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To stoke the build-up to Lo Spiedo's opening (slated for Monday, October 27), a rep for Marc Vetri sent over a copy of the menu. And we have to say, the Vetri family really managed to surprise us with this one.
So, what were we expecting?
· Spit-roasted and grilled meats: Check.
· Impossibly gorgeous and healthy Mediterranean things like grilled sardines with olives and salads involving escarole: Sure, so far so good.
· More than, say, three pasta dishes: Nope.
· Nothing that sounds like it has its roots in the American south: Wrong.
· Probably not any "New England-style octopus rolls" with fries, either: Wrong again.
· Definitely not anything called "bbq carrots with ranch": So, so dead wrong.
Sure, there's a chicken salad sandwich. But there's also popcorn. And a whole roasted cabbage (not to editorialize, but this is it; this is The Dream). And chicken wings that you buy by the wing. And spit-roasted octopus. And a $120, 36-ounce bistecca alla fiorentina. And apple pie.
This overall concept is just a touch weirder than we thought — weirder, and more fun. Not that the Vetri name doesn't inspire some measure of faith, but to be very honest, it was hardly a sure thing that "a rotisserie place serving lunch to the Navy Yard office complex" could be something to draw you into the neighborhood. But if Lo Spiedo delivers on this menu, it could possibly straddle the line between practical lunch spot and destination.
Lo Spiedo, Building 500 at the Navy Yard, 4501 S. Broad St., opening October 27.
