March 18-24, 2004

food

Go Fish

SHOWN TO SCALE: The restaurant's signature dish, whole branzino marinated in lemon, herbs and white wine.

Trawling through the shoal of Italian BYOBs, Branzino stands out.

by Maxine Keyser

Branzino is a charming little Italian BYOB, just steps away from Rittenhouse Square -- and you’re thinking at this point, just what we need, yet another charming little Italian BYOB. "Basta!" you want to cry, and well you should, except that this one is just a little different. Instead of the minimalist look adopted by so many of their ilk, the owners of Branzino have taken an old store and made it look quite elegant. (Its name, initially misspelled Bronzino on its sign, has now been corrected.) Soft green walls and gold brocade curtains frame crystal chandeliers that sparkle beneath high ceilings, festooned with plasterwork. The upholstered dining chairs and crisp napery indicate ambitions that would far outstrip this small space. In the center foyer, there is a large mural of Positano, which says nothing about the preparation of the food but is a most attractive greeting. Up a few stairs, there is the jewel box of a dining room, staffed by smiling and eager personnel. This is all to the credit of Luan and Doriana Tota, who are Albanian, and know a thing or two about Italian cuisine. (Albania had been ruled on and off by Italy from the third century. They became independent in 1912, but this was squashed by Mussolini in 1939. Today it is considered an emerging democracy.) Wisely, they have chosen a chef, Louis Ribera who comes off a 14-year stint at Tiramisu. It took them four years to convert this space into what they dreamed it would be, and it seems to have paid off.

Townies love to have a restaurant just a step away from home, so even if people weren’t already converging on Branzino, the locals would keep them busy. And besides, the food is quite good -- simple and fresh enough to do justice to your best bottle. One night we start out with excellent roasted tomato bruschetta, and move on to a typical salad of mozzarella and basil. Sensibly, they do not rely on the pink cardboard tomatoes of the season, but emphasize roasted peppers with the creamy buffalo mozzarella and lots of fragrant basil. This is a perfect example of their understated way with food. Grilled calamari is tender and charred beneath a sprinkling of tomato sauce and balsamic vinaigrette, and for a light salad, shaved fennel and radicchio tossed with a citrus vinaigrette is just about perfect.

The aroma of the tortellini soup reached us as the dish was arriving. Only a very rich and concentrated chicken stock has that Grandma’s-kitchen-barnyardy scent, and we revel in it, not to mention the tender little pockets of pasta in its depths. It may not be the soup du jour when you go, but if it is, be sure to order it.

I always approach lobster ravioli with misgivings, and once again, I’m sorry to say that I am right. The lobster (and crab meat too) is simply too rich -- it overwhelms the brandy cream sauce that naps it, and succeeds in only making it even richer. Much better is the delicate homemade gnocchi, with either a light tomato sauce and mozzarella or with wild mushrooms and fresh peas in a porcini cream sauce. A classic risotto with sweet shrimp, peas and crab meat is toothsome and herbal, and could make an entire meal for me.

But, of course, then I would miss having the piece de resistance of this little restaurant, the new wave fish for which it was named. There was always branzino in the Mediterranean -- it’s a form of sea bass -- but it has caught on in the wake of the over-fishing of Chilean sea bass. Cooked whole, and expertly filleted, it is sweet and white, with a very smooth texture that lends itself to the simplest of preparations. Here it is marinated first in olive oil, herbs, lemon juice and white wine, and then doused with capers and more lemon once it is out of the oven. Anything more would jeopardize the sweetness of the fish itself. Of course, if you are not up for fish, like at any good Italian restaurant there are veal specials: The usual saltimbocca with prosciutto and mozzarella, and tenders sauteed with mushrooms and roasted peppers. Best is the vitello Batostano, which is a veal tender stuffed with prosciutto, cheese and porcini. It is then breaded, quickly sauteed and served with a Marsala wine sauce instead of the customary white wine reduction. The accompanying roasted potatoes and broccoli rabe are well-executed and traditional.

There’s an interesting chicken dish, made with peppers, anchovies, capers and olives, that certainly livens up the skinless and boneless chicken breast, and a pork chop stuffed with spinach and cheese and sauced with Barolo wine that is a notch above many renditions of this dish around town. That’s about it -- the menu is concise, but there are daily specials. It’s just the sort of place that you drop into for the fish, the veal, the cheesecake and the waitress’ sunny smile. As far as the cheesecake and the tiramisu go, both are creamy and delicious, and I would skip the overdone Bindi sorbets entirely. Tuck a good bottle under your arm, make sure you have cash and drop in to the neighborhood’s latest "little Italian restaurant."

Branzino

261 S. 17th St. 215-790-0103

Lunch: Mon-Fri., 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Dinner: Mon.-Thu., 5-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 511:30 p.m.; Sun., 5-9 p.m.

Appetizers: $6.50-$9 Entrees: $12.50-$23

Not wheelchair accessible Reservations recommended Visa/Mastercard

BYOB