Food and Drink: The Treemont

The Treemont

231 S 15th St Philadelphia, PA 19102 | (267) 687-2237 | http://thetreemont.com/

Relatively new on the Philadelphia restaurant scene, this modern American cuisine restaurant opened just after April 2014, and is the 6th business enterprise of Chef Chip Roman, a Philadelphia native and owner of the Roman Restaurant Group. His business ventures include:

Blackfish, opened in 2006, holds 3 Bells from the Philadelphia Inquirer and earned the number one spot in Philadelphia magazine’s 2011 “50 Best Restaurants” issue.
Mica, opened in March of 2011, also holds 3 Bells from the Philadelphia Inquirer and was named by GQ magazine as one of the “10 Best Restaurants 2012”.
Ela, opened in November of 2011 as a partnership with Chef Jason Cichonski and also received a glowing 3 Bells from the Inquirer’s Craig LaBan.
Tradestone Confections, a line of artisan chocolates and confections available online, as well as
Tradestone Café, offering coffee, breakfast, soups, salads and sandwiches, alongside the gourmet chocolate line.

Possibly one of the finest modern American restaurants in the city, the location is how shall we say VERY poor. Wedged in-between a group of bars including Tavern on Broad, The Good Dog, Fado Irish Pub, Fox and Hound and the neighborhood Applebee's, Chip Roman’s Center City debut sits amidst a pub crawling crowd. Not to mention the huge Cheesecake Factory (the Walmart of eateries) moved in just up the street. So, will people put down their beers, cheesecakes, and $9.99 all you can eat appetizers and stay sober just long enough to enjoy the greatness of this exquisite restaurant; we shall soon see. I hope the answer is is a resounding yes.

As soon as I walked in the door the bar area stood out. Wow. Nicely lit and perfectly organized I knew I'd be in luck for some delicious, refreshing cocktails this evening.

The meal commenced with a delightful amuse bouche. Buckwheat muffin with agave nectar served with a chipotle butter.

Aptly named, the Final Problem, made of Rum, House Ginger, Lime Cordial, Soda, this devilishly tasty summer cocktail certainly could create quite a few problems after a few of them, as how shall we put it delicately, the final problem was solved as it swiftly slid down my gullet.

To wet the palate, we started with spiced almonds and marinated olives. The almonds were not very spicy but had a nice kick to them along with some sweetness which was difficult to discern the origins. The olives were pitted (thank you), and were an apt accompaniment.

Foie Gras Terrine|Seabuckthorn|Macadamia|Brioche|Rhubarb...$17. Things got rolling as soon as the foie gras came out. Absolutely delicious. My one critique is the terrine could have been served slightly warmer. It clumped as I spread it onto my rich and tender brioche. In my opinion, it should have spread more smoothly like a room-temperature butter. Seeing as terrines are normally served at or just slightly below room temperature, I thought it should have been warmer. The small orange seabuckthorn herbs were very tasty and the rhubarb added sweetness. Macadamia nuts were good, I might have chosen a sweeter nut--maybe a candied almond or cashew, but that is just artistic difference. Overall, a 4.5/5 star dish with half a star off due to temperature.

Berkshire Pork Loin|Endive|Artichoke|Honeycomb....$24. I loved the fact this was served with real honeycomb. That MADE the dish. Don't ever take the honeycomb away. Your loyal customers will clamor until it is re-added to the menu. The sweet brown pork jus mixed well with the honeycomb and gave the already tender pork the juiciness it needed. Well presented, and well plated, A+ for presentation.

Amish Chicken|Pumpernickel|Fingerling Potatoes|Asparagus|English Peas ...$22. The pea puree was probably the best part of this chicken dish. The chicken was tender and well cooked and the pumpernickel certainly added flavor. Fingerling potatoes were adequate. Could have been served with a bit more asparagus in my opinion. The chicken jus that was poured on top finished the dish well.

Sour cream pannacotta, pine nut brittle, passionfruit gel, olive oil powder. Fantastic. Whipped, light and fluffy with the immense richness of the passion fruit and sweetness of the pine nut brittle, this dessert will leave you wanting more, more, more. 5/5 stars.

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