Brigantessa- East Passyunk, Philadelphia

The last 24 months have been huge in the ascension of the food scene of East Passyunk.  Brigantessa is another stop along the quarter-mile stretch that now includes Laurel, Will BYO, Townsend, Noord Eetcafe, Stateside, and Fond (to name a few).  It may be trite to say the area emerged before our eyes but this area really blossomed into the hottest food scene in Philadelphia. Combine that with the nearness of various things including the highways, the Italian Market, and Center City and you have one hell of a neighborhood.

We have been lucky enough to have already tried a few of these places and now we are adding Brigantessa to that list (Townsend coming up later this month). Bringantessa was originally brought to our attention by who else but Craig LaBan. In case you haven't noticed, our decisions to try new places are based on recommendations made by people we know or this wonderful food critic for the Inquirer and never I repeat never by Philly Mag. Just wanted to get that out there.

So this two story gem is about a block up from Stateside and Passyunk Square with a bar and the oven on the first floor and the dining room on the second. The bustling first floor has plenty of kitchen side seating (something we are huge fans of but not lucky enough to get this time). The second floor is significantly quieter (the noise from downstairs doesn't seem to penetrate due to some painstaking soundproofing done between floors and on the 2nd floor itself). The decor is mainly photographs of southern Italy, a common but not unwelcome decor choice in Italian restaurants. An excellent stroke of good sense and good decorating comes in the form of the servers countertop along the wall holding all the general necessities of dining that looks both usefully placed and well designed.

A moderate sized but well stocked and affordably priced wines make up the bulk of the drinks, but some cocktails specializing in digestivi-based mixtures give the cocktail menu some interest. The lemoncello is house-made (like many other things on the menu including the sausages), and makes up the cocktail of my choice that was mixed with another digestivi and chile powder. Being of an adventurous soul who likes spicy things, this was in no way intimidating. It was incredibly well balanced and left me wanting more.

The menu at Brigantessa is inspired by traditional southern Italian cuisine.  The menu has 5 categories:  spuntini and antipasti for appetizers, pizzas, primi (pasta) and secundi.  While the pizzas earned respectability and positive reputation the pastas are receiving a lot of social buzz. We opted to pass on the pizza to focus on various appetizers and the pastas. Prior to the meal we agreed no matter what to come back to have the pizza (spoiler alert: at some point we want to do an article comparing various pizza joints-we are talking about you, In Riva).

Our meal initiated with 3 antipasti all of which were served cold.  Roasted brussels sprouts, pancetta and chestnut agrodolce was a twist on most homemade brussels sprout recipes.  Yes, anybody could roast brussels sprouts and yes, most people will add pancetta.  However, there was a balsamic and citrus flavor that were perfectly balanced to hit your palette at the very end; not exactly a feat of weeknight sides (at least not mine).    

The pheasant terrine, cucuzza squash, crispy shallots and mosto cotto was more of an exercise in texture rather than flavor.  Even though the flavors were mild, the soft creaminess of the terrine blended well with the crunch of the cucuzza squash.  The creaminess of the terrine was also broken up with the flavors and texture of the peppers placed within it as well. Smoked duck rillette with charred bread and mustard seed was presented in a small mason jar with the look and texture of a very classy canned albacore.  The flavor was that of most any feathered creature but the duck was given away due to a slight greasiness of the rillette.  The mustard added a nice depth to the dish, although on the lighter side of things for our personal tastes. We found the appetizers to be an adequate portion to kick-start a meal.

Duck Rillette

Pheasant terrine

Although tasty and well presented our appetizers were not the selling point of our experience.  There were times during and immediately afterwards where we were actually a little nervous this place wound not live up to expectations. A recent addition to our dining list, we skipped over many other places to try this because I (Cassie) had a hunch it was worth it. When we received our entrees we were more than just relieved to be right. I will admit that it is a given that people will pick dishes that suit their palettes best when ordering. Well, sometimes that is tough for us because we like so many things and are willing to try anything. But very rarely do we ever pick dishes that so epitomize the very flavors each of us individually favors as much as we did this night. 

The true colors of Brigantessa would be presented in their pasta.  Rustichella black spaghetti is an impeccably cooked spaghetti that incorporates squid ink to give it a deep black color and a slight bitterness by itself.  Piennolo tomatoes balanced any bitterness by adding a sweet, tart flavor that latches on at the start.  The middle of the bite incorporates the saltiness and brininess of the octopus and the long hot pepper will let this dish finish with a glorious kick.  Easily one of the best pasta dishes I've had in a while and this one alone would keep me coming back. This was Rob's dish.

Rustichella black spaghetti, piennolo tomatoes, octopus, long hot

Cassie ordered the infinitely earthier (yes its a word) and meaty goodness that was the chestnut chitarra, Long Island duck ragu, sour cherries, and foie gras. The pasta was flavorful without being overpowering. The duck was done just right. The sour cherries added a nice sweetness to it. My only complaint being that there were slightly too many. The foie gras added this lovely depth to the broth that made me wish the broth came in its own soup. I would have that every day for the rest of my life.


After these absolutely to die for entrees that redeemed the entire meal back to fabulous status (it was at "pretty good" prior to that), we decided to get dessert. Although I think Rob was disappointed not to get Tiramisu, the cannolis more than made up for it. There were two to a plate, one being rosewater flavored and the other orange blossom flavored. Unique and memorable, the flavors and textures were certainly worth it. The profiterole hit the spot as well. With light lemon custard and a nice cherry on top, it was the perfect combo of donut and funnel cake without feeling as heavy as either (which to me makes it nothing short of an act of nature to combine those features in that way). I also got the blood orangcello (the name denotes what it actually is). I am not a lemoncello fan and went in skeptical. I came out still not being a huge fan but glad I tried it. The blood orange flavor was actually quite subtle but certainly died down the typical gasoline burn I feel in the back of my throat with lemoncello. Seriously, people actually voluntarily do that to themselves on a regular basis? How can that stuff possibly be considered a digestivi? I digress....

Overall great experience. Pastas were fabulous and one for the books. Appetizers were interesting but nothing to rave about. Desserts were somewhere between the other two courses on the scale. Service was good, not great. Ditto on decor. We will be going back for sure with the anticipation of a very different, although hopefully just as satisfying, experience. I already have my pizza picked out and, no, I will not be sharing.