was still a little disappointed. I have generally had pretty good luck with south Philly Italian joints, but Le Virtu didn’t come through (Get it? It rhymes? Vertu=come through. OK, forget it. I'm tired, OK?)

THE DRINKS: Unlike a large percentage of Philadelphia Italian joints, Le Virtu is not a BYOB. The glass of chardonnay I ordered was awful. I NEVER send back wine, but I considered it. It was that bad.

THE STAFF: There were a lot of waiters and waitresses floating around late on a Sunday night. Some knew more than others. Our main waiter was pretty inexperienced and fumbled over a lot of the specials. He tried, but he just wasn’t very good.

MAD PROPS FOR: The pretty outdoor area. It addition to the patio, there was a well-manicured lawn next door. It was a bit odd as it seemed like they would have annexed it into more seating, but it did help the ambiance.

OVERALL: Eh.

THE CHECK: $80 for a dinner for two. For those prices, I expected better. Pass.

We’ve hit a stumbling block here recently, but there are a lot of places with good reputations on the horizon. Let’s hope for some improvements.

On to the Ms...

Ineligible restaurants for round 13

• Mad Mex -- Really good margaritas and pretty darn good Mexican food near Penn's campus. It sort of has a chain-ish feel, but I have had good times here.
• Mama Palma's -- On my Philly Top 10 list. The best pizza in the city, at least for eat-in places. Don't get take out -- the pizza needs to be eaten right out of the oven.
• Mandarin Garden -- The family "special occasion" Chinese restaurant growing up. It was fine, I guess.
• Marathon Grill -- A great example of a successful chain that knows its appeal. Marathon is great for breakfast, good for lunch, and fine for dinner.
• McDonalds -- All in all, I have probably eaten more at McDonalds than any "restaurant" in the world. I'm not proud of it. I had a think for Chicken McNuggets and McRib sandwiches when I was in middle and high school. And don't get me started on my Filet O' Fish story. Thank God I don't eat here anymore.
• Melting Pot -- I don't get this place. The one time I ate here, it sucked. The format is unique, I guess, and it's a big suburban date place, but don't go for a good meal.
• Meritage -- Very pretty corner spot north of Rittenhouse Square. It's a good destination meal -- not cheap, but good.
• Mixto -- Good booze, bad food.
• Modo Mio -- I really liked this high-end Italian joint in a somewhat sketchy north of Northern Liberties locale. The wife wasn't as crazy about it.
• Morimoto -- One of these days, I would love to try the $100+ omikase tasting menu here. I have read great things about it. The one time I had the off-the-menu dinner, it was good, but not overwhelming. The tableside tofu was a neat touch though.
• Mugshots -- We're here lots of Saturday morning and some Sundays. Good coffee, good muffins, decent bagels. Big crowds though so be prepared to wait in line.

Candidates for round 13:

• Marigold Kitchen -- Admittedly, I have been to Marigold, but it was several years ago before they changed chefs and concepts. It's a totally different restaurant now, so it qualifies. http://marigoldkitchenbyob.com/
• Meme -- There has been a lot of buzz about this Rittenhouse newcomer to the BYOB scene. Want to know what it's all about? http://www.memerestaurant.com/
• Memphis Taproom -- Another new joint that has gotten a lot of good publicity. A twist on pub food out in Fishtown. http://www.memphistaproom.com/
• Mustard Greens -- Not your typical Chinese restaurant. First of all, it's in Queen's Village instead of Chinatown. Secondly, it's a much more diverse menu. http://philadelphia.menupages.com/restaurants/mustard-greens/