When traveling put your guide books aside (no offense to Zagat's or Fodor's) and talk with the locals. They know the best food and the best values in the locale. It helps if you know a local who shares similar tastes and values. I'm fortunate to have a foodie friend in Philadelphia - Joe Demarco. So tonight it was Modo Mio on Girard Avenue. Modo Mio is not a restaurant that I would ever likely choose for a few reasons....
- It's more than 5 miles from my hotel
- It's small and advertises little
- It's not in the suburbs. It's not in a bad part of town either, but is grittier.
- You need reservations
You don't go to Modo Mio for the location or the decor - you go for the food and the ambiance. The interior was functional with two rows of closely spaced tables. We had a nice conversation with the couple next to us. The service was top-notch - friendly, unpretentious and knowledgeable. They were happy to answer our questions without looking down at us for asking questions - much appreciated.
Now the food. We went with the "tourista" package - four-course tasting menu - highly recommended. My choices...
Appetizer - veal sweetbreads with aparagus and crispy pancetta
Pasta - papparadelle with rabbit ragu
Main course - duck breast with cherries and blue cheese
I'll cover dessert later. The first three courses were all superb. Sweetbreads were tender and tasty; the fresh made pasta was thin and delicate while holding the rabbit ragu perfectly and Joe and I both loved the combination of duck with cherries and blue cheese. It all worked. Kim's pasta course was tortelloni with goat cheese and cauliflower - very nice.
We shared three desserts at our table - zuppa inglese, flourless chocolate torte and a blueberry/almond tart. While all three were delicious the biggest surprise was the blueberry tart that was served with a paper thin slice of pecorino romano cheese on top. We were all a little leary of the cheese but after tasting agreed that it added a saltiness and depth of flavor. It was impressive.
Lastly, it is intimate and friendly. As we were leaving the couple next to us shared their Limoncello as an apertif. It was a fitting end to a great meal with cheers/saluds to all.
Many thanks to the Demarco's tonight for a great evening.
