Inside Fiorella, Marc Vetri’s New Italian Restaurant in a South Philly Butcher Shop | Eater Philly

"Inside a former butcher shop near the Italian Market at 817 Christian Street, Marc Vetri has revived the Fiorella name and turned the narrow space into a small, casual pasta bar that leans into the building’s 125-year history: the original wood base of the counter was refurbished, the floors were left intact, ceramic pigs and a sign reading “To serve you is a real privilege” remain, and a decorative dumbwaiter sits above an espresso machine. A 100-plus-year-old brass cash register engraved “Luigi Fiorella” even figured in a social-media saga when it was stolen and returned after Vetri asked for it back. The most eye-catching piece is a gorgeous purple Venetian glass chandelier shipped from Italy by Vetri’s friend Marco Rossi and assembled in the space; it hangs over an L-shaped counter with room for a dozen stools (plus a couple of two-tops) where Vetri and chef Matt Rodrigue will toss noodles and serve guests. Open Thursday to Sunday with no reservations and no elaborate tasting menus, the plan is to offer a few appetizers, six or seven pastas and a dessert or two — a mix of hand-rolled, stuffed, long and short shapes prepared with whatever’s in season — and to incorporate the Fiorellas’ fennel sausage recipe into a ragu while the family’s liver and cheese sausages will likely appear on charcuterie plates." - Rachel Vigoda