Girasole - Philadelphia

We had July 4 dinner here with the family (4 people total). The homemade pasta was delicious! However, the chocolate mouse (mouse al cioccolato) tasted like butter frosting my mother made when I was a kid for my birthday cake. I helped her to make it that is why I know she used butter, cocoa powder, confectionery sugar, and 2% milk for her infamous 'butter frosting '. With a classy Italian restaurant such as this one, why was the 'homemade desert ' made like butter frosting? You could see the little coagulated clumps of confectionery sugar in the chocolate mouse. That cost $9 and was not worth the money. On a good note the torta di mele (apple tort) was scrumptious and made from scratch!

I had the opportunity, no, pleasure of dinning at Girasole, on Friday of last week, and let me tell you me and my fiancee thoroughly enjoyed our experience. Franco, owner, and Angela his wife, and chef were more than gracious hosts. The food was superb, I had the bronzino baked in sea salt, and my fiancee had the veal special for the night and both were prepared to perfection. We started with appetizers, the carpacio girasole, and the melanzzane, and then split a pasta in the middle as well. We each had cappucino, and shared a piece of the homemade riccotta cheesecake, exquisite. We could not stop talking about how great everything was, from the manger/hostess Michelle, Franco and Angela's daughter, to our service from waitress Carolina, everything was above our expectations. We left bellies full and hearts as well as we fell in love with this gem of a restaurant on Pine St. Needless to say we will be returning and often. You gotta try this place it really was beyond compare.

Romantic atmosphere, good food, friendly staff