25598747
Hosteria Da Elio
615 S. Third St.
215-925-0930
Visa, MasterCard and Discover
A step up into the restaurant
Closed Mondays
Don’t miss the sweet potato gnocchi
The number of Italian BYOBs throughout the city’s neighborhoods has increased greatly in the last few years. My favorites are L’angolo and Lauletta’s Grill in South Philly, Bellini Grill in Center City, La Viola just steps away from The Kimmel Center and Radicchio Café in Old City, which was one of the best new restaurants of 2002.
The newest addition to this growing list of trattorias is Hosteria Da Elio, sandwiched between a bagel store and Azafran on South Third Street. I walked by the restaurant a while ago and made a note to try it.
Edward and I invited a few friends to join us but their wimpy excuse was, "It’s too cold outside." Snow and cold weather never stop us. So on one of the coldest nights of the year, I pulled a bottle of Farnese Montepulciano from the wine rack, bundled up in layers and drove over to Hosteria Da Elio. I guess the cold bothered most people, as we found a parking spot right away just off usually busy South Street.
And what a charming trattoria we found. The windows have small white lights with pretty lace curtains. The walls are painted a soft melon with colorful artwork. We were warmly greeted and shown to a table for two. Our server opened our wine and brought us two hoagie rolls that had been warmed in the oven.
The bill of fare consists of Italian and Italian-American dishes, the majority of which show up on almost every menu in Italian restaurants. Most of the entrées are in the $12-$14 range, perfect for a neighborhood restaurant. The recited list of specials, given without prices, seemed to go on forever. Most people prefer specials, with prices, printed on a separate menu. I’m certainly one of them, as I could never remember that many dishes.
I’m still puzzled as to why mussels, steamed clams and eggplant parmesan are considered "special." However, the appetizer portion of eggplant parmesan ($8.50) was special, indeed. It was the best I’ve had in years. The eggplant wasn’t coated in crumbs and fried, and it wasn’t greasy; it was, in fact, a savory Napoleon-like creation that arrived piping hot. The eggplant was not at all bitter, and buttery-rich mascarpone was used in place of run-of-the-mill ricotta. The Napoleon sat in a pool of fresh, slightly chunky tomato sauce.
Also among the specials was langostino bisque ($7), which was chock full of flavor. Making a true bisque can be tricky; you must have the right balance of stock to cream. Texture is key here. I’ve been served bisques that were watery-thin and some that were gloppy-thick. This version was downright perfect. Bits of nicely cooked langostino were added to the soup.
A salad of mesclun greens with gorgonzola ($6) was properly dressed and included baby spinach leaves, which are finding their way into many restaurant dishes. Some caramelized onions and slightly salty pitted black olives were placed in the center of the greens.
But the best dish of the night was also among the specials. I have been longing for properly prepared gnocchi ever since Mama Bertina of La Grolla retired last year. I cannot tell you how many lead balloons disguised as gnocchi have been served to me. As soon as the platter was placed before us, I knew by their elongated shape they were homemade.
The sweet potato gnocchi ($14, entrée portion) literally melted in my mouth. They were light and fluffy, bathed in a properly reduced bechamel that was just the right consistency and laced with bits of baby spinach. Parmesan cheese was scattered around the rim of the plate.
As is the case with so many Italian-American restaurants, the entrées were not as enticing as the appetizers. Calamari Livornese ($12) was prepared with rings of slightly chewy squid, which were cooked with chopped tomatoes, capers, black olives and white wine. It was more of a soup, actually, as the tomatoes and wine should have been reduced to a thicker sauce.
The menu states that entrées come with a side of pasta, but after enjoying the heavenly gnocchi, we were told snow peas and carrots could be substituted. The vegetables arrived lukewarm.
Edward tried the shrimp diablo ($14), which was a bit peppery but lacked eye appeal. A mound of spaghetti sat in the center of a large plate and was tossed with tomato sauce. A few properly cooked small shrimp were placed around the pasta.
Still, our dinner was a delight and, with a few changes, Hosteria Da Elio could become a really fine neighborhood restaurant. I knew the majority of ingredients used in the preparation of our dishes were fresh and much care was taken in creating them. Add some artisan bread and Italian vegetables such as escarole, fennel and broccoli rabe with perhaps some oven-roasted potatoes with olive oil and rosemary, plus some grilled items, and Hosteria Da Elio will be up there with La Viola, L’angolo, Lauletta’s Grill and Radicchio Café.
Two tips of the toque to Hosteria Da Elio.
