Groan-a Lisa

Da Vinci's shortcomings aren't hard to decode.

by David Snyder

Borrowing its name from the scholar, Da Vinci Ristorante recently slid into Tre Scalini's old digs across from the singing fountain at 11th and Passyunk. Much like the man, Da Vinci does it all, from Northern Italian fish to Southern Italian gravy. But the menu's too short on masterpieces to do its namesake justice.

Some of the issues lie in execution. My Maiale con Salsa del Bosco, a pork tenderloin with wild berries and sweet and sour sauce, was overcooked. Other dishes suffered from the same affliction, including a fried anchovies appetizer special and the Pescatrice Algi Ortaggi, a sautéed monkfish filet.

But more fundamentally, it's Da Vinci's style of cuisine that holds it back. Rustic Italian is a great premise — Philly's dining scene was practically built on it. But here, that style needs to be conceived with more finesse to justify the trip from grandma's kitchen to the restaurant table.

The Vitello Giovinetta, or veal rollantini, was overwhelmed by dried oregano. House-made gnocchi with pesto were heavy and bland. I could actually taste the chicken stock used in the Penne con Porcini Salsiccia e Melenzane, a pasta with porcini mushrooms and ground pork in tomato sauce. The fine grind of the dense pork sausage in the Salsiccia Grigliata reminded me of an aluminum-trayed Salisbury steak TV dinner.

The Cavatelli con Rappini e Polo, on the other hand, was exceptional. Though the "homemade" cavatelli actually came from Claudio's, the simplicity of this dish — fresh pasta, broccoli rabe, chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and ricotta salata — hit all the right buttons. Da Vinci's house-made pappardelle with red mullet was also pleasant.

I really wish the food was more of a draw, because Da Vinci has many charms. The staff peppered their chatter with Italian phrases I haven't heard since I was in Rome — our server started to take our order by asking "Prego?" a multipurpose word that in this case meant "Can I help you?" On another visit, a waiter jokingly cried "Basta!" ("Enough!") to a customer who couldn't stop sneezing. Bread came with a mouth-watering påté of tomatoes, leeks and cream. Complimentary shots of house-brewed liqueur — my favorite was the "lime-oncello," a lime version of the traditional lemon digestif — were a nice end cap.

But these touches aren't enough. Unless the kitchen applies better strokes to its culinary canvas, I've already eaten my Last Supper here.

(david.snyder@citypaper.net)

Hours: Mon.-Thu., 4:30-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 4:30-11 p.m.; Sun., 4-9 p.m.

Appetizers, $8-$12; Primi, $14-$20; Secondi, $20-$23

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