Alfredo Brings Authentic Italian Fare to Berwyn

Growing up as a first generation Italian American in Philadelphia has given me a certain entitlement when it comes to Italian food. And believe me, we Italian girls love our food – it’s not just a stereotype. It's one of those things you never turn down and learn to push on others the way our grandmothers so lovingly do. But being an Italian American is a double-edged sword. Sure you love pasta, but not everyone’s; and when others know about your heritage, they try to impress / comfort you with the flavors of your culture…or so they think.

Be it at a friend’s house or a local restaurant, the thought of eating someone else’s pasta topped with a jar of Prego makes me want to run, hide or even worse; not eat at all.

That being said, my standards are high. And so, I visit Alfredo.

After parking my car in what seemed to be the correct lot, I entered the Berwyn Italian BYO. A note on their inner door alerted me to the parking lot issues that were apparently tormenting their clientele. Those who parked in the lot directly behind the establishment would be towed.

I continued inside to alert the woman at the hostess stand to my arrival, inquiring about my parking. She then told me that yes, parking in the lot would result in said towing. I quickly went back out to move my car to one of the approved areas, on the street before the restaurant, the bank parking lot or the post office. Apparently all the neighbors weren’t so stingy with their parking spaces. My friend arrived just as I did, but parked in an appropriate spot on the street the first time around.

Upon re-entering Alfredo, we were again greeted and sat at a table with a nice view of the space. The décor is Tuscan and a bit rustic with copper pots and ceramic jars decorating the mustard walls.

To our left sat a couple at a table meant for four. To our right a pair of ladies about to dig into what looked like a delicious bruschetta and a fried risotto ball that looked absolutely delish. Beyond that, a family of about five or six seated at a round table. The room was arranged nicely, and seemed able to accommodate parties of nearly any size.

The unclothed dark wood table was set simply with two inviting wine glasses, a white linen napkin and silverware. A young lady arrived to pour our waters followed by our server, Steven.  He greeted us, opened our wine and left us to decide on our orders.

Within a moment, the young lady was back with a wooden bowl filled with slices of bread and a plate with a uniquely seasoned oil. Not only was there the standard olive oil and salt, but a hefty amount of a thick salt, crushed red pepper and balsamic all amix. My friend left the bread all to me, so I felt obligated to let none go to waste and got started immediately.

My friend opting for a breadless, pasta-less dinner gave me a good reason to keep my dinner relatively light. We decided to stock up on protein and veggies instead.

The dinner menu, split into Antipasti, Pasta e Secondi, and Sides was full of choices for every appetite. Whether it’s a carb-less dinner or a full-on Italian feast, there were so many delicious sounding items to choose from, as well as house specialties annotated by a double asterisk (**).

The Antipasti section included an antipasti for two topping out the price range at $15, the rest ranged from $5 - $10 and included items like bruschetta, meatballs, pasta fagioli, calamari, four different salads, sausage and broccoli rabe, and mussels and clams served either red or white.

The Pasta e Secondi ran the gamut and ranged in price from $15 – $19.50. There was spaghetti, rigatoni and linguini; some served with meat and others with seafood. There was penne ala vodka, which our neighboring ladies both seemed to enjoy, gnocchi, lobster ravioli, rigatoni and more. There were chicken, veal and salmon dishes, a seafood stew and a section titled “your classic favorite parmigiane."  A  filet mignon and a daily fish option were offered at market price.

My friend and I began with the Caprese Salad; fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil for $9, and two house specialty appetizers**, the Calamari ai Ferri; charred calamari and cannellini beans for $10 and the Salsiccia & Broccoli Rabe; a home made sausage and rapini dish for $9.50.

She chose the cioppino for her entrée, a seafood stew if you will, comprised of clams, mussels, shrimp, calamari and fish in a light tomato broth for $19.50.

I debated between the Vitello Riviera, a veal medallion with shrimp and crab meat in a white wine sauce. But I ultimately opted for  the Paccheri alla Napoletana, a wide rigatoni with a braised short rib ragu for $16.

We sipped our wine and chatted about life. Our first course arrived just in time for me to go through another piece of bread with that delicious oil.

I immediately dug into the nearest dish, the caprese salad. Sitting there in all of its glory the firm red tomatoes, milky white mozzarella and fresh green basil did its native Italy’s colors proud. The balsamic was sparse, squirted atop the salad and perfectly proportioned.

