Fare la scarpetta, a charming Italian phrase that literally translates to “making the little boot,” signifies the act of mopping up leftover sauce with a hunk of bread. Rittenhouse Square’s newly opened Scarpetta is named after this concept, and its decadent Italian fare will certainly compel you to savor your meal to the last bite.
The restaurant is one of several branches of LDV Hospitality’s Scarpetta restaurant group, known for its sophisticated take on Italian fine dining. Other outposts include locations in New York City, Las Vegas and Miami. But this isn’t just a cookie-cutter (or biscotti-cutter, to be culturally specific) copy of the previous restaurants. While the core concept, menu and design elements remain the same, the Philadelphia Scarpetta has plenty of local touches.
For example, the killer location. As LDV Hospitality’s president John Meadow stated, “We’re very grateful to have found a spectacular space right on Rittenhouse Square with that extraordinary view of the park. … To be a part of that is very clearly Philadelphia.” Furthermore, while other Rittenhouse Square restaurants suffer in the winter when outdoor dining is no longer an option, the large windows of the spacious upstairs dining room ensure park views on even the chilliest days.
Though the restaurant initially hails from New York City, the owners have taken care to hire a slate of local staff, including general manager Drew Carballo and chef de cuisine Joseph Nocella. In fact, the staff includes nine members pulled from Scarpetta’s shuttered Revel Casino location in Atlantic City. Meadow explained that “the people are what make a restaurant. And it’s great that we have our concept, our menu and our story, but ultimately the local Philly team and our local Philadelphia partners make it a local Philadelphia restaurant.”
One local tradition Scarpetta is certainly embracing is the proud Philadelphia pastime of drinking and eating at the same time (for evidence, just go to any Phillies game). The ground floor of the restaurant is devoted to the bar, the first of the brand’s restaurants to serve the full menu. This is a great choice for an intimate date night or a relaxing dinner alone. While you’re there, be sure to try the San Remo cocktail, a bourbon-based concoction sexed up with St. Germaine and Campari, and the Bolla Bacca, an effervescent combination of prosecco and strawberry liqueur.
Whether you’re at the bar or the swank upstairs dining space, you’ll want to dive into Scarpetta’s menu of lushly prepared Italian cuisine. For appetizers, favorites are the raw yellowtail crudo, the creamy polenta with truffled mushrooms and the unctuous, achingly tender braised short ribs with risotto. The main menu includes a creative array of pastas, ranging from duck and foie gras ravioli to black farfalle with seafood ragout, as well as the traditional meat and fish courses. The dessert course is another high point, with top marks going to the molten Valrhona chocolate cake with caramel gelato. Even the bread basket is indulgent, featuring pillowy focaccia and pinwheel sandwiches of ham and cheese accompanied by dollops of mascarpone butter, eggplant spread and olive oil.
Yet despite the menu’s tendencies toward excess, Scarpetta’s signature dish is the spaghetti tomato and basil, a delicious rendition of exactly what you’d think it is. As John Meadow put it, “It’s this beautiful example of something so simple, so familiar, yet done in an elevated basis.”
GM Drew Carballo’s praise? “I’m a big cheese guy, and I don’t need to add cheese.” There aren’t many more convincing endorsements than that.
Find Scarpetta at 210 W. Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia; phone: (215) 558-4199.
- Photos: Scarpetta
