Barbuzzo with lodes, the romanian, and my peach

Twice a year the city of Philadelphia provides it's residents with the opportunity to dine at the cities finest restaurants at a discounted price. Barbuzzo, a new Mediterranean inspired gem, recently popped up on 13th street. The owners, Valerie Safran and Marcie Turney, decided that Barbuzzo would be their first non-BYOB on their 13th street restaurant strip. The restaurant boasts an Italian marble bar/counter and a wall made rustic with a light blue barn door and a bunch of raw wooden scraps. A little side note here, while standing at the bar sipping on my vodka lemonade, I noticed a peculiar fella sitting to the left of me. Chase Utley!!!! OK, back to the important stuff. Basically for $35 each diner is given 4 choices, first course, app, entree, dessert. Simple. Unlike many restaurants, barbuzzo offered a myriad of choices that let you truly experience what the restaurant has to offer. For our first course, we ordered the chicken liver and foie gras mousse, a chickpea and garlic crostini and the sheep's milk ricotta with figs and grilled bread. The foie gras was good, the chickpea was eh, but the sheep's milk ricotta was mind blowing. Fresh ricotta is nothing like the shit you buy at the grocery store. Creamy, sweet,and perfect for spreading on grilled bread. I wanted to order a glass of wine before my next course and decided on a glass of barbera ricossa. Smooth tannic finish with a hint of spice, nice. I ordered the Gnoochi dish next. Soft pillows of magic floating around in truffle butter and mushrooms. Each bite made my eyes close and wish this experience would never end. I decided I would try the pizza for my entree. Roasted Tomatoes,Coteghino Sausage, and ethereal mounds of mozzarella. I have had pizza at Osteria, and this was just as good. Crispy thin crust and just the right amount of ingredients. I typically don't care much for dessert. I am usually too stuffed or drunk to fill my stomach with sweets, but on the tip of a fellow friend, I had to try the Salted Caramel Budino. Budino basically means "pudding" in italian. A small glass jar layered with chocolate cookies, butterscotch pudding, salted caramel and finished with a light whipped cream. Absolutely f*cking amazing! Barbuzzo was a hit, and I will be sure to return.