To celebrate my birthday, my husband and I had dinner at Ralph’s in Philadelphia. Located in the Italian Market section of the city, I was surprised to discover the restaurant is not only the oldest Italian restaurant in the city but in the entire country!

We arrived right on time for our reservation and were seated immediately. The décor is simple and the dining room feels cozy — perfect for a winter night. We perused the menu as our waiter brought water and bread with butter. The wine list is extensive and mostly by the bottle. We opted to each order a glass instead.

Next step: deciding on our meals. Ralph’s offers plenty of dishes you’d expect — lasagna, ravioli, chicken Parmigiana — and some more unusual items, including sweetbreads and tripe. We finally decided to split calamari and sautéed escarole as our appetizers. The escarole was hearty and cooked with garlic. The calamari was cooked in a tomato sauce and was much lighter than a more typical fried preparation. For my main I ordered “Ralph’s famous veal Parm.” The portion size was unbelievable, as you can see from the picture. Needless to say, we both enjoyed leftovers the next day. Since a birthday isn’t complete without dessert, we saved room for a slice of cannoli cake to split.

I had a wonderful birthday meal at Ralph’s and would recommend the restaurant to anyone looking for a tasty Italian meal in Philadelphia.

— Katie Skrzek, vice president/digital director