Well, on a night that started out really bad, it ended quite nicely with our meal at Tre Scalini. I drove to the wrong side of Passyunk and ended up in, well, not a great neighborhood. I couldn't find the restaurant. I couldn't find a place to park. I called my parents, who were meeting us at the restaurant for the location and I they were able to guide me in. Not a good start to the evening. The good news, is that was the worst of the night. The food was great. It arrived quickly and hot, which was nice because it was a cold night. We started with some salads and a pasta with crab meat, which was the highlight. It was loaded with crab meat, pasta and some olive oil. Very nice. We also had the mussels in red sauce, which was equally as tasty. For the main course, three of us has the special, which was a branzino fish and I had a veal dish. I tried both and they were excellent. The meals were light and refreshing without the heavy stomach feeling I get when leaving a southern Italian style restaurant (see Ralph's) For desert, we had some coffee and tiramisu which, although not made in-house, was pretty good and a nice capper to the evening. Because it was BYOB, the price was not bad either. We'll be back!

Well, what do you expect. We get a call from my brother at 5:00 PM to join us for dinner at 7:00 PM at Pasta To Go (PTG). Its a BYOB, its in Roxborough, how bad can it be. Well, it was quite good. I was surprised. It seems PTG was/is a catering outfit that has morphed into a restaurant as well. This is often a questionable decision by the owner, as it is my experience that caterers often get the food right, but often miss a step when it comes to service and decor. Unfortunately, PTG is has continued my preconceived notion of these issues. Shame, the food was so yummy. We arrived promptly at 7 PM and was quickly whisked away to a table in the corner. A waitress told us we could not sit there and that it was reserved and moved us to a different table. The same waitress then began to review the specials. A table next to use stopped her mid sentence and complained about an item on the bill. She fixed it left our table, fixed the bill and continued the specials. The table interrupted again with another problem, the waitress left our table, fixed the bill and returned. We heard about the tomato salad special 3 times, not a great start. In retrospect, I blame the other table as much as the waitress, they should not have interrupted. Beyond that, no major mishaps. I didn't have a knife, so I grabbed one from another table. There were major water spots on our wine glasses and generally it was freezing cold in the restaurant. The decor was muted and simple. It needed something, not sure what, just something. But, all of those items can be forgotten if the food is good and the food is pretty darn good at PTG. We started with the calamari and clams casino. My squid was light and crispy, perfectly done. My brother's clams casino was also very good, with a little spice that is not typical but still good. I enjoyed veal medallions with tomato and mozzarella, which provided a generous portion of veal, string beans and whipped potatoes. I don't want to call them mashed potatoes, because it is entirely possible that these were instant, whipped potatoes. They were thin and runny, almost like polenta. Not great...Kim had the pork loin, which she reported back to be as being dry and not very tasty. For desert, Kim had the crème brûlée and I had the cannoli. I think Kim's choice was better then mine, but I'm a sucker for a good crème brûlée and this was pretty good. Overall, a pretty good meal. Would I rush back? Probably not. It was pricey for the location and the food, the four of us ate for about $150 including tip. For a BYOB, this is a bit high.

Ralph's is my guilty pleasure, I admit it. Sometimes, I just get this hankering for Italian that the usual suspects in my neighborhood simply will not fill. So, I jump in the car, drive all the way to South Philly and partake in a meal that leaves me full and happy every time. I have only had one meal at Ralph's, the veal parmigiana. I'm sure the other dishes are excellent, but when I have found something I love, there is no reason to try anything else. The veal parm at Ralph's is perfectly prepared. Its a thin and lean piece of veal, crispy and well done on the ends with lots of the warm sauce (gravy) and plenty of cheese. The piece of veal hangs over the plate, that is how large it is. The service at Ralph's is almost always excellent, they check in on you occasionally, the meals and drinks arrive promptly and the wine selected is usually pretty good. The only complaints I have are fairly innocuous. Often, the wait for a table can be long. They only take cash, no credit cards. Finally, we had dinner there on a very hot day this weekend, we were both wearing shorts and shirts. The A/C must have been 65 degrees in the restaurant, quite cold a bit uncomfortable. So, if you are going in the summer, wear pants! But, certainly go, its one of the best Italian restaurants in the City.

This smal BYOB in Lafayette Hill is a diamond in the rough. The prices are fair, the service is solid and the food is worth the (often!) wait out the door. They have all the standard Italian dishes including some specials that you won't find in South Philly. Although I have not tried the pizza, it looks popular and I think I'll get a pie next time. But, the choice food at 'From the Boot' is by far the bruchetta. It is fresh and tasty, with olive oil soaked bread crisps. I could make a meal out of it alone.