Chef Marc Vetri, Philadelphia, PA, Pennsylvania, Vetri, Osteria, Amis, Where to eat in Philadelphia, Chef Recs, Best Italian, Italy, Italian, Markets, Stores, Restaurants, Bars, Shopping, Eating, Drinking, Cheese, Digestif, Aperitif, Where to shop
Who
Chef Marc Vetri is the head chef and owner of Vetri Ristorante, Osteria, and Amis in Philadelphia.
Why
Chef Marc Vetri trained in Bergamo, Italy, before opening his acclaimed first restaurant Vetri in 1998. His rustic Italian fare is made traditionally with slow-cooked meats and homemade breads and pastas.
Chef Marc Vetri
October 25, 2011
VETRI
Center City
Italian
1312 Spruce St
Philadelphia, PA 19107
T: 215.732.3478 (make a reservation)
Website:
OSTERIA
Center City
Italian
640 North Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19130
T: 215.763.0920 (make a reservation)
Website:
AMIS
Washington Square
Italian
412 South 13th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
T: 215.732.2647 (make a reservation)
Website:
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Vetri | Osteria | Amis - Philadelphia, PA
Q & A with Chef Marc Vetri
Q. For people who have never been to your restaurants, can we get a brief description of each:
A. Vetri, opened in 1998, is the ristorante that started it all (I like to call it the “mother ship”). It’s just 30 seats and very intimate with a rustic, yet refined feel. It’s prix fixe only and we offer a variety of multi-course tasting menus. For example, you could have a dinner that is just pasta or one that’s just fish.
Osteria came next and really stays true to its name. The menu offers thin-crust pizza, pastas and wood-grilled meats, among other dishes. Chef Jeff Michaud is a partner here and oversees the kitchen. He’s an incredibly talented guy and earned a James Beard Award for his work here. It’s casual and set in an industrial space, but still very warm.
Amis is our trattoria, and we’ve got another really talented chef/partner here named Brad Spence. We’ve got a varied menu with house-made salumi, pastas, grilled meats, etc. It’s warm, casual and really lively.
Q. Please tell us about your new cookbook, Rustic Italian Food:
Q. What can we expect with your newest project, Alla Spina?
A. It’s our version of the gastropub and like everything we do, it’ll have a large Italian influence. We’re going to serve a variety of Italian pub food such as sausages, braised meats and oysters, while mixing in our version of American pub food as well.
For example, instead of hamburger sliders, we’re going to do mortadella sliders. And, of course, we’ll have a large variety of local and Italian beers. There’s going to be a soft serve machine too, so expect to see some beer floats. It’s going to be a lot of fun.
Tips / Advice
Q. What’s the one pantry item that you won’t skimp on and where do you recommend buying it?
A. You’ve got to have the most amazing olive oil. What type really depends on how you’re going to use it. Nowadays, awesome olive oil is so much easier to get because there are specialty stores everywhere. You can also order them online from Buon Italia.
[See details.]
Photographs courtesy of Marc Vetri
Cookbooks
- Rustic Italian Food [buy it]
- II Viaggio Di Vetri: A Culinary Journey [buy it]
Recommended By
Recommendations
Marc Vetri’s recommendations for where to eat, drink and shop in Philadelphia and New York.
Rustic Italian Food
Available on Amazon.com
II Viaggio Di Vetri: A Culinary Journey
Available on Amazon.com
Recommendations
FIND | Food Purveyors
Samuels and Son
They are bringing in this awesome baccala from a farm in Spain. It’s completely sustainable. They actually take the salt out and just send us filets of it. We’re using it in a variety of different ways, including a baccala soup with a vegetable fritto misto.
[See details.]
FIND | Food Markets & Stores
Di Bruno’s in Philadelphia | Eataly in New York City
Di Bruno Brothers
In Philly, I love Di Bruno Brothers, where they have a lot of great cheese. They’ve opened some new locations, but for the real old school experience, you just gotta go to the original on South 9th Street in the Italian market.
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Eataly
In New York City, I’m at Eataly a lot. It’s filled with great places to eat and they have awesome hard-to-find products, coffee, chocolate, breads, etc.
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Eat | Restaurants
Silk City | Hummus at Zahav
Where To Take A Visiting Chef In Philadelphia | Zahav
They serve modern Israeli food, and it’s one of my favorite restaurants in the city. Chef Michael Solomonov used to work with me and he’s doing amazing things. I would bring a visiting chef here to eat the hummus—it’s just awesome.
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Where The Locals Go | Silk City
They have great, interesting food and, when the weather is nice, I like to sit in the garden. The blackened fish tacos are my favorite thing on the menu.
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For Authentic Italian Food | Mario Batali / Michael White Restaurants
I usually go to New York and always end up at either a Mario Batali’s or Michael White’s places. What should you order? I would say everything. You really can’t go wrong when you’re eating at a restaurant run by these guys.
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Drink | Bars
Where to drink Belgian beer in Philadelphia: Monk’s & The Belgian Cafe
Photographs courtesy of Monk’s & The Belgian Cafe
Favorite Watering Hole | Monk’s / The Belgian Café
They have a wide range of Belgian beers, which I love, and the atmosphere at both places is really relaxed.
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Drink | Spirits
Averna Amaro & Spritz with Campari
I really like the bitter flavors -- so I enjoy Amaro Averna or a spritz made with Campari.
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Recommendations
Details of Marc Vetri’s recommendations for where to eat, drink and shop in Philadelphia and New York.
Recipes
