Vetri, 2005 James Beard Award Winning Chef Marc Vetri's Flagship Italian in Washington Square West

[meowzart]

The Restaurant Issue of Bon Appetit (Top 5 dining cities issue) was mentioned in another thread. Also in that issue was an article about Vetri. It sounded pretty amazing. The chef there beat out four of our own DC chefs for a James Beard Award (Best Chef-Mid--Atlantic). They made it out to possibly be the best Italian restaurant in the U.S.

http://www.vetriristorante.com/

So, has anybody been? Is it worth a two-hour drive? Do tell!

[DonRocks]

The Restaurant Issue of Bon Appetit (Top 5 dining cities issue) was mentioned in another thread. Also in that issue was an article about Vetri. It sounded pretty amazing. The chef there beat out four of our own DC chefs for a James Beard Award (Best Chef-Mid--Atlantic). They made it out to possibly be the best Italian restaurant in the U.S.

http://www.vetriristorante.com/

So, has anybody been? Is it worth a two-hour drive? Do tell!

Here are some comments on Vetri as a restaurant on eGullet. In retrospect, I was being somewhat kind.

And here is a thread on the 2005 Beard Awards in which Vetri is also discussed.

Cheers,
Rocks.

[monavano]

Heading to Philly at the end of the month. Most of the entries are bars and high end restaurants. Where else should I eat? I was thinking Cheese Steaks at Pat's and Mike's in South Philly (never been). Maybe Italian one night and anything else that people can recommend. I will be staying downtown near University and Woodland Avenues.

Vetri Restaurant. If you're interested reserve asap.
Website:
http://www.vetriristorante.com/

Review by Craig LeBan:
http://ae.philly.com/entertainment/ui/phil...7&reviewId=4588

Here's a detailed and thoughtful review of a recent meal, posted on eG:
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=72121

[Robert Rymarz]

Vetri is on my short list of restaurants to try. Anyone been?

---

Tom Sietsema's 10/7/07 Postcard from Philly which includes Vetri

Edited May 13, 2013 by DonRocks

[jm chen]

Vetri is on my short list of restaurants to try. Anyone been?

My +1 and I did the grand tasting there, back in March or so. Definitely one of the best meals of my life, top ten-ish. And one I was incredibly glad I didn't have to foot the bill for. Over $500, food for two, wine (full pairings) for one.

A huge amount of food, a mix of innovation and reliability, course after delightful course. Don't do it unless you love pasta. Dessert was a weak link but I didn't have any digestive real estate by then anyway. What I liked best was the ability to give them some guidelines (he wants mostly offal-based dishes; I must have the goat and the charcuterie) and then have them fill in the rest with surprises.

Was it wonderful? Absolutely. Given the choice between returning to Vetri, Komi, or the Tasting Room at Eve, would it be my first choice? Probably not, especially if I'm paying.

[Robert Rymarz]

My +1 and I did the grand tasting there, back in March or so. Definitely one of the best meals of my life, top ten-ish. And one I was incredibly glad I didn't have to foot the bill for. Over $500, food for two, wine (full pairings) for one.

A huge amount of food, a mix of innovation and reliability, course after delightful course. Don't do it unless you love pasta. Dessert was a weak link but I didn't have any digestive real estate by then anyway. What I liked best was the ability to give them some guidelines (he wants mostly offal-based dishes; I must have the goat and the charcuterie) and then have them fill in the rest with surprises.

Was it wonderful? Absolutely. Given the choice between returning to Vetri, Komi, or the Tasting Room at Eve, would it be my first choice? Probably not, especially if I'm paying.

Thank you for the info. Certainly will give it a try.

[Walrus]

Yes, definitely keep Vetri on the list for a fabulous, fine-dining experience! For something more low-key (big space, families, pizza [not exclusively!]), you can also try Mark Vetri's other restaurant, Osteria -- excellent food!

[silentbob]

Grand tasting menu last night at Vetri. Holy $@#$, that's good. If you know you're going to be in Philly two months from now, you could do worse than grab a res.

