While filming his award-winning movie "Philadelphia" here in 1992, director Jonathan Demme heard of a South Philly restaurant called Felicia’s. He dined there often and enjoyed the authentic cucina so much, the restaurant was mentioned in the movie.
I don’t know if Demme’s recommendation has had much to do with the success of Felicia’s, but it has been on my list. I decided it was time to make a return visit and was surprised to discover Felicia’s has been in business for 18 years. That’s quite a long life when you think about all the restaurants that have opened and closed within the past year or so.
My mom, Berthe, recently spent a week in the hospital and was looking forward to a delicious dinner with my husband, Edward, and me.
We settled on Felicia’s. We were seated at a roomy table for four and discussed the menu. There were a few specials and our waiter cared for our every need. He recommended light and flavorful dishes for mom because she is on a slightly restricted diet for the next few weeks.
Felicia’s interior is pure 1980s. Pink, peach and pale blues are the colors of choice. Tables are covered in white cloths with matching napkins.
Our waiter brought us a loaf of warm crusty Tuscan-style bread and a cruet of herbed olive oil. The menu is classic Italian with few surprises.
I began dinner with mussels ($8.95) bathed in a light white wine sauce. There must have been 18 immaculately clean mollusks fanned like flower petals on the plate. It was so visually appealing, I could not wait to tuck into it. (As the Italians say, "first you eat with your eyes.") The sauce, which I found to be on the mild side, was light and studded with a hint of minced fresh garlic, lemon, white wine and parsley.
Caprese salad ($7.95) has become ubiquitous, but I can’t tell you how many times we’ve gotten tomatoes that taste like cardboard and cheese that was so gummy it could adhere to almost anything. Felicia’s was downright delicious and beautifully presented. Slices of red ripe plum tomatoes and fresh mozzarella were set on a plate along with razor-thin slices of imported Prosciutto di Parma. Edward and I enjoyed the combination of tastes and textures in this dish. We especially liked the addition of prosciutto in this classic Italian salad, which was properly dressed in a light vinaigrette.
We wanted to share a light pasta dish before our entrees. Our waiter told us the fettuccine Alfredo was too heavy for mom so we went for pasta puttenesca ($13.95), a marvelous dish I have not recently seen on restaurant menus. It is traditionally prepared with tomatoes, black olives, onions, capers, anchovies, oregano and garlic. The addition of red pepper flakes gave the dish a bit of a kick. We each received a good-size mound of piping hot, freshly prepared pasta that was made with both black and green pitted olives.
"You haven’t made this in a long time," Edward said as he finished his pasta. It had been a while and I quickly realized I always have the ingredients on hand for pasta puttenesca. Felicia’s uses spaghetti cooked al dente, but puttenesca can be served with any type of pasta.
The fish of the day was tilapia ($20.95), which our waiter described as a light, flavorful fish similar to halibut. Tilapia is popping up on menus all over town. It just might replace salmon as the fish of choice. Tilapia is native to Israel and I once ate it on a beautiful terrace overlooking the Mediterranean not far from Tel Aviv. In America, tilapia is farm-raised, much like salmon. Mom had never tried it, but our waiter was right. The fish was light and flaky, simply pan-seared with fresh herbs and topped with lemon and white wine. A handful of pencil-thin, perfectly cooked asparagus spears came with it.
Veal alla Milanese ($16.95) is one of Edward’s favorites. The top-quality meat was tender. The veal was coated in lightly seasoned breadcrumbs and quickly pan-fried to a golden brown. His dinner came with asparagus, as well.
I ordered one of the specials, the stuffed pork chop ($23.95). The meat was the size of a veal chop and must have weighed at least 8 ounces. The stuffing was a creamy, properly seasoned mix of fresh spinach and Asiago, which melted slightly in the center when the chop was cut. The pork was very tender, so much so I cut it with a butter knife.
Our waiter brought us a complimentary side of yummy eggplant Parmesan layered with mozzarella.
We sipped glasses of Sangiovese with dinner. It went well with the veal and pork.
Though there was a large party celebrating a birthday and a couple who were regulars, I was surprised so few people were dining at Felicia’s. Anyone who thought about going there and didn’t missed a fine meal.
Three tips of the toque to Felicia’s.
Felicia’s
11th and Ellsworth streets
215-755-9656
Authentic Italian cucina
Credit cards accepted
Wheelchair-accessible
