Vino: A real slice of Italy

GOOD EATS. The Piazza at Schmidts is painstakingly modeled after those in Rome, from its cobblestone walkways, to its array of inherently Italian boutiques like Toothless Cat Gallery, Bambi, and Gene’s Urban Baby ... so enjoy those cobblestones. Bringing a real slice of Italy, Vino.

A multi-tiered, plank-oak-floored, 140-seat eatery (with outdoor seating for 60) at the Piazza’s northern tip, Vino’s outfitted with a wine/cream dining room with butcher block tables and textured leather chairs, two lounges, and a 20-seat bar, all classily menaced by blown-up photos of the owner’s Old World family.

Foodwise, paninis like mascarpone-and-prosciutto and grilled steak-and-funghe (porcini mushroom) sit alongside inventive brick oven pizzas, but the main focus is “Aperitivis”-like prosciutto-wrapped grilled figs stuffed with blue cheese, peppered filet in raspberry vinaigrette, and clams with chorizo in vermouth (for clam-tini, spill gin).

The full bar’s complemented by 30 bottled beers, plus 50 mostly Italian wines and a selection of dessert grappas and ports.

A rear offshoot of the bar features an antipasti bar with meats from a myriad of animals — if you can’t find the one you’re looking for, there’s always Bambi.
 

Vino Restaurant Lounge
1001 N. Second St., Piazza at Schmidts, Northern Liberties, 215-923-2014