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Nestled among tattoo parlors, novelty costume shops and Condom Kingdom, Overtures is a South Street oasis of maturity, class and European charm.
The French and Mediterranean restaurant -- located at 609 E. Passyunk Avenue -- is rated among the city's top BYOs and is the ideal locale for a fairytale first date.
Or a night out with your roommate.
After entering the restaurant from the cold and walking through the enclosed patio area past the bar, the waiter offered to take our coats and chill our bottle of wine.
And as we were shown to our table, we knew we were in for a treat.
Overtures
609 E. Passyunk Avenue
(215) 627-3455
Fare: French
Bouquets of flowers ornament the restaurant's walls, quiet orchestral music fills the air and individual lamps with candles softly light each tabletop. With its pink marble-painted walls, sea-foam green molding and lace curtains on the windows, the dining room's ambiance is picture-perfect.
Overtures offers both a $50 prix fixe menu, romantically scrawled in handwritten calligraphy, as well as an a la carte menu -- which, if you're looking to save money, is the better deal if you order one of the less expensive entrees.
The prix fixe menu includes an appetizer, salad, entree and dessert -- I chose the creamy veloute of crab soup, the light but flavorful petite greens with a vinaigrette, the perfectly tender filet mignon and a moist chocolate cake with a caramel layer, placed on top of a sweet raspberry sauce.
My guest ordered from the a la carte menu -- which consists of appetizers, pastas, entrees and desserts, as well as vegetarian options -- and enjoyed a delicious Blue Point crab cake ($8.50), a melt-in-your-mouth grilled breast of duck ($16) and a heavenly white chocolate cheesecake ($5).
The entrees were served with carrots, asparagus and scalloped potatoes with onions.
As we sipped our coffee ($1.25) and attempted to cram the last few precious bites of cake into our full stomachs, the restaurant's owner and head chef Peter Lamlein greeted us with two small glasses of cognac to help us wash down our meals.
Lamlein regaled us with tales of his first restaurant endeavor -- a coffee and ice cream shop, which has since closed -- and on a side note, added with a calm chuckle that earlier that night, three people had entered the restaurant from the street and stole money out of the Overtures charity jar.
So much for the oasis.
Overtures is open Tuesday through Saturday night, 6-9:30 p.m. and Sunday night, 5-9 p.m. Dress nicely, and leave your rowdy friends at home.
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