Next, I made my way cautiously to the calamari. When it’s not battered and deep fried, decent calamari is usually hard to come by. I took my first bite tentatively, only to realize the tubes were nearly perfect – tender, yet firm but not rubbery and coated in what felt like a thick olive oil. The accompanying cannellini bean salad was cold, a very well played contrast I felt, but my dining companion  was a bit perturbed by the contrast. The beans were perfectly cooked, mixed with tomato, red onion and parsley. It was the perfect complement to the flavor and texture of the calamari and overall a great seasonal dish.

My only complaint was the leaf of lettuce used to house the beans. The level of food that I was enjoying deserved a better vessel than a sad little piece of lettuce. This may be one of the best calamari dished I’ve ever enjoyed and a little work on the plating would give the flavors their due justice.

The next of the house specialties was the Salsicca & Broccoli rabe; well plated and aesthetically beautiful. The homemade sausage was split and perfectly cooked, the texture of the meat was clean, no gristle or chunks of seasoning that needed to be better mixed. Very well done. The broccoli rabe, while looking fabulous, and apparently seasoned with roasted garlic, was not bitter at all, but not especially flavorful. Regardless, we cleaned our plates and were very happy with our appetizers.

Our plates were cleared and our entrees arrived. Set down in front of me was a beautifully plated dish of rigatoni topped with meaty short rib. The gravy looked like it in fact was acceptable, to the naked eye. It was finished with parsley and topped tableside with grated cheese. It begged for me to dig in and I did so, happily.

My friend’s Cioppino, arrived – an overflowing menagerie of seafood. Other than needing its rim wiped, the plate looked delicious. She also had it topped with grated cheese, but when it came to the pepper request, we were presented with the black pepper grinder. I opted out, expecting the crushed red that was customarily given with Italian fare.

As we dug in, my friend realized she was in fact in need of the elusive red pepper. We flagged down our friendly server who immediately brought the flakes that we were looking for to the table.

A taste or two of my friends Cioppino made me wish I hadn’t polished off that bread so hastily. But after the four or so slices I had eaten, I really didn’t need any more. Our server then appeared, offering us more bread. We opted out.

My focus switched back to my rigatoni, which was cooling in front of me. A couple of steamy, saucy bites will slow any girl down pretty quickly. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the gravy itself was very nicely done. A good meat gravy should have an oil factor that would ruin a nice shirt. Not grease, but oil – something that comes out of the meat. It lets you know that it’s been well cooked and not just opened and heated up. The resulting product has a lower acidity level and a rich, layered flavor. This dish met all the criteria.

I wrapped what I couldn’t finish and tried to quickly ask for the check, but my breadl-ess dining partner got the question out too quickly.

“What do you have for dessert,” she asked.

The options sounded great, but the first of the list, the Tiramisu, caught my ear entirely too quickly to turn down. Plus, all of the desserts at Alfredo are house made. My dining partner, a self proclaimed tiramisu aficionado, was equally excited. I skipped the coffee. She had a decaf, to which I laughed. Barely 30 and already drinking decaf…what is this world coming to?

Our picture perfect dessert arrived in a little glass jar with a half-chocolate coated ladyfinger plated next to it and beautifully done.

There could have been more coffee flavor or another layer of ladyfingers. And it was a bit custardy. But ultimately, it was creamy and delicious. As for the plated ladyfinger, it was more of a garnish than anything. Possibly with a cup of coffee, it would have been good to dip, but having a bite of the crispy cookie dipped in semisweet chocolate made me regret that I had. Luckily I had the rest of my tiramisu custard to polish off, leaving me on a happy note.

Alfredo was voted “The Best New Restaurant on the Main Line,” by Main Line Today readers, and I have to say that I absolutely agree. Its chef and kitchen did a wonderful job executing authentic flavors that any Italian girl would be proud to eat.

The service, though very friendly could use some tightening. The overall experience was better than the level of the service. Not bad, but needs a little work to match the dishes coming out of the kitchen. Things like leaving the cork on the table after opening a customer’s bottle of wine, changing silverware between courses, and giving the proper pepper with dinner are points that could use some fine tuning.

Overall, I was impressed. And it doesn’t happen often – especially with Italian food. Kudos to Alfredo on a dinner well done. 

Name of Restaurant: Alfredo Italian BYO
Location: 668 Lancaster Ave. Berwyn, PA 19312
Phone Number: 610-640-2962
Hours:
     Lunch: Monday – Friday 11:30 – 2:30pm
     Dinner: Monday – Thursday 5 – 9pm
      Friday & Saturday 5 – 10pm,
     Sunday 3 – 8pm

Basic menu pricing: Under $20. Ranging from $5 – $19.50.
Do they take credit cards? Yes.