Morimoto

MORIMOTO / 723 CHESTNUT STREET / PHILADELPHIA PA
215 413 9070
http://www.morimotorestaurant.com/

Morimoto.  One glance inside and you instantly have arrived at one of the coolest spots in town. I don't think any other restaurant screams chic, avant-garde moreso than this restaurant.  This is a Starr restaurant and one of the priciest in town.  Dinner for two, $280 or so at 2 drinks a person. This is a perfect date, anniversary, or special occasion spot and you certainly feel when you walk in you are royalty.

The walls are back-lit and the lighting is soft and diffuse.  Made it easy to capture some really beautiful photos of the restaurant. The booths are lit with color changing lights making coordinated booths in every color of the rainbow with color changes every 20 minutes or so.

We started dinner with some edamamae, fresh soybeans with sea salt.  It was overcooked entirely and needed to be sent back.

Redemption came in the form of Kumamoto oysters. Oyster Guide calls the Kumamoto the ‘Chardonnay of oysters’ and are among the most popular oyster due to their luscious fruity flavor and light brininess  3 pairs of seasonings on the 6 oyster tray were designed for sharing.  From outside to inside: Sushi Ceviche, Japanese Salsa, and Thai fish.

Wagyu dumplings.  Kanzuri-miso broth.  Kanzuri, a chili paste made with yuzu is a popular Japanese seasoning. Wagyu beef is Japanese for cow and refers to several breeds of cattle known for intense marbling. Kobe, Mishima, Matsusaka, Ōmi, and Sanda are several types of Wagyu beef.

This was salmon carpaccio.  Thinly sliced with yuzu soy, hot oil and mitsuba leaf.  Carpaccio is thinly sliced raw meat seasoned in this case most interestingly with mitsuba leaf. Like parsley, the flavor is clean and refreshing with a slightly bitter taste which some describe as celery-like.

These scallops were one of the specials for the night and completely worth having. Beautifully seasoned and flavorful, these pan-seared scallops were excellent.

DUCK DUCK DUCK MADRAS ROASTED DUCK BREAST, CONFIT FRIED RICE, DUCK EