South Philly Review

My sister Sandy (Nurse Betty) arrived last week to help me (Nurse Ratched) care for Edward (the invalid). Unlike Moliere’s character, his condition is anything but imaginary. Nursing a broken ankle is misery. For the past month, I have dined alone for reviews, which I enjoyed very much, but I looked forward to Sandy’s company and conversation.

Pizzerias and barbecue places are big Center City restaurant trends. I suspect burger joints (I understand Bobby Flay is coming to University City) soon will form the trio of inexpensive places here. Pizzeria Stella, courtesy of Stephen Starr, opened in the fall. Marc Vetri’s Amis is now in business and finally, after several calls, I was advised by the friendly woman on the other end Zavino Wine Bar Pizzeria is open.

“We’re going for pizza,” I told my sister.

Located at the corner of 13th and Sansom, Zavino is the latest place on the street’s Restaurant Row. Sandy could not believe how many choices light the block. We were greeted by a smiling hostess who took our coats. The place is small, but was buzzing with a youngish crowd happily tucking into antipasti and pizzas baked in a wood-burning oven.

The chef/owner is Steve Gonzalez, a charming young man who once worked with Vetri. He worked the room ensuring his patrons were happy.

Happy, indeed. Our server told us since the owner still was waiting for his liquor license, complimentary beer and wine, two glasses per person, was on offer. We went for the red and discussed the menu.

The small, yet engaging selections were the spirit of winter. A platter of roasted red and yellow beets ($5), cooled and cut into small dice, was embellished with crunchy pistachios tossed with a tangy goat cheese. Beet salads are popular, but walnuts are the nut of choice. It was welcoming to see pistachios mixed in the dish.

The next one to entice our appetites was a simple concoction of root vegetables ($5), including carrots, mild radishes and turnips dressed in a well-whisked lemon vinaigrette. Although the menu states the vegetables were served with bagna cauda, the Web site states a choice of each dressing. Bagna cauda, an Italian hot-dipping sauce made with melted butter, olive oil, anchovies and herbs, would have been a nice culinary diversion here, but Sandy and I were content with the lemon dressing.

The pizza prices are so low, I almost fell off my chair. We ordered the Margherita ($10) and the Kennett ($11). The pies arrived piping-hot nestled on a two-tiered metal stand.

The classic Margherita was baked with fresh tomato sauce, Claudio’s mozzarella straight from the Italian Market and large fresh basil leaves.

Kennett Square is the mushroom capital of America. Gonzalez buys locally and selected a mix of oyster, cremini and shiitake for this delectable pie. The trio was stellar. Oysters are mild, cremini are meaty baby portabellos and shiitakes add to the headiness of the mix. Claudio’s mozzarella also was used here. The ingredients were topped with a creamy béchamel before being baked. We’ve all eaten white pizzas made with cheese sans the tomato sauce, but the use of classic béchamel was inspiring.

Although we were quite satisfied, our server recommended the panna cotta ($5). Sandy had never sampled it, so we shared. This light, silky Italian custard (it means “cooked cream”) dotted with caramel was a cool and refreshing end to a delightful meal.

Zavino has much going for it. A fine chef, a staff who care for patrons as if they were seated at their table, local, top-quality ingredients, low prices, adequate lighting and a noise level that was fine, especially since the restaurant seats about 40 or so and the place was filled to capacity in an interior that features a marble-topped bar, cozy tables and a communal table at the back of the room.

Three tips of the toque to Zavino Wine Bar Pizzeria.

Zavino Wine Bar Pizzeria
112 S. 13th St. at Sansom Street
215-732-2400
www.zavino.com