la viola

on a chilly saturday night in rittenhouse square i was hanging out for a really decent, high quality feed. laviolaseemed to fit the bill, so i was happy to wait until a table became available (a much bigger group had a very large wait, so i was rather fortunate).

after the usual starter of fresh, rustic italian bread with olive oil and balsamic, i went for the penne alla caruso - pencil point pasta and tomato sauce, lightly creamed with peas and pancetta.

this was a tasty dish, even if the hint of vodka was not strong. in fact one observation about the pasta menu is that a majority of the sauces are laced with alcohol. not a bad thing, except for the irony that lavioladoes not serve alcohol! i was caught short, because this place was byo booze. the food was very good nonetheless.

next time i'll come prepared with some grog, possibly to try the veal. four stars.

philly's filled with italian byos and one of the most attended has to be la viola. in fact, it's so popular that a second location across the street was opened (laviolawest), where a more expanded and affordable menu is offered. . from what i hear, the west location also accepts credit cards unlike the original bistro location.

although laviolais a non-italian family owned business, this restaurant provides diners with some fantastic italian food. in fact, laviolais such a busy spot that the family ended up opening laviolawest right across the street from the original byob location. the west location is open seven days a week while east location is closed on mondays. however, each location differs slightly in hours, so in order to keep from getting confused, it’s best to make a reservation beforehand.

when i graduated from penn 5 years ago, i took my family to laviolafor some hand-made pasta for my graduation dinner. i have fond memories here and the quality of food is great for the price. speaking of price, this place is cash only so please keep that in mind when you visit. frutti de mare this dish had grilled calamari (steaks not the rings) in lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and tomatoes. i wasn’t too fond of this dish but joe thought it was all right. to be fair, i’m not a huge fan of calamari steaks. tagliatelle al salmone joe ordered the home-made tagliatelle pasta sauteed with salmon in a pink cognac sauce. i liked his a lot. the salmon offered a nice variety in texture. pasta of the day this was home-made tagliatelle pasta with shrimp and fish in a blush tomato creamy sauce. i preferred my dish over joe’s dish because i loved the blush sauce and the shrimp. the dishes here are simple but delicious. i love treating myse

november 27, 2012 tags: philadelphia , restaurants by colleen if you’ve ever been to philadelphia, you might have noticed the popularity of byob (bring your own bottle) restaurants. what’s amazing is that there are some very high end places without liquor licenses, making fine dining in philadelphia quite affordable (that is, if you’re a wine drinker like me). i now appreciate the fancy places, but my best memories from college in philadelphia are from some favorite cheap italian byobs. that’s not to say that these restaurants are bad; let’s just say that the focus was the wine at the time. still, i remember always enjoying my food at these restaurants, so we made a reservation at one favorite – laviola– the night before the philadelphia marathon . this time the focus would be on the food, and i was curious to see how much of my love for laviolawas just wine-fueled. we arrived 15 minutes early for our 7:30 reservation. as it got closer to 7:30, people started pouring in and there w

let me clarify... laviolahas always been on the top of my list for byob's. my staple was the lobster ravioli. loved it. they have changed the recipe. too much tomato sauce in it, not enough conac, not enough heavy cream. changed something amazing into something just normal.


-----16 jan, 2012-----

lobster ravioli used to be great...

great value!. dinner at laviolawas fabulous! it was an incredible value. i ordered the homemade spinach gnocchi with a light flavorful tomato sauce, which was fantastic! laviolais a byo and cash only, which i did not realize, but luckily, there is an atm in a convenience store around the corner within proximity of the restaurant. i will return to la viola!

i'd been hearing about laviolaall summer long. everyone had been raving about it. it's not a new place, but it seemed that everyone was discovering it this summer. there are two locations, both on

my favorite italian restaurant!. laviolais my favorite italian restaurant! every single meal i have had there is delicious and is very inexpensive! the penne al'oriolo (i'm not sure if i'm spelling that correctly) is amazing and the sauce is perfect! all of the staff is extremely professional and nice. laviolais a byob and is an extremely enjoyable experience. i dine there at least once a month - sometimes more!!!

we consider ourselves epicures; fine dining is our passion. laviolais impressive visually as well as to the tastebuds. the meal began with iced tea that queched our thirst and produced a wonderfully pleasant mouthfeel. ceasar salads accompanied by warm fresh bread delighted our mouths. our delightment grew when we are presented with the house special, a spinach pasta with shrimp and salmon, and a penne to die for. this equisit meal was delivered by an affable and accomodating staff and was priced reasonably to boot. bravisimo.

after a long day of suit shopping for the incredibly difficult-to-fit boyfriend at macy’s, on thanksgiving weekend, i was in need of some immediate, delicious, comfort food. i’ve been meaning to go to laviolafor years, and, having only ever heard mostly