Gran Caffe L’Aquila Is Cooking Jewish Recipes From the 1500s

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Jewish Cuisine of the Roman Ghetto at Gran Caffe L’Aquila

What: Riccardo Longo, co-owner of Italian restaurant and gelato shop Gran Caffe L’Aquila, is bringing a piece of his native Rome to Philly in the form of centuries-old recipes from Rome’s Jewish community, which dates back more than 2,000 years.

Rome’s Jewish ghetto was set up in 1555 (the restaurant says “ghetto” derives from an Italian word that means “small village,” though it’s more loaded than that). Isolated from the rest of the city, Roman Jews developed their own cuisine with an emphasis on fried food: fried rice balls stuffed with mozzarella and tomato, fried cod, fried zucchini flowers, fried artichokes. They also tweaked Roman recipes to replace the pork, which isn’t kosher, substituting salted beef.

Over the years, the dishes were folded into the local cuisine — some, like the carciofi alla giudia (“Jewish-style artichokes”) are Roman staples. Gran Caffe L’Aquila will be serving the dishes, plus a ricotta and sour cherry cheesecake, all week.

Details: The menu is available at Gran Caffe L’Aquila (1716 Chestnut Street) from Monday, October 23, through Sunday, October 29. For those who want to get educated while they eat, the restaurant is also hosting a class on the history and culture of the Roman ghetto, complete with food and wine, on Saturday, October 28, at 11:15 a.m., for $45.

Vini e Amici at Le Virtu

What: Joseph Voller, the new chef at Le Virtu on East Passyunk, is starting up a monthly wine dinner series. It’s $45 per person and includes an hour of wine tasting outdoors in Le Virtu’s garden, weather permitting, and a family-style meal of roasted eggplant, cavatelli with mushrooms and ricotta salata, whole roasted branzino, and more.

Details: The first “wine and friends” dinner is Wednesday, October 25, at 6 p.m. at Le Virtu, 1927 E. Passyunk Avenue.

Fall Harvest Beer Dinner at Urban Village

What: Urban Village Brewing Company in Northern Liberties is hosting a six-course beer-paired dinner with “tank-to-table” craft brews. Diners will get a C.P.A. pale ale to kick off the night, followed by dishes like seared swordfish, beet ravioli, and skirt steak with turnip puree, all with Urban Village beers. It’s $65 a head.

Details: The beer dinner is Thursday, October 26, from 7-10 p.m. at Urban Village in Schmidt’s Commons, 1001 N. 2nd Street.