Bored on a Wednesday night, I found myself craving one of my favorite comfort meals: Rigatoni Vodka Sauce. I texted two of my good fellow foodie friends about my dire need for pasta, and of course they were in. A friend and I traveled to another friend's apartment down in Center City all the way from Manayunk in need of a good pasta dish. We were feeling adventurous and wanted to try a new spot. We stumbled upon Vita. Vita, more behind the door, to be exact. Vita has actually been on my “Must Try Food” note on my phone for quite some time. My mom and brother always raved about the delicious food and amazing ambiance, so I knew this would be a good spot to hit. We walked a few blocks to Vita, which is located on 17th street, a prime location outside of Rittenhouse Square. When the three of us walked in, we were honestly confused because all you see is this tiny bright colored gelato shop. The workers saw our confusion and immediately knew what we were there for. She asked me “reservation?, what's the password?” I quickly remembered that when confirming the reservation the day of they send you a little secret code so you can be let in the back door. I quietly uttered the password to what I now realized was hostess. Cant tell ya what it was because it's a secret. After telling her the password she then let the three of us through the backdoor, which led us into one of the most vibey restaurants I have been to in the city so far. This speakeasy, dim lighting, gorgeous, cozy romantic Italian spot gave me the immediate thought that this food was going to be gooooood. Us three girls had to be the only people not on a date there, which obviously does not matter, but Vita 100% makes a great date spot. We sat down and began hardcore studying the menu. Obviously, we knew we were trying the rigatoni vodka, but we wanted to split more things as well. Our waiter was THE best with this. He recommended so many dishes and helped us navigate the menu completely. We then placed our order and had some dirty martinis while we patiently waited for the food.
The Dish
The rigatoni vodka dish at Vita makes an extremely strong case for itself. The sauce was smooth, creamy and what caught my attention most, sweet. Sweetness is huge here. I cannot say I have ever really had a sweet vodka sauce, if anything they sometimes have a kick. I personally think the smooth sweetness is what made it so memorable. I found out that sweetness comes from an ingredient I have never heard being used in vodka sauce, mascarpone. The hint of mascarpone was something so unique to me. Usually when I see mascarpone I think of something more heavy on the stomach, but actually the complete opposite case here. It was honestly so light and even though we split it, it could definitely be a dish for one. The sauce truly was indulgent enough without crossing into too heavy territory. Now for the noodle, BEST. you know it is going to be good when it has the short little rigatonis. Usually by the name of Mezzi, Rigatoni. These ones soak up the sauce so much more in my opinion. Now like I said before, the portion size was fair and respectable. Leaving the three of us to share it evenly, and still order three more other entrees. Which I will gladly tell you about so you can indulge in the greatness too. We went with two pastas and one protein. The rigatoni vodka of course and the bolognese. You can never go wrong with bolognese. For our protein, we ordered something I would never think of ordering. He recommended the pork milanese, which was absolutely amazing. I literally found myself having to take breaks and put my fork down so I can simply appreciate all of this food and make it last. But back to my rigatoni vodka, what was so important to me with this dish was there were no unnecessary add on’s. Absolutely nothing was complicated, no notes, leaving me with a perfectly executed rigatoni vodka dish.
The Verdict
Vita delivers on BOTH rigatoni and atmosphere. The mysterious hidden entrance alone makes it worth the trip. This is where you would take a client you want to wine and dine without the corporate steakhouse bullshit. Would I return to the scene? Yes. 10/10. Case Closed.