Indeed. The heirloom tomato and corn salad was easily one of the two best dishes I've had in 2009 (along with the crispy sea bass on drunken noodles at Lotus of Siam in Vegas). The sweetbread ravioli with veal sauce was also a revelation, bold intensity in every bite. Rivals any pasta at Babbo. I could've eaten a plate of the foie gras pastrami. Spinach gnocchi with shaved pecorino in brown butter was incredibly light but still flavorful. Even my least-favorite course, the roasted baby goat on polenta entree, was well-executed.

Top-notch service, great wine recommendation, probably one of my favorite meals ever.

[Joe H]

Here are some comments on Vetri as a restaurant on eGullet. In retrospect, I was being somewhat kind.

And here is a thread on the 2005 Beard Awards in which Vetri is also discussed.

Cheers,
Rocks.

It took five years but my wife and I finally made it to Vetri for their Grand Tasting menu last night. Don's description of the dining room really does help capture its ambience. We actually thought it reminded us of a kind of rustic Komi if you will. There were several outstanding dishes including his goat, a superb vegetable frito misto (equal to Al Covo in Venice or Al Porto in Milan each of which is a benchmark), sweet corn flan, excellent gnocchi and agnoletti as well as a foie gras amuse. Vetri is an excellent restaurant and, for me today, would be the best Italian restaurant in D. C. The analogy with Komi is also for the difficulty of a reservation: one month to the day; they book up within hours of opening the line. Approximately 35 seats with "one and two thirds" seatings. Desserts were surprisingly weak especially with truly mediocre ice cream. While his Osteria may have a better pizza than Two Amy's (he has several that have a "three day" dough rise,) his ice cream simply doesn't approach their's. You are served seven courses + and amuse + a pre dessert for $135 prix fixe. The courses were "Komi size." With each of us having different dishes for most courses we probably had twelve or more "tastes" in total.

I must add that five years after the fact we couldn't help but both feel that Fabio was robbed. This just has nothing in common with Fabio's creativity or flair. Nor does the room feel anything at all like the room at Maestro. If you are in Philly and can get into Vetri it is well worth the visit.

Maestro (and Laboratorio) were worth the journey.

[DonRocks]

[These paragraphs were copied from The Mother Thread as part of larger posts.
Use the Snapback Function (the little icon at the top-right of each entry) to view each post in its entirety.]

Vetri is arguably Philly's best but as noted by LauraB above my first choice would be Amada-which we have driven to from Reston.  Twice.  Just for dinner.

There is a food counter in the rear of this where everything is prepared.  You are literally a few feet from where dishes are assembled and then set down for staff to serve.  We've ended up with 12-15 courses on both trips just trying dishes that would come up and couldn't resist.

One of the best Spanish restaurants in the United States.

[DonRocks]

"A Love Letter To Vetri On Its 15th Birthday" by Colin Flatt on philly.eater.com

Congratulations, Marc!

Source: Eater Philly

Marc Vetri and Jeff Benjamin in simpler times. [Photo: Vetri/Instagram]
Marc Vetri"˜s eponymous restaurant turned 15 years old last night, and that's a big deal. Considering the average lifespan of a restaurant today, that's reason enough to celebrate. But, Vetri has done a lot more than just survive for a decade and a half. Both Vetri and his flagship restaurant have done more good for the Philly restaurant renaissance in the late 90s and early aughts than anyone else. More importantly, Vetri was a real source of pride for the Philly food set in a time period when ...

Read full article >>

[astrid]

We had dinner here last weekend.  It was nice but I'm not sure I got anywhere near $155/person before tax, tip, and alcohol worth of enjoyment out of it.  There were a couple really good dishes -- the morel sandwich, salt baked quail, and the pistachio "flan" for +1.  But overall, this is not really on the same level of enjoyment or variety as Roberto's Four (now Eight) or a good Seasonal Pantry dinner (we had one SP dinner that definitely beat this meal hands down, but the other one was probably not as good) or Sushi Taro Omakase - all of which can be had at a lower price point.