Messy and Picky

This was the best restaurant meal either of us could remember having, from start to finish. The atmosphere is cozy, not super schmancy, and the price-to-value ratio is outstanding. From the second we tasted the bread with the basil and garlic-infused olive oil, we knew we had come to the right place.

We started off with the vegetarian tapas ($12) and were overwhelmed with a platter filled with cheese, bruschetta, white beans with pesto, olives, cucumbers, carrots, goat cheese crustini, roasted red peppers, and more. The only part of our meal that wasn't fabulous were these weird pickly things, but they weren't bad either, just weird. By this time, Messy was already full and was not expecting much from her vegetarian-ized version of the pasta of the day. She was ecstatic to find out her ravioli with a million fresh vegetables was damn near the best thing she'd ever had. Picky went for a parmesan-encrusted rack of lamb on a bed of beans and sausages, and pronounced it oustanding as well.

For dessert, we shared the chocolate pot de creme with almond gelato, which was also incredible. Messy had her own individual French press of coffee and it was so good that Picky, an avowed hater of hot coffee, was able to enjoy it as well. All this, plus a glass of sangria, and our total tab was still in double digits. If you can afford it (and we can't, really), go there. Immediately. It won't let you down.

**UPDATE: We've had a couple more excellent meals at Valanni (try the grilled romaine salad with chipotle dressing — yum!). However, even though the food is consistently good, Messy has had to lower her rating by half a star due to the lack of vegetarian choices on the menu. On each visit, Messy has ordered a vegetarianized version of the pasta of the day. The last time, it definitely tasted like fish sauce. The big vegetarian tapas dish we ordered on our first visit is, sadly, no longer on the menu. However, Valanni still remains our favorite fancy (but not too fancy) dinner place in all of Philly. [September 17, 2006]

Messy ****1/2
Picky *****

The final word: The best meal we've had in Philly!

Valanni
1229 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA
215-790-9494
Hours: Sun. brunch: 11:00am – 3:30pm, dinner: 5:00pm – 10:00pm, lounge: 10:00pm - 1:00am
Mon.-Thurs. dinner: 5:00pm – 10:30pm, lounge: 10:30pm - 1:00am
Fri. & Sat. dinner: 5:00pm – 11:00pm, lounge: 11:00pm - 1:00am (Bar is open until 2am)