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Lo Spiedo comes out smokin'

Few restaurants are closer to the action of the Democratic National Convention this week than Lo Spiedo, the Vetri family's casual outpost just inside the Navy Yard's gates. First-timers may be surprised to find (given Vetri's pedigree) that there are ver

Grilled tuna with fregola, stuffed summer squash and smoked tomato vinaigrette from Lo Spiedo.
Grilled tuna with fregola, stuffed summer squash and smoked tomato vinaigrette from Lo Spiedo.Read moreCRAIG LABAN / Staff

Few restaurants are closer to the action of the Democratic National Convention this week than Lo Spiedo, the Vetri family's casual outpost just inside the Navy Yard's gates.

First-timers may be surprised to find (given Vetri's pedigree) that there are very few obvious Italian influences on the menu.

But as I tasted at a recent meal, Lo Spiedo has continued to refine its unusual amalgam of Southern flavors - bolstered by a wood-fired smoker and grill - fused with more subtle Italian influences.

The zucchini fries are basically encrusted in polenta.

The sweet-and-tangy jalapeño jam dip for the corn fritters is essentially a chili mostarda.

And chef Scott Calhoun's new tuna dish, the most impressive entree of our meal, also shows off the restaurant's distinctly dual personality.

Thick, moist steaks of grilled albacore tuna glazed in olive oil then perched Italian-style over a refreshing fregola pasta salad tossed with eggplant, zucchinis, oregano, and mint.

But then a pureed tomato vinaigrette made from charred tomatoes infused with apple and cherry wood from the smoker brings that decidedly Mediterranean dish right back to the South Philly summer smokehouse where it belongs.

- Craig LaBan
Tuna steak $26, Lo Spiedo, 4503 S. Broad St. (Navy Yard), 215-282-3184; lo-spiedo.com