La Viola - Review - Rittenhouse - Philadelphia - The Infatuation

"On any given night at La Viola in Rittenhouse, you’ll see at least one table full of too-loud Penn students that stretches the length of the restaurant. Sometimes it’s undergrads pre-gaming a night out, and other times it’s a table of Wharton students following up a hockey game with a multi-course pasta feast. No matter who it is, though, they always come with approximately one bottle of wine per person to pair with some ricotta gnocchi, veal marsala, or salmon in a white wine sauce. That’s exactly how you want to do La Viola—show up hungry with lots of cheap wine, a big group of people you like, and a wad of cash (they don’t take cards)." - Alison B. Kessler