22spots.com

"It looks as if it would fit perfectly well in Milan. Here, the Sena family's Italian cuisine is given a more Northern touch, with a fine carpaccio of beef and gnocchi in truffled cream. The atmosphere is subdued chic. The place is very busy at lunch, but in the evening, with a veal paillard and a bottle of Barbaresco from the restaurant's extensive cellar, you can't go wrong."
       - Gayot Restaurant Guide

Philadelphia has a host of outstanding Italian restaurants and Le Castagne is quietly one of the very best. One can almost suggest that Le Castagne is one of those incredible restaurants still waiting to be discovered. If the key to great dining is the presence of freshly prepared food, great ambiance and friendly and professional service, this spot belongs somewhere at the top of every list. It's knocked-out beautiful with one of the best bars in the area.

This is a modern, moderately priced, authentic Northern Italian restaurant run by the Sena family that also owns Panorama and La Famiglia on Front Street in Old City. More specifically, the restaurant is managed by the affable and ever-present Anthony Masapollo. Anthony came from La Famiglia and has emerged as one of the finest general managers in Philadelphia.

Chef Brian Wilson is a Johnson and Wales graduate who worked at Panorama prior to his arrival as executive chef at Le Castagne. The chef's specialty is his handmade pasta which has become a focal point of this restaurant. Philadelphia Magazine recently designated his pasta as the "Best of Philly" and his famous gnocchi has become one of the classic dishes in this city. Pasta, bread and desserts are made on premise, and that's almost always a good sign of a great restaurant.

Sena restaurants are known for their wine presentation and this Wine Spectator "Award of Excellence" program features some two-hundred selections with more than eighty varieties of Italian wines, as well as wines from Australia, New Zealand, Africa and the United States (California).

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