29. Il Pittore

Stephen Starr’s longtime lieutenant Chris Painter finally got his own spot, and his semi-eponymous Il Pittore is turning out pasta that’s as delicate and delicious as any in this entire pasta-crazed city. Painter’s pappardelle with wild boar is one of the stars, but so is the corzetti—pasta coins served with braised goat with mint and chili oil. Il Pittore isn’t some neighborhood red-sauce joint, and the main courses, like the braised short rib and roasted lamb chops, have the sophistication (and prices) to bear that out.

Greatness Takes Time: Painter waited a long time for his own restaurant, and he exercises that same patience with his slow-cooked suckling pig. Cured for 15 hours in salt, sugar and herbs, buried in pig fat, then slow-roasted for another 12, this piggy arrives at the table plated with baby carrots, sweet pear mostarda and cavolo nero, and is worth every minute of the wait.

Visit one of the 50 Best Restaurants in Philadelphia:
Il Pittore, 2025 Sansom Street, 215-391-4900.

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