Kitschen Capers

"Are there any worthwhile places in town that price their dinner entrées below $20?"

by Trey Popp

"Are there any worthwhile places in town that price their dinner entrées below $20?" people often ask me. My fumbling replies usually prompt a follow-up question: Where have these places gone?

I never know what to say. On one hand, I share their frustration whenever I encounter, say, a perfectly simple mountain trout priced at $26. On the other, there are probably more $11 entrées today than at any other time in America's history. It's just that you have to order them from a pathological extrovert wearing enough wacky lapel pins to coat a disco ball.

Seeking an alternative to Applebee's, I paid a recent visit to Mr. Martino's, one of those South Philly spots that recall an era before the words "restaurant renaissance" ever graced this town.

Mr. Martino's starts charming you the moment you call to reserve a table. A voice on an old-fashioned machine asks you to leave your details for Friday, Saturday or Sunday — the only days it's open. If no one calls you back, that means you're good to go.

You leave the world of restaurant Web sites farther behind when you open the door of Mr. Martino's darkened storefront on Passyunk Avenue. Soothing yellow lamplight plays over whitewashed brick walls covered with faded photographs, beat-up frames and weird statuettes — the prototypical bric-a-brac that modern chains fall over themselves to ape. At my timeworn wooden table, I snuggled up to a marble-topped steam radiator like we were on a date.

Bring a bottle of nice wine (and proper glasses), and you could lollygag your way through a meal here and count it as a success on the merits of mood alone. But I was sorry to discover that you'd increase your chances of enjoyment by more or less ignoring the food.

Fat tubes of pasta dressed with broccoli rabe and white beans had the pleasant bitterness of the greens going for it, but otherwise it was an undersalted effort that didn't bespeak much effort at all. The clear flavor of the pumpkin sauce topping spinach ravioli was undercut by a cloying sweetness. A bay scallop risotto mostly just tasted like parmesan cheese. I liked the cavatelli under a tomato pesto, but the sauce could have come from a jar. Desserts were better, but nothing to rave about in a town with a lot of winners in that category.

Mr. Martino's tops Applebee's, to be sure, but I wish I could have compared it to a classier field. My foursome spent less than $100, but $150 somewhere else would have bought a better deal.

(t_popp@citypaper.net)

Mr. Martino's Trattoria

1646 E. Passyunk Ave., 215-755-0663

Hours: Fri.-Sat., 5:30-11 p.m.; Sun., 4-9 p.m.; closed Mon.-Thu.

Appetizers, $3.50-$8.50; Entrées, $12-$16.50

BYOB.