Vetri Cucina — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Vetri, set in a brownstone, almost feels like stepping into a friend's fancy residence. The creaky hardwood floors and assorted silverware and plates feel very homey in a luxurious way. The meal starts off with an amuse bouche and a complimentary prosecco. The amuse bouche we had was a buttery tart with chickpeas that offset the heaviness of the pastry. Following that, we had a "stuzzichini" of foie gras prepared in a pastrami inspired fashion, which meant foie gras layered with black pepper and coriander. It was decadent and interesting how it evoked pastrami while just being duck liver. The antipasti continued to delight, in particular, a dish consisting of a roll of thin guanciale, apple slice, and endive. The best part of the meal was the pasta--the morrel ragu tagliolini was a fantastic use of whole grain pasta. Typically whole grain has a negative association with it in terms of taste, but the earthy taste and rough texture of the pasta paired well with the mushroom sauce. Unfortunately, the remainder of the meal was unable to follow-up on the high bar the pasta set. The secondi dishes were somewhat simple and almost seemed to come out of a different kitchen. For example, the fluke was very plain compared to the comparatively salty dishes before it, and only was accompanied by a bland mushroom broth that was apparently from steaming mushrooms for 2 days, a culinary technique that did not seem to impart much benefit. The pre-desert was a refreshing pineapple sorbet with dehydrated EVOO, a playful touch that added variation in a typically homogenous desert. The actual "dolci" was decent, though nothing spectacular--a pavlova that was a bit too sweet for my own tastes, especially following the relatively tangy pre-desert. All in all, the meal had some high points and some low points. The low points were disappointing for the price point, and given the prestige and clamor surrounding Vetri, I expected a series of high points. I would say that Vetri does pasta exceptionally well has all the feelings and service of a high-end luxurious meal, but too many of the dishes were unimpressive for...

Vetri Cucina is not worth the price for the food alone. However, the extraordinary service makes this restaurant a good option for a special night out. If you order the prix fixe, you must try the sweet onion crepe and the molten pistachio cake!

The sweet onion crepe uses onions caramelized over two days, making it deeply rich and sweet (but not sugary!) and meltingly soft. The rolled up crepe is clever. You get crispy burnt bits like the edges of a lasagna, but the crepe is much softer than pasta so you can maximally enjoy the tenderness of the onions.

The molten pistachio cake is incredibly delicious. The buttery aroma as soon as it hits the table rouses the appetite. The wine pairing was interesting: a fruity-floral frizzante that felt like drinking a sweet rose perfume (in a good way). Rose and pistachio is a classic flavor pairing so they pair exceptionally well.

The mignardises left an impression. Normally I find petit fours forgettable (especially after a filling meal), but the flavors here really popped: the orange, the chili, and roasted nuts.

The agnolotti and goat were nice. However, at this price point, “nice” doesn’t cut it. The pastas at Misi and Rezdora were cheaper and far more satisfying. The goat felt too plain. They were going for the “austere” style of Italian cooking, but whereas Via Carota impresses with flawless execution, Vetri’s goat was dry and not flavorful enough except for the bits around the bone. The wine far outshone the goat.

Two “okay” dishes are easily swept under the rug for longer-form small-bite tasting menus. However, two “okay” dishes in a four-course meal at this price point is much harder to overlook. Expectations for each dish are higher for a shorter meal format. Vetri needs to trim down the options and make sure every single one is exceptional.

Overall, come here to be pampered by the service and to have amazing desserts, but don’t come here solely for the food. Vetri Cucina has the same feel as Gabriel Kreuther: the food’s not that great and is a little dated, but the service is...

This review is colored by opinion and personal preference (and I suppose, aren’t they all?), but for fans of a tasting menu experience, the new menu/dining format at Vetri is very disappointing.

I should also state that the food was delicious (the pastas really are the best I’ve ever had, and all unique), but in comparison to previous visits I was left with the distinct feeling that I hadn’t gotten my money’s worth.

The new format is a four-course, fixed-price meal where each diner chooses from a short list of dishes for each course. There’s still an optional wine pairing. The bright side is that if the table chooses strategically, you get to sample a lot of different dishes. The frustrating part is that you’re now spending half of the meal passing plates, dividing up bites, and working for your food.

My favorite part of a tasting menu with a wine pairing is learning about—and then enjoying—a carefully selected wine that complements a dish. Now, with each diner having a different dish, and presumably a different glass of wine, it’s too difficult to get that same experience. Do you now need to pass your half-pour of wine around the table with each dish? Or do you just give up and order a couple of bottles that “go with everything”, like we decided to do?

Then there’s the whole issue of having to worry about if you chose the right dish. Maybe that’s my problem (I am pretty protective of my food), but surely I’m not the only one.

Sometimes it’s nice to put yourself in the hands of someone far more skilled in the culinary arts and enjoy the ride. That’s no longer an offering at Vetri. It now just feels like another good Philly restaurant to choose from, rather than a unique experience. I would struggle to recommend it.

We expressed our disappointment in the menu change and were confidently told that we were in the slim minority, so again, this review is perhaps an...