34th Street Magazine's "Toast" is a semi-weekly newsletter with the latest on Penn's campus culture and arts scene. Delivered Monday-Wednesday-Friday.
Free.
Ralph Berarducci, the owner of Portofino Restaurant, once invited the Dallas Cowboys to eat at his establishment.
Don't hold that against him, though -- this food is too good to pass up.
Located just seconds away from the Center City theater district, Portofino delivers quality food at amazing prices.
"We buy the same food that all the major restaurants in Philadelphia buy," Berarducci said. "We just sell it for much cheaper."
The first strong quality of the restaurant that we noticed, however, was the wine. Selected for us by our server, the 1998 Gava Ga'Bianca was something we could not pronounce -- but it was something we could surely enjoy.
Portofino
1227 Walnut Street
(215) 923-8208
Fare: Italian
Our appetizer, the traditional antipasto ($9), was plentiful and, since we decided to split it, our server made sure to give us more than the usual portion.
The dinners were equally filling and enticing. The crab cakes ($20), another recommendation of our server, were cooked to perfection. The penne fiorentina ($17) had a delicious sauce and was delightful.
For dessert, the chocolate chip cheese cake and tiramasu were a perfect finish to an amazing evening.
Due to the fact that we had nearly finished our appetizer, we could not finish our dinners. At the end of our meal, Berarducci came over and made sure that we were simply full.
"We want everyone to leave Portofino satisfied," he said. "If something isn't right, we'll do it again."
Berarducci was really the star of the evening. When we entered the restaurant, he greeted us like we were old friends and ushered us to a table upstairs.
It wasn't just special treatment for the restaurant reviewers, however. Dressed in a wool suit topped off with gold-rimmed glasses, Berarducci treats every single guest like family. It's like what the Olive Garden tries to portray itself as in television commercials.
At one point during the meal, a man in an expensive suit appeared out of nowhere, asked us how the meal was going and refolded our napkins for us.
Portofino received low marks for service in Zagat's. We can only assume that the people interviewed for the publication were either sadists or simply idiots.
Recently renovated, Portofino has a quaint upstairs dining area reminiscent of an old Philadelphia row home. It also features a fully-stocked bar, which offers half-priced drinks and free hors d'oeuvres from 5-8 p.m. on weekdays.
Open for 35 years, Portofino has had its share of celebrity guests, including John Travolta, Elizabeth Taylor and Frank Sinatra -- who Berarducci says is an excellent tipper.
Overall, it is unbelievable that Portofino is able to serve such great food at such low prices. One of the reasons it has been in business for over 30 years is that the staff truly cares about your enjoyment -- and not making a quick buck.
Now there's an idea everyone can enjoy.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
