23/06/2026
Sometimes I struggle to find the right words for a post. This one stayed in the drafts longer than I expected, my favorite meal of 2025. I couldn’t write it until I found myself driving back to Philly this morning.
My first visit to Vetri Cucina was in February 2020, just before the world shut down. It was my first true fine dining experience and, looking back, my last real meal out before everything changed. What a meal to leave off on.
The tasting menu included their famous sweet onion crepe with truffle and parmesan fonduta. At 25, I couldn’t believe onions could taste like that. Slowly caramelized for hours into something so rich and sweet, it’s the kind of dish that rewires your brain. I talked about that onion crepe for years.
Five years later, while in Philly for work, someone I loved surprised me with a reservation to go back. We ordered the tasting menu with the wine pairing, lingered over every course, asked our waiter far too many questions, and even pulled up the blurry iPhone 11 photos from our first visit to compare. (Swipe to the end to see those gems.)
Just before dessert, I realized it hadn’t arrived. My onion crepe. Then, with perfect timing, the waiter appeared with a smirk and more importantly an onion crepe. I somehow found room for every last bite.
It’s funny how certain restaurants become tied to chapters of your life. Sometimes you don’t realize it until you’re sat down trying to write about them.
I don’t know when I’ll be ready for another onion crepe. Hopefully it won’t be another five years.
Until then, I’ll just keep recommending Vetri to anyone who asks and quietly hoping they experience the onion crepe too.
📍