Pompeii
1113 Walnut St.
215-829-4400
Credit cards accepted
Large stair seat for wheelchairs to downstairs restrooms
Open for lunch and dinner; closed Sundays
www.Pompeiirestaurant.com
Philadelphia is brimming, or should I say overflowing, with Italian restaurants. The majority of these places play it safe: They serve the same tired food, the ingredients are not up to par and the chef has little concept of eye appeal.
One chef who doesn’t play it safe, thankfully, is South Philly’s Frank Chiavaroli, whose cucina I first enjoyed eight years ago at the now-shuttered Frankie’s Seafood Italiano. He then took charge of the kitchen for a while at Pompeii when it was located on South Broad Street.
Six months ago, Pompeii and Chiavaroli moved into beautiful new quarters on Walnut Street. If a recent dinner is any indication, book a table straightaway because dedicated Philly foodies soon will be lining up at the door.
The interior is best described as understated elegance. Large, comfortable upholstered booths line the bar area. Tables are covered in white linen and matching napkins. The lighting is perfect: I could actually read the menu and see the lovely creations on my plate. Although many patrons were in the dining room, we opted for a booth in the bar. Booths are more cozy, I think.
Chiavaroli’s menu is a mouth-watering tour of Italy’s regional cucina. Few chefs have the talent or wherewithal to attempt this. You’ll find a pasta from Lazio, seafood from Livorno, a salad from Abruzzo. Every item looks tempting.
Big, icy-cold martinis were just $7 — a big surprise, as most upscale restaurants charge $10-$12 for a mid-sized cocktail. Our waiter, Chuck, and his two assistants took good care of us. We nibbled on fresh Italian bread that had arrived with a ramekin of whipped butter.
I started Chiavaroli’s tour of Italy in Abruzzo with marinated artichoke and red beet salad ($8), a masterpiece on the plate. The chef placed a handful of crisp, pale-green Belgian endive leaves in a circle on the center of the plate. They looked like the petals of a flower. He filled the center with a large mound of perfectly roasted diced beets. Several marinated baby artichokes — fresh, not canned — peeked out from the endive pedals. Bits of tangy goat cheese topped the salad, dressed in a mild balsamic vinaigrette enhanced by fresh orange juice. Every chef in this town who has a beet salad on his menu should try Pompeii’s version.
My husband Edward headed south for his antipasto with a top-flight version of Parmigiana di melanzane ($10). I’ve tasted so many nuked versions of eggplant Parmesan that we rarely order it anymore. Here, Chiavaroli took three large eggplants, quickly sautéed them, topped them with a slightly chunky tomato sauce along with fresh mozzarella and sprinklings of imported Pecorino-Romano and baked the dish in the oven. It arrived piping hot. The sauce was enhanced by fresh aromatic basil.
The pasta list at Pompeii is dazzling. Seven of the pastas are homemade. And for the first time, I savored sacchetti — homemade pasta sacks about the size of quarters and shaped like little purses that are tied on the ends. Sacchetti à la carbonara ($18) hails from the Lazio region. These treats were filled with imported prosciutto di Parma and Italian fontina and served in a silky rich carbonara sauce made with bacon, prosciutto, garlic, onions and Pecorino-Romano.
The pasta was thoughtfully split in the kitchen and arrived piping hot. A young man came to the table with a good-sized wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano and grated the fresh cheese on top of our pasta. This dish is so unique, it should get an award.
Pompeii has a wine list that is as impressive as the food. We sipped a glass of Pinot Grigio ($6) with dinner.
For my entrée, I traveled to the Tuscan area — Livorno, located on the shores of the Ligurian sea. Caciucco al Livornese ($28) was so outrageously delicious, I am trying to find words to describe it properly.
I received a large bowl filled to the top with fresh lobster in the shell, shrimp, squid, baby octopus complete with tentacles, Prince Edward Island mussels, littleneck clams, monkfish and red snapper. The chef sautéed the fish and shellfish in olive oil and then added them to a sauce of sautéed onions, carrots, celery, garlic, red chili peppers, parsley, ripe plum tomatoes and dry white wine. A slice of grilled bread sat on top. Each fish had a distinct flavor and was not a bit overcooked. The portion was so large, Edward had to help me finish it.
Grilling fowl under a brick is done in Europe but rarely here. Chiavaroli does it. He made a marinade of olive oil, garlic and fresh rosemary and placed one half of a plump chicken in it. The luscious stuffing contained sausage, prosciutto di Parma, potatoes and fresh herbs. The chicken ($21) was grilled under the brick with a bit of veal stock, which affords a crisp skin, and was served with roasted vegetables. I love potato stuffing. Why do so few chefs prepare it? The chicken was juicy inside, and the vegetables lightly roasted.
After we signed our check, a young man came over to us. Franco Strati remembered me from my visit to his former restaurant, Paglia e Fieno. Chiavaroli then came over and we all had a chat. They insisted we try several dolci created by pastry chef Joe Buzzetto. We sampled a fresh blood orange sorbet, a strawberry semifreddo brimming with fruit and topped with white chocolate shavings, and several chocolate mousse logs topped with homemade rum-raisin gelati. But I had already given my rating to this restaurant before we talked and sampled the desserts.
Three tips of the toque to Pompeii.
