East Passyunk’s Le Virtu has decided to bring back a classic feast experience — and it’s somewhat of a flavorful marathon.
La Panarda is the venue’s 40-plus dish “love letter to Abruzzo”, and tickets just opened up for the hyper-limited and unique occasion set for Sunday, June 2. This experience has been on hiatus for 5 years, and a news release notes that the nine-hour exercise in “Abruzzese lunacy” has earned national acclaim since its inception in 2011 and remains the only true representation outside of Abruzzo of the proud tradition with roots tracing back to 1657.
“Abruzzo’s most famous and long-running Panarda (since 1657) is held in January in its remote hinterlands, the village of Villavallelonga. It’s tied to celebrations honoring Sant’Antonio Abate. For centuries, the meal has been prepared by the same families, and its traditions are deeply felt,” said Le Virtu owner Francis Cratil-Cretarola.
The owner also noted the significance of the meal: Legend holds that Saint Anthony intervened to rescue a child captured by a wolf, and January also happens to be the time when pigs and other animals are butchered, and meat — once rare in Abruzzo for most of the year — is plentiful.
“We opened in late 2007, right before the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression, and held our first Panarda in 2011,” Cratil-Cretarola said. “Times had been rough, but we’d made it. What we learned that day is that the whole thing depends on our guests buying in: Rolling with the communal and convivial vibe while forming bonds with folks they’re probably meeting for the first time, allowing boundaries, including those that normally exist between diner and restaurateur, to disappear. Having felt this emotion, we’ve come to crave it. And we’ve been waiting since 2019.”
Chef Andrew Wood created the event to be immersive and community-oriented again this year. The ingredients used in every dish are focused on being seasonal and sustainable with “a kilometer zero” (ingredients sourced from as close to the restaurant as possible).
The fare is also meant to highlight the region it was inspired by — from the Adriatic Sea, through the verdant hill country, and onto the rocky slopes of the highest stretches of the Apennines. The meal will also be accompanied with a wine, or, Philadelphians can opt to try a digestivo out of the ice luge on site.
Some highlighted dishes from the occasion include the Misto Crudo di Mare (assorted fish and crustaceans from Local 130 Seafood, served raw with pepperoncino, lemon, herbs and cucumbers), triangoli con mortadella (mortadella-stuffed triangle pasta, with toasted pistachios and Parmigiano-Reggiano), coal-roasted lamb leg with salmoriglio and olives, Maccheroni alla Mugnaia (single-strand noodle, with hot peppers, pecorino and garlic), a coal-roasted sucking pig, and much more.
Beverage Manager and Sous Chef Chris O’Brien has also created a list of ten singular natural, organic, and/or biodynamic Abruzzese wines to pair with the menu, according to the news release. Options span the Il Mostro: Lontana – Terre di Chieti Rosato Frizzante, De Fermo: Concrete Rosato, Bianco and Rosso, Praesidium: Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Riserva 2019 and more.
“So it’s time. Everyone has been through the ringer. Guess what? We’re still here,” Cratil-Cretarola finished. “We believe in this city. We believe in South Philly. We love our neighborhood. And the arrival of Chef Andrew Wood fresh off an exhaustive research trip to Italy, up and down Abruzzo has breathed new life into our cuisine and our spirits. It has provided us the last element necessary to the task. We are not only back on our game, but we are the best we’ve ever been.”
For more information on Le Virtu (1927 E. Passyunk Ave.) and La Panarda and for tickets ($500 for the full day), visit levirtu.com and linktr.ee/levirtuphila.
