The word 'beautiful' is on everyone's lips at Vesuvio. But owner Michael Anthony D'Adessi's phrase "It's a beautiful thing" couldn't be overused - it's the best way to describe this elegant, but relaxed, family owned Italian restaurant. If it weren't for the white linen, it would feel like dinner with your best friend's Italian family. Server Lynn Hanrahan confides that the owners "don't call us staff, they call us family. They always give us a kiss on the cheek when they come in". D'Adessi, nicknamed "the mayor of Vesuvio", can often be found tending the fire or strolling amongst tables to talk with customers in a lilting Italian accent. And that's a beautiful thing.
Yet the homey atmosphere does not detract from the seriousness of the kitchen - or from the prices for that matter. Extensive varieties of wine are available, served in large bowl glasses ($5-7) that catch the light from red candles. Bruschetta samplers ($5-13) are compact and flavorful, one featuring an incredibly silky goat cheese. A huge bowl of succulent tomato mussels ($11) proves this is not the kind of fine dining with minimum food on maximum white plating.
The large portions make pacing a high priority when moving from appetizers to entrees. The tomato basil farfalle ($14) is tasty and surprisingly light, but appeals more to diners expecting a standard South Philly Italian pasta experience. The real attraction lies in the dishes which showcase the chef's talents, such as a delicate whole quail stuffed with sausage, crowning fresh polenta. The massive grilled veal chop served with broccoli rabe ($23) is juicy and fatty - a perfect assertion of masculinity - though duller in flavor compared to the dynamic appetizers.
If your metabolism can keep up with Vesuvio's menu, dessert is essential ($8). The panna cotta trio - chocolate, strawberry, and lemon - is enough for three people, and presented beautifully with fresh blueberries. The flourless chocolate cake is rich and dense enough to cause hallucinogenic visions. The bar adjacent also does its best to help with excellent daily drink specials and techno DJs Sunday through Friday.
But perhaps the family that hallucinates together, stays together. The D'Adessi family's eatery is as heavy in gorging power as it is light in attitude. With all the eagerness of a new restaurant, Vesuvio is realizing the younger owner, Michael Junior's vision, who in his appeal for Vesuvio, said "Daddy, I tell you, it's a beautiful business. It's a party every night"
