Thursday, November 20, 2008

Dinner by the Fountain

Visited some good friends in Philly for the weekend. Knowing how much I love to eat, they planned an entire weekend of gluttony. Our first meal was at La Fontana Della Citta, a quaint BYOB Italian restaurant near the heart of the city.

Calamari Fritti
For starters, we whetted our appetites with an order of calamari fritti. These were some of the best I've had. The pieces of squid were plump and tender. The breading was crisp and light. The marinara was warm and chunky. My only complaint was there there were no pieces of tentacle. Though I like squid tubes, I LOVE me some squid tentacles. Next time I'll remember to request for some.

Rack of Lamb
This is their rack of lamb. I originally ordered the osso buco but they were out at the time. The brown sauce looked delicious but neither added nor detracted from the dish. Because it was bland, I just took it to be a means to keep the meat moist. Despite being a bit tough, the lamb was flavorful and thoroughly enjoyed by my taste buds. As I always do when eating a rack of lamb, I make a first pass using fork and knife but then finish off the dish with my fingers clinching the rib bones and my teeth tearing off every last bit of meaty goodness.

Seafood Risotto
My wife go their seafood risotto, of which I ate half. The seafood was superb but the rice wasn't. Undercooked, the grains did not absorb the creaminess of butter sauce. This was a minor setback since we simply ate around the rice. The seafood itself was delicious. Fresh and properly cooked, the mussels, squid, scallops and shrimp were all tender and plump with flavor.

When considering the food only, we had a pleasant experience at this eatery. But coupled with the great company at dinner, we loved the restaurant and would revisit when possible.

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