Ocean's Prime

Ocean's Prime
124 S 15th St, Philadelphia, PA 19102 - (215) 563-0163
Date of Review: 3/20/14

This place screams class.  Nestled on the corner of 15th and Sansom, this relatively new addition to the Philadelphia restaurant scene combines a modern, contemporary zeitgeist decor with some great steak, seafood and drink offerings.

The Atrium
Customers are greeted upon entry to a lavishly decorated atrium and hostess stand flush with some seemingly oriental inspired vines and a black contemporary and glass entry.  Valet parking was available for a handsome fee ($18) and the doorman was gregarious and attentive.  We were a little late for our 745 reservation but were seated promptly.  

The Bar
While seated waiting for our server, the bar was readily visible and for good reason.  The glass encased shelving displays an extensive liquor collection with some titillating signature cocktails.  Cabled lighting provides an intimate, loungy feel.  Many people in business attire were there having  few cocktails after work.  Two prominent LCDs showcased the March Madness Basketball tournament for those who were interested.

Surf N Turf, Sea Scallops, Slow Braised Short Ribs - $16
The braised short ribs were delicate and juicy, finely prepared.  The scallops were seared to perfection and the au jus was in proportion.  The potatoes were a tad salty but that is the only critique of this dish.  It was polished off within 4 minutes of being set before me.

Teryaki Salmon, Shitake Sticky Rice, Soy Butter Sauce - $33
This dish was delicious.  Some fresh greens overlaid a sizable portion of sticky rice and salmon cooked to perfection. Salmon was cooked medium-well, a bit on the dry side, but this was against the chef's recommendation of a medium preparation.  With the sticky rice and teryaki sauce it was a pleasant and sweet combination.

Chilean Sea Bass, Whipped Potatoes, Champagne Truffle Sauce - $43
Probably the Best dish of the evening.  Sitting atop a wonderful mixture of butter, whipped potatoes and some assorted peas and carrots was a delicious cut of Chilean sea bass cooked to perfection. The champagne truffle sauce was poignant but not overpowering.  While this will take a good 3 hours on the treadmill to burn off, it is well worth checking out.

Creme Brulee with Mixed Berries and Whip Cream
While the berries were fresh and the whip cream was house made, the creme brulee was disappointing.  Not that it was bad, but it just didn't stand out like the rest of the meal. The brulee was overdone, rendering breaking the top layer to access the creme below akin to chopping out a tile floor in preparation for remodeling.  Need to go less on the sugar and blow torch for that matter. The creme itself was decent but nothing to fantasize about.


Overall Review:
Pros: 

• Gorgeous atmosphere and ambiance - excellent for that special occasion or hot date.
• Service in general was constant and unobtrusive...however see side note in critique below.
• Portion size: Large.  Since you will be spending $35+ a plate, you will get your money's worth.
• General mood: friendly and gregarious.  Sometimes at these higher end restaurants it feels so snooty that I don't feel like I even belong.  This was not the case at Ocean's Prime. 

Cons:

• High price. However, you get what you pay for.
• Service: Our server, a young attractive, tie-and-vest wearing black gentleman in his 20s spent more time at the hostess stand flirting with the hostess than he did checking up on our table.  A note to all servers out there: YES WE NOTICE.  And it pisses us off.  We are spending $200 or more for a meal so we expected to be waited on.  However, this does not apply to the sommelier, the water girl, the busboy or the manager on duty who was prompt and attentive.  In fact, our dessert and coffee and drinks for that matter were comped due to our "inconvenience." 
• Creme Brulee. Please don't get out of hand with that blow torch. Yes, I love fire too...but seriously. 
• Cappuccino cups.  While extensive attention to detail was apparent in the architecture, the  menu, the decor, one glaring oversight was the cappuccino cups.  I don't know what your average customer's hand looks like, but I could only manage to get my pinky through the cup hole which made sipping my delicious cappuccino an awkward endeavor indeed. 

Cool Things to Check Out: 
The Lights

The Ceiling

The RittenHouse Room