At Cafe Longano, Homemade Flavors Blend Nicely With Arias And Folk Songs

The taped music at Cafe Longano in South Philadelphia is a perfect match for the food: hearty, rustic, sometimes a bit formal, other times traditional and folksy.

There's an old family dish of baked cannelloni with cheese and veal in a tomato-sweet sauce to blend with Neapolitan folk songs by Jimmy Roselli, and lobster tail and scallops sauteed in a brandy-cream sauce to accompany the rich arias.

Longano's is operated by the Cancelliere family and takes its name from a small Italian village in Abruzzi. The restaurant is modest with a comfortable, central-Italian country look. Dishes blend Old-World hearty with some South Philadelphia standards.

This is a low-key place where the servers, though attired a bit formally, will chat casually if you make the first move. Mix-and-match tableware offers an additional touch of hominess.

Hot appetizers as well as cold ones are available. If you like mussels, those here have always been good quality and are served in a potent sauce, whether white or red ($5.90). Sauteed escarole ($5) done in olive oil and a light infusion of garlic is anything but delicate.

There is a traditional antipasto ($5.50) that's a spartan arrangement of good prosciutto, salami, provolone, mozzarella, mushrooms, marinated artichoke heart and some olives.

Caesar salad ($5 for one) generally has an invigorating lemony influence. I've seen some diners sponge up this and other salad dressings with the seeded Italian bread. Longano's also serves - complementary - a delicious tomato (or pizza) bread.

You have more than 20 pasta dishes from which to choose. They range from homemade ravioli in a traditional tomato sauce ($9) to linguine served Caruso style with chicken livers and onions ($10.50). Most recently we put the pasta puttanesca ($10.50) to the test. This had a hearty, mildly spicy sauce, capers, oil-cured olives and a hint of anchovy.

Chicken dishes at Longano's are good bets. A fried chicken breast is topped with cheese and tomato sauce Parmigiana-style and then baked ($10.50). Star attraction for many is the dish called Pollo a la Franco ($11.95), sauteed pieces of chicken breast in a lemony wine sauce with sweet onions.

Veal dishes include a good chop that comes plain and broiled ($15.50) or prepared in olive oil with sweet peppers, onions, carrots and porcini mushrooms ($17.50).