Valentino on the Square

At the very end of 2004, it’s a pleasure to write about what I’m deeming one of the year’s best new restaurants.

Valentino on the Square is only 3 months old. Owner Cosimo Tricario, who is from Puglia, on the Adriatic Sea, turned a former diner-turned-deli on South 19th Street into a visually appealing spot complete with white baby grand piano, soft pinky-peach marble-top tables, comfortable banquettes, soft lighting, modern Italian flatware, gleaming wine glasses and a handsomely turned out staff that treats patrons as if they were dining in their home.

My husband and I arrived at 6 p.m. on a recent Tuesday night. The restaurant was awaiting approval of a liquor license and, as of this writing, has obtained it.

We were greeted by Massimo, a congenial Sicilian who has much experience in fine dining, having worked at La Famiglia before coming to Valentino. He seated us across from the long marble-topped bar, opened our wine and allowed us time to discuss the menu.

Since we were the only patrons in the restaurant, Massimo was able to tell us all about the upcoming plans for Valentino on the Square. He showed us the glass-enclosed room off the front dining room that now houses the restaurant’s vintages. He also told us the restaurant is open for lunch and Saturday and Sunday brunch — which is a big plus for people who live, work and shop in Rittenhouse Square.

The man in charge is chef John Burke, who has been a chef for 22 years and apprenticed at Gaetano’s and Il Gallo Nero, two now-shuttered but tops-in-their-day Italian restaurants.

Massimo pushed a wooden trolley over to our table and told us about the specials on it. They included a veal chop, rack of lamb, salmon, branzino and orata. We asked for the price of each entrée. I think $30 is high for a veal chop or rack of lamb, but I also realize that some restaurants are charging this amount or more. An arugula salad and eggplant alla Parmigiana were among the specials.

"We opened the restaurant across from the bakery because we like their bread," Massimo said as he brought a basket of fresh, crusty Metropolitan bread, along with a small pitcher of top-quality extra-virgin olive oil.

I ordered the arugula salad ($16.95), which Massimo advised was large enough to share. It arrived on a square white plate — Tricario’s personal salute to Rittenhouse Square. Slightly peppery organic baby arugula leaves were formed into a large mound. Three large, homemade buffala mozzarella disks sat atop the greens. Several paper-thin slices of prosciutto di Parma were draped over the cheese. The dish was finished with homemade sweet roasted red peppers and dressed in a light, refreshing vinaigrette. It was glorious.

From the antipasti caldi, Edward selected calamari grigliata ($8.95), also presented on a square white plate. This dish consisted of six small squid bodies, without tentacles, which were grilled and topped with extra-virgin olive oil and fresh herbs. The squid were slightly chewy but not rubbery. I thought how much better this dish would be if prepared with tiny whole baby squid, like those found along Tricario’s native Adriatic coast. The dish also contained a handful of fresh assorted greens.

Eggplant alla Parmigiana ($8.95) was nothing like the greasy, oversauced version I’ve been served in numerous restaurants. Massimo told us the eggplant was grilled instead of fried. The eggplant was so thin, it must have been hand-sliced with a mandolin or a razor-sharp knife. It was dusted with seasonings and grilled to succulent perfection. The slices were stacked Napoleon-style and in between were layers of fresh cheese and a tablespoon or two of homemade chunky tomato sauce. The portion was generous, the dish a tasty success.

For our entrées, we selected sausage and polenta ($13.95) and involtini alla Pugliese ($15.95), a veal dish I’ve heard of but have never seen on a restaurant menu. At this point in our dinner, Valentino on the Square was nearly filled to capacity.

The sausage and polenta was rich, tasty and warming on a cold evening. I especially liked that the triangles of rich cornmeal were grilled, toasted on the outside and creamy on the inside. The sausage was fat and juicy, nicely crisp on the outside and perfectly complemented with a homemade sauce of wild mushrooms and red wine. The plate also contained a mound of the aforementioned organic baby arugula.

The involtini consisted of three nice-sized bundles of top-quality tender veal that had been stuffed and rolled with the precious prosciutto di Parma and homemade mozzarella. The sauce, which hails from Puglia, was rich and properly reduced from natural pan juices, wine and finely chopped plum tomatoes. Old-fashioned homemade potatoes au gratin and tiny crescents of zucchini, with seeds removed, completed the square plate.

This was the finest veal dish I have eaten in a restaurant in years.

From the dolci ($7 each), we ordered tiramisu and cannoli. The tiramisu was authentic, made with layers of homemade sponge cake soaked in espresso and topped with mascarpone and deep rich cocoa powder. The cannoli was twice the size of Italian bakery cannoli, filled with slightly sweet ricotta, studded with tiny chocolate chips and finished with Jackson Pollock-like squiggles of chocolate sauce.

Massimo offered all of us a glass of his wine, which was luscious. We struck up a conversation with everyone around us, as the tables were close together.

When you dine at Valentino on the Square, you not only enjoy Burke’s perfect meal but you make new friends.

Three tips of the toque to Valentino on the Square.

Valentino on the Square
267 S. 19th St.
215-545-0441
Visa and MasterCard accepted
Several marble steps into entrance
Open daily, reservations a must
One of 2004’s best new restaurants