PRICE:
Frommer's Highly Recommended

Deep in South Philly, this contemporary Italian brasserie stands out among its smaller, older neighborhood predecessors. Opened in late 2005 by chef Lynn Marie Rinaldi, Paradiso offers fare that ranges from classic to edgy, and a wine list that's big into California, if you can believe it. Rinaldi bedecks osso bucco with white bean purée and pine nut gremolata. She fills crespelles with butternut squash and ricotta. Come wintertime, there's rabbit cacciatore. In the summer, it's sushi-grade tuna with blood oranges and Gaeta olives. There's track lighting, jazz bands on weekends, and tall windows that open out to the sidewalk during warm weather. Lunch offers scaled-down Italian sandwiches and basic linguine with clams. Weekend brunch brings salmon cakes and poached eggs with prosciutto. Those of us who know South Philly know this spot is new-school. But we like it anyway.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Philadelphia and the Amish Country, 15th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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