I did an insane thing last night. I took the train to Philadelphia to meet some friends at Vetri. Vetri was opened a few years ago by Mark Vetri, a Philly native who had cooked in NY at Bella Blu, an Upper East Side Italian restaurant that serious eaters have never paid much attention to.

Rave reviews greeted Vetri's opening in Philly. Mario Batali raved, saying that Vetri was possibly the best Italian restaurant on the East Coast. My friend Andy Clurfeld of the Asbury Park Press kept telling me that I had to check Vetri out.