Sovalo

[davidbdesilva]

After hearing many raves and write-ups about Sovalo, I decided to give it a try. Already familiar with the space as the former Pigalle, I was not disappointed by the atmosphere and consider this to be one of the sexier places in Philly. But, that being said, I don't know what all the fuss is about. First of all, I was told that they could "squeeze us in at 5:00" so I took the reservation. The place was completely empty when we got there and there were many 2-tops still available when we left at 6:30. Now with a completely empty restaurant we were seated at the front directly behind the hostess station, at which the hostess stood, facing us with arms crossed, throughout nearly our entire meal. I would glance over my shoulder and see her mere feet behind us, like someone looking over your shoulder as you eat.

After being given the menus and wine list, our very young server asked "have you decided on the wine?" to which I said "well first I'd like to look at the food and then decide on the wine" which got a "very wise choice!" Do you think? Oh thank you for saying so! We were very surprised at the youth and inexperience of the waitstaff. Started the meal with expensive drinks (Belini and Limone at $9.75).

On to the food. We decided on half portions of pastas for our apps. Wife's butternut squash filled ravioli's with hazelnuts were very good, but we felt that the same version at Ravenna, a local fav of ours in Montco, were better. My homemade tagilatelle with rabbit ragu was very good, albeit lacking enough salt. Overall, their pastas seem well made and were better than the entrees we had. Wife had a bass for entree, can't remember how it was prepared, but it did not wow either of us. My pork chop over white polenta was good, cooked perfectly in spots but a little dry in others. We didn't see how any of the food was distinctively Californian and seemed pretty straight ahead Northern Italian. The food was good but very similar to that which we've had in other good Northern Italian restaurants.

The wine list is reasonable priced and all from Calif. or Italy. We had a "Menage a trois" (Muscat/Chard/Semillion) from Folie a Deux at $28. All in all it was a good meal but nothing fantastic, especially at what we paid. Surely not up to the raves we've heard and not good enough to make us want to return.

[KatieLoeb]

David:

Sorry to hear you were underwhelmed. I guess it worked out right that the time I tried to go there they were closed.

That Folie a Deux is some yummy wine though, and very reasonably priced for restaurant retail, I might add. Dirt cheap in fact, since the PLCB website shows it at 12.99 their cost. I wonder how they can afford to do that?

The Menage a Trois red is delicious too!

[davidbdesilva]

Katie,

That's what I figured myself. It was very yummy indeed. Folie a Deux is a very good vineyard and I know their wines are not cheap. While I can't remember any specific examples, I do remember thinking that their wine list was quite reasonably priced. I'll have to look for the red as well. And, I don't want to give the impression that I had a bad meal because it was far from it, just a let down after hearing so many raves and felt like there are many other places to eat that are as good or better.

[philadining]

I've only been to Sovalo once, a while ago, but I liked it. (earlier thread here.) I wouldn't claim it was the greatest Italian in town, but I found it solidly satisfying, and interesting.

Maxine Keyser is a good deal more excited in this week's City Paper review. (link will probably not work after October 12, 2005)

This is a silly style thing, but it struck my eye as odd: the review refers to the chef simply as "Joseph" several times. The NYTimes standard of always using the formal "Mr. Scarpone" may seem stiff, but using only a first name feels weirder. Would she call Mssr. Perrier just "Georges" in a review? I know the weeklies try to be more casual, but I hadn't noticed this convention before.

[shacke]

I've only been to Sovalo once, a while ago, but I liked it. (earlier thread here.)  I wouldn't claim it was the greatest Italian in town, but I found it solidly satisfying, and interesting.

Maxine Keyser is a good deal more excited in this week's City Paper review.  (link will probably not work after October 12, 2005)

This is a silly style thing, but it struck my eye as odd: the review refers to the chef simply as "Joseph" several times.  The NYTimes standard of always using the formal "Mr. Scarpone" may seem stiff, but using only a first name feels weirder. Would she call Mssr. Perrier just "Georges" in a review?  I know the weeklies try to be more casual, but I hadn't noticed this convention before.

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I am thinking of going this Saturday so, if I do, I will report back with all this info in mind...

Evan

Edited to add: No room left for us this weekend so we will try and get a reservation some other time..

Edited October 7, 2005 by shacke (log)

[TarteTatin]

Went to Sovalo Wed. night, just walked in early and got a table...

They served good bread and a Kalamata olive spread.

We ordered an Italian Syrah, which was cherry-like and a bit too young, I think, even though it was a 2002 and Syrah. Maybe another year or two would give it the depth I saw the potential for...$28

Sam loved his sweetbreads topped with chanterelles, frisee with pomegrante seeds/sauce. Very tasty.

I had a half portion of the homemade ravioli with apples, sage, and I think goat cheese. I like my ravioli fluffier rather than flat and noodlelike, it didn't have much stuffing at all. It was dry, not really with any sauce at all, I don't mean that in a bad sense, I kind of liked it. Topped with two perfectly fried sage leaves.

He had Rockfish over leeks and something green...Pesto? Not sure, all we remember was how perfectly cooked it was...and how horribly oversalted it was! He usually loves to eat the skin when its cooked right, and this was so unbearably salty he couldn't eat it. His face turned bright red, and he gulped down a few glasses of water to try to calm it down.

I had a chicken liver risotto with cranberries, topped with fennel and lightly fried thin onion rings. Or sauteed, not really fried. There were no pieces of meat, it was totally smoothly pureed into the risotto. Again, not only over salty, but extremely rich. I felt like I was in an old age home eating soft food. Interesting concept, but not sure it worked, and not sure about the whole cranberries with it.

We shared a hot chocolate for dessert, with biscotti and cookies. Not quite like the hot chocolate we've been getting lately in Paris! (There you get a pitcher of just melted dark chocolate, a pitcher of cream, and you mix your own) But, not bad.

Overall, the $112 was about double what we spend at the Tap, and the food there is always consistently good. (Just didn't feel like that smoke filled atmosphere) - (plus, the tap doesn't have pasta) - (come to think of it, neither does N.3rd, unless you count mac and cheese)

I actually think Mandoline is a similar type of place to Sovalo, and Mandoline is BYOB!

The food might even be better at Mandoline. We'll give Sovalo another try soon...

[David McDuff]

I'm way overdue for a return visit to Sovalo, so I'll refrain from any comments on the food other than that I thoroughly enjoyed my last visit.

What is worth adding is that, unless they've changed their policy, Sovalo allows BYOB on Monday nights. This should both cut down on overall costs and also allow for a degree of flexibility beyond their rather limited wine list.

[Capaneus]

I'm way overdue for a return visit to Sovalo, so I'll refrain from any comments on the food other than that I thoroughly enjoyed my last visit.

What is worth adding is that, unless they've changed their policy, Sovalo allows BYOB on Monday nights.  This should both cut down on overall costs and also allow for a degree of flexibility beyond their rather limited wine list.

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My understanding is that their license allows for liquor sevice only Tues.-Sat., so it's not about to change anytime soon.