Mostly Sunny

The new-look Girasole is cooking up winning Italian fare on Broad Street.

by David Snyder

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Published: May 13, 2009

I don't vacation often, but when I do, I try to make it count. By the time this review goes to print, for example, I'll be relaxing in a chateau in the French countryside. What makes this trip special is that my friends have pulled some strings to arrange tastings at a couple of Bordeaux wineries that do not typically open their doors to the public. But after sampling the food at Girasole, a boutique Italian eatery that recently reopened in the Symphony House, part of me wishes I were flying to Italy instead.

Girasole (Italian for sunflower) originally opened in 1990 at 13th and Locust, and for 14 years the family-run spot was a destination for the city's pre-theater crowd. Even Luciano Pavarotti was a customer in the late '90s when his tour stopped in Philadelphia, according to chef/manager Michele Iovino. In order to be closer to their customer base, co-owners Gino and Franco Iovino (Michele is Franco's daughter) closed up shop in 2004 to relocate to the Symphony House, which was already under construction, but delays pushed a reopening back five years.

It was time well-spent as far as the interior goes. You'd think that pumping Sinatra's "I've Got You Under My Skin" into this 50-seater would come off as the ultimate cliché, but the décor grants new life to such standard spaghetti-twirling tunes with an array of nouveau touches. Creamy Dijon walls and bronze-colored tile floors create a warm, rustic feel. Elegant gold ropes behind a square marble bar separate the main dining area, where you'll find Versace place settings, chic black chairs and leather booths. Pillowy overhead light fixtures serve as a subtle reminder of the restaurant's namesake.

Girasole takes a similarly modern approach to its fare, too. For inspiration, executive chef Angela Iovino (Michele's mother) and their creative consultant, Rosalba Morici, travel to Italy every year to tap into the latest culinary ideas. It's standard, for example, to use arborio rice for risotto. But Girasole uses the more fashionable carnaroli rice instead — its extra starch helps turn risotto creamy and fluffy without losing any texture.

"This is what they're using," Michele said of the chefs in Italy. "We try to keep up with them rather than the American Italian [trends]."

But that's just one reason why Girasole's food is so successful — another is the kitchen's core allegiance to fresh ingredients and simple preparations. Sure, every Italian restaurant around talks big game about such touchstones, but in Italy, they truly put it to work: Quality ingredients are paramount in helping chefs create dishes that project a depth and vibrancy far greater than the sum of their parts. Girasole is one of the few Italian restaurants in the city that is truly able to re-create that.

Peppery baby arugula piled in the middle of a large plate is lightly sprayed with lemon to nudge thin slices of aged raw filet mignon into harmony with fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bright bluefin tuna carpaccio, a signature Girasole dish from the outset, is refreshingly complemented by finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes, olives and capers.

The kitchen pairs roasted beets drizzled with balsamic with heavenly burrata, a sweet, gentle cheese from Puglia that owes its unique texture to a solid mozzarella shell and a soft, creamy center made from cream and unspun mozzarella curds. Perfectly cooked cannellini beans and broccoli rabe seemed right at home alongside a duo of hot sausage and cervellata, a sweet Calabrian sausage stuffed with provolone. It took only a few bites of these dishes before it felt like I was dining al fresco on the Campo de' Fiori in Rome.

Restaurants love to trumpet their hand-crafted pasta, but all too often housemade gnocchi are dense and leaden. Girasole's gnocchi, on the other hand, is the best I've eaten in a long time — resting in a thoughtfully humble sauce of crushed plum tomatoes and stracchino cheese, each petite morsel had just enough heft to prove its worth before the bite melted away with the warmth of my palate.

Another pasta that caught my eye was the elusive passatelli. Traditionally, this thick, flourless pasta/dumpling hybrid — seen only in soups, and almost never in restaurants — is made with eggs, Parmigiano-Reggiano and bread crumbs, which give it a uniquely grainy texture. Angela Iovino adds a touch of flour to her version for consistency and serves it in a light sauce with sausage and porcini mushrooms for a wonderfully rare treat.

All told, Girasole's fare is a testament to what's possible when incredible ingredients are placed in careful, capable hands. But as one would expect, such beauty comes at a price — the dishes here cost a few dollars more than at your average trattoria. For the quality and expertise you're enjoying, it's mostly worth it — but the same cannot be said for everything on the menu. It was enchanting to watch our server deftly crack the thick salty crust on the bronzino special she then filleted tableside, and the fish itself was soft and flavorful. But $36 was just too much for a dish I know I can find elsewhere (prepared slightly differently, to be fair) for a third less. Plus, it wasn't until the check arrived that I became aware of that price tag.

I missed the $35 three-course prix fixe on my second visit (the pre-theater deal runs from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Sundays through Fridays), so based on the recommendation of a customer at the bar, I went with the langoustine pasta. Although the meat was candy-sweet and I appreciated the inclusion of low-acid Vesuvio Hills tomatoes, I was disappointed that this $24 dish came with only one crustacean split in two.

Price inconsistency notwithstanding, Girasole's new location is a boon for diners, and it boasts a great balance of downtown flair and old-world authenticity. It's enough for you to consider making your way down the Avenue of the Arts more often — even if you don't have tickets for a show.

(david.snyder@citypaper.net)

Girasole | Symphony House, 440 S. Broad St., 215-732-2728, girasolephilly.com | Lunch: Mon.-Fri., 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Dinner: Mon.-Fri., 5 p.m.-11 p.m.; Sat., 5 p.m.-mid.; Sun., 5-10:30 p.m. | Appetizers, $8.50-$13.50; crudo, carpaccio, risotto, $15-$19.50; pastas, $15-$19; entrées, $21.50-MP | Wheelchair accessible.

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