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Taglioline con Cinghiale (all photos by M. McClellan)

Opened in 1995, Il Portico has been a steadfast anchor of Walnut Street’s Restaurant Row for more than 15 years. The food is grounded in Tuscan sensibilities and the portions are generous, beautifully presented and so, so good.

I’ve lived in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square neighborhood for more than eight years now, and until last Friday, I had never set foot in Il Portico. I’d walked by on many an occasion, but I’d come to believe that it was the kind of restaurant well beyond my budget (and wardrobe). Happily, after a single meal there, my previous notions about this lush, elegant restaurant have been smashed to bits. I’m already trying to think up reasons to return.

Dining with a group gave me an opportunity to try a number of the menu options, including their homemade tagliolini with wild boar (I brought the leftovers home to my husband. He was in heaven), the tomato and mozzarella composed salad (the most luscious mozzarella ever), salmon carpaccio (I could eat it for days) and the homemade black tagliolini with fresh salmon (I want to swim in the brandy sauce they use to dress that dish).

If you dine at Il Portico during the month of March and order their Fettuccini Bolognese, in addition to getting a plate of perfectly cooked and sauced pasta, you’ll also receive the recipe so you can go home and cook up your own batch.

With entrees right around $18-22, Il Portico’s prices are comparable to many of our local restaurants. Consider adding them to your mental list of night on the town restaurants. Reservations can be made on Open Table. Just don’t make the mistake that I did and stay away too long. The food is just too good to be missed.

Il Portico
1519 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 587-7005
www.il-portico.com