jelly

Pif would have been my first choice but their private room only holds 12 people.

That website needs to be updated. Bella Luna has been closed for years, and I believe Spezia is now Sola.

Don't forget to make a reservation. The place is tiny. ← Thanks, I will. Anyone care to comment on the quality of the food at Pif since Mr./Mrs. Ansil opened Ansil's? I've read nice reviews about it but not since the new place opened. Is the same chef still at Pif? ← Haven't been back to Pif since Ansill's opening but I would guess the food is as good as ever. Most of the cooking is done by the sous chef, who is still there. I believe his name is also David. And David Ansill is still very present at Pif, I hear.

This statement is shocking! Shocking, I tell you. The desserts at Pif, over the many times that I've been there, have ranged from excellent to phenomenal. We've never felt that the desserts haven't been as strong as the other food. What are the dessert selections like at Ansill? ← I have to agree with you. I'm surprised by that statement. The desserts, prepared by Mrs. Ansill, have always been wonderful at Pif. Same with Ansill. We were there about a week ago. I had an interesting rice pudding and S.O. had something very good that involved toasted brioche. Sorry I can't be more descriptive.

The number is correct. I used it and got Ansill. They will not be taking reservations. For last weekend, they were only open Friday and Saturday nights. They eventually plan to be open from 11:00am, seven days a week. I don't know when that will start however.

Thanks. Do you know if it's only dinner this weekend. Wanted to avoid the crowds/parking situation and go early. No reservations, right?

Ditto.

Get there by 5:30pm or there is a good chance you will have a long wait.

Glad to hear the center city location is different in atmosphere from the Chestnut Hill location. Didn't like the atmosphere in Chestnut Hill.

Could this be the same George who had a hotdog cart at 15th & Walnut in the late 70's/early 80's? I used to work in the building that now houses Striped Bass and George had great hotdogs.

The Farmhouse in nearby Emmaus is very good and also has an out of this world beer selection.

We were there Sunday night too. Didn't feel rushed though. Our seating was at 6:30 and I guess we left around 8:30. There was a long line of people waiting to get seated when we left. The food and service were very nice. We both had the veal. I had the gnocchi app and S.O. had the mozzarella capreses. I had forgotten how intimidating that wine book is. The sommelier was very helpful.

La Famiglia, because it was terrific last restaurant week and is a place we can't normally afford.

Since you say you crave Italian and don't want a byob, I was thinking Vetri. Next week might be a problem but if you're willing to go on a weeknight you might get lucky. Second choice for Italian with a bar (and a great wine cellar) is La Famiglia. Both very nice places with very different atmospheres and type of Italian food. La Famiglia is more of an old world atmosphere with what I would call Southern Italian food. Vetri looks like a place in Tuscany, and is very attractive but much less fussy. Food is Northern Italian and more adventurous. (BTW, if you are already aware of this, apologies).

I third Alison in Blue Bell. Great food, especially the seafood.

I was wondering if anyone has ordered and tried this yet. Just received 6 bottles but haven't had a chance to sample it.. My personal favorite Pink wine in the whole world is: Domaine de la Courtade L'Alycastre Rose 2004 SLO Code # 054449 $11.49 This wine is grown on an island off the coast of Nice that is quite literally the sunniest place in France. It's a beautiful salmon color and smells like rose petals and sunshine. It's absolutely delicious. If you were to order a case of this and have it shipped to your favorite store you wouldn't be disappointed. This was available by the glass at Rouge and Sansom Street Oyster House, but not sure about that now. I'll see if I can call the distributor and find out for sure who's carrying it by the glass so you can take it for a test drive. ←

Has anyone tried this yet? I just received six bottles but haven't had a chance to sample yet. Now I have to go find that thread I saw before about how to do the special ordering thing (that's what SLO is, right?), and maybe send it to a different place than Conshy... thanks very much! And if you do find out where they have that by the glass, I'd be interested. -hillary ← Hillary, you can place a special order by calling 1-800-332-7522 option 1 or 2 and have it shipped to Ardmore if you wish since you work there. Deidre ←

I like that site but it seems it's only updated once every few months.

Pif is our favorite restaurant and I find myself purposefully avoiding it so I can get to other places for a change. It has been a while though and this thread may change that. The bread is from right nearby called Artisan Boulanger Patisserie. As a bread baker I tend to look down on commercial breads but he is sensational! A vietnamese baker who is classically french trained in bread baking. Try their sourdough baguette (not sour tasting but uses a natural yeast) and then post back when you come back to earth! The salt is hawaiian alaean pink salt. I had called Chef David Ansill one night because my wife always talks of that pink salt and got the info. It's baked in red clay and is available at amazon believe it or not at this link. Guests at our place love it. It tastes light and is a nice pink color. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...t-food&v=glance Evan ← Pif is our favorite too. Thanks for the information about the salt. I love their bread and butter (and everything else). We do the same as you, just so we will try other places. We get to Pif about once a month but, really, I could go twice a week!

If you're planning on going on a weekend, reserve two months in advance. No kidding.

Thanks. Scrolling back, I realize it wasn't Capaneus who wrote "I used to live there".

I have a friend who lived there in the mid-80's. That was a neat place. Wasn't it called Lucy Eaton Smith, or something like that? BTW, Capaneus, sorry I always thought you were a guy.

I believe Fork now has two private dining rooms that could accomodate you.

Under the Blue Moon was a favorite of mine too. Sadly, it closed several years ago.