| |||||||||||||||
Several years ago, the restaurant Verge opened on Kelly Drive. I thought the name odd, but the food — American bistro fare — was not bad. I’m not sure exactly when it closed, but the space was dormant for a while. Enter Franco Faggi, one of the original owners of the recently shuttered Monte Carlo Living Room. Anyone who loves fine, authentic Italian food — and this includes Edward and me — enjoyed Monte Carlo, where people dressed for their experience. Faggi introduced squid ink pasta to Philadelphia. As seen in Philadelphia Citypaper Francly, My DearA new East Falls spot gives a damn about quality Italian.by Elisa Ludwig |
 |
| CHOP SHOP: The breaded and fried pork Milanese is served with arugula and topped with a balsamic drizzle. Photo By: Michael M. Koehler |
It's always a relief when a shuttered restaurant finds new life. When it opened a few years ago, Verge — the mod restaurant with small plates and fancy cocktails in a retrofitted East Falls insurance company building — signaled big things for a neighborhood colonized mostly by middling bar food and pizza joints. But Verge — ahead of its time, perhaps — came and went quickly, leaving behind vague memories of chocolate oxtail risotto and a faded banner flying forlornly on the back patio.
