La Vigna

On a cool March afternoon five years ago, I lunched with Frank Auddino at La Vigna, his delightful restaurant at Front and Federal. My mission was to learn all about fresh fava beans and Auddino was going to share his nonna’s recipes with me. Our lunch was long and relaxing, and I sampled myriad dishes with him. Several days later, I cooked a number of his nonna’s recipes and featured them in a column in this newspaper.

I was saddened to hear of Auddino’s death earlier this year. He was relatively young and so proud of his sons. I wondered about La Vigna as well. Frank was also proud of his 16 year-old restaurant and enjoyed greeting and caring for his loyal patrons. Since I have not eaten dinner at La Vigna since I reviewed it more than eight years ago, I thought a return visit was in order.

I called to inquire about reservations. We wanted an early dinner and, as it turned out, booking a table was not necessary. We arrived around 5:15 p.m. and were shown to a sun-filled dining room. We settled into a roomy table for four and discussed the menu. La Vigna is a multilevel restaurant. It has a cozy bar, a beautiful wine cellar where private parties are often held and two dining rooms. Tables are covered in crisp white linen with pale teal napkins.

I enjoyed a Rob Roy, which is a Manhattan made with Scotch, and Edward sipped a dry Beefeater martini. Both were expertly prepared, good-sized and only $6. Zachary, our 17-year-old assistant waiter, brought us a small dish of crudit� with a light creamy dipping sauce. He also brought us a basket of warm bread and sesame breadsticks. Zachary, who speaks Italian and Spanish, is a senior at Friends Select and told me he wants to be a journalist.

From the antipasti, I selected calamaretti alla griglia ($7.25), which was a delicious surprise. Six tender whole squid bodies were grilled and served on a bed of baby greens. Several lemon wedges were placed on the plate along with a creamy dipping sauce, which I thought detracted from the flavor of the squid. All they required was a squeeze of lemon.

Antipasto classico "per due" ($14.25) was small in size and too expensive, but packed with flavor. The plate contained some canned Italian tuna, cool eggplant that was not a bit bitter, a marinated artichoke, a few marinated mushrooms, yummy Gaeta olives, roasted red peppers, tiny strips of sharp provolone, two tiny bits of fresh mozzarella, one slice of Genoa salami and three slices of domestic mortadella. We sprinkled on some extra-virgin olive oil and finished the antipasto with ease.

Soup of the day comes with dinner. Mom and I both enjoyed the homemade lentil, which was rich with tiny tubetti, a bit of tomato, onions, celery, carrots and bits of ground pork. The broth was homemade and not a bit salty. Edward liked the escarole, which was made with homemade chicken broth.

I have funny habits when it comes to seasonal dining. I don’t make osso bucco when it is 85 degrees but I will order it in a restaurant. La Vigna’s osso bucco ($18) was downright delicious. I received a large meaty veal shank that had been properly braised so the meat fell off the bone. I did receive a cocktail fork so I could easily remove the dreamy marrow inside the bone. The shank sat in the middle of a large portion of saffron risotto, which was a bit salty but nicely prepared. The risotto retained a toothsome quality.

My mom Berthe has been trying new dishes and cuisine as of late, so she chose ravioli di aragosta ($6.95 as an appetizer, $14.50 as an entr�e). Ravioli filled with lobster has become a popular dish within the past 15 years or so. The entr�e size contained at least eight plump ravioli, properly cooked and stuffed with lobster. The sauce was a light sundried tomato blush, prepared with a bit of cream that cut the acid in the tomato. Mom dug in and pronounced the ravioli perfect.

You can order veal cutlet several ways. Edward prefers it straight. His veal cutlet alla Milanese ($14.50) was a generous slice of tender veal that had been dipped in seasoned crumbs and quickly fried to a golden-brown perfection. It sat on a leaf of romaine lettuce and sliced tomatoes were included on the plate. Lemon wedges arrived as well, but Edward always nixes lemon juice. He said it was one of the best veal cutlets in recent memory. Unfortunately for him, his dinner came with a side of tasteless watery zucchini and a few roasted potatoes. He did gobble up the potatoes.

From the wine list, we enjoyed a bottle of Montepulciano — a bargain at $20.

We’ve been on a cheesecake kick for a few months and wanted to try La Vigna’s ricotta version ($4). Our waiter placed before us a hefty wedge of homemade lemony ricotta cheesecake, along with three forks. It was a cross between light and dense, which I truly enjoy. The graham-cracker crust was not a bit dry or crumbly.

Service was first rate throughout our meal. Our waiter and Zachary took good care of us. By the time we finished dinner, the dining room was alive with happy patrons and nearly each seat was taken at the bar. The bar stools were occupied by women, all enjoying a glass of wine, salad, antipasto or entr�e.

As we left La Vigna, I overheard a woman speaking on her cell phone. She was chatting with a friend on her way to the restaurant. After she hung up, she told Frank the bartender that her friend was looking forward to stuffed eggplant for dinner.

Two-and-a-half tips of the toque to La Vigna.

La Vigna
1100 S. Front St., at Federal
215-336-1100
Credit cards accepted
Two steps up into the restaurant, a few steps up into the dining rooms
Open seven days
Reservations a good idea