Kanella

Kanella Restaurant Review:

Moving across town to a much larger space has only proven to strengthen Kanella’s considerable powers. In its current notably swankier digs, the onetime BYO now boasts a full bar and the kind of glittery décor that signifies a big step up from the storefront. No one else is doing Cypriot cooking in Philly, and it would be hard to top what's on offer here. Chef/owner Konstantinos Pitsillides continues to offer rustic fare that’s executed with precision and plated without needless frills. Memorable starters include a tender bureki pastry filled with feta and thyme honey, and the impossibly light manti --- Armenian lamb dumplings in yogurt sauce. A wood-fired hearth turns out octopus that’s simultaneously tender and crisp; whole branzino in grape leaves; and pork shoulder on a rotisserie, served with dense potato wedges, yogurt and pikla, a mustardy vegetable pickle. Desserts, as ever, are house-made. Not to be missed: lemon yogurt mousse or the nut trio with hazelnut cake, almond panna cotta and pistachio ice cream. A smaller bar menu carries some overlap in addition to easy snacks and a Kanella burger with feta dip. The bar, meanwhile, pours Mediterranean-accented cocktails and a small but smart selection of wines from Greece, Lebanon, Cyprus, Spain and France.