Le Castagne

Le Castagne
1920 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 751-9913

Le Castagne is an upscale northern Italian restaurant located in Rittenhouse Square. Upon arrival the exterior is ornately decorated and a large window opens to the street from the bar giving the restaurant an open air feel. Le Castagne is translated Chestnuts in Italian which highlights the importance of Chestnuts in northern Italian cuisine and also the historic presence of Chestnut trees on the street in Philadelphia that aptly bears its name.

(above) the bar is well designed and carries a great variety of liquors. At the right is a large window that opens onto the street which is a nice touch.

The inside is well decorated with track lighting, large, flowing floor to ceiling curtains and unique wall lighting.

Of note is a large painted sculpture on the wall that resembles birds in flight or waves to me.

(above) Gnocchi al tartufo bianco. Gnocchi in a white truffle cream sauce.  Gnocchi are a dish of little dumplings made from potatoes, semolina, flour, or a combination of these ingredients

(above) Barbabietole arrosto. Roasted heirloom beets, goat cheese mousse, caraway crumble. Balsamic vinaigrette.

(above) Costata di vitello alla griglia. Milk fed veal chop, roasted garlic, lemon.  One of the highlights of the night, tender and juicy and prepared to a wonderful medium.

(above) Crema di Castagne.  Chestnut custard, chocolate, candied chestnuts, and meringue.  Served with a glass of limoncello.  Excellent finish to an excellent meal.

I will end with a bittersweet moment to an otherwise excellent meal.  We were chased out of the restaurant by a server who mistakenly thought we had not paid the check. I've never been followed out of a restaurant in my life and I'm not sure what happened, but we felt the staff could have handled the situation with a little more finesse.

Otherwise, this was an excellent meal and would certainly return again.  Great spot indeed for an after work cocktail with that beautiful bar and open air theme with the huge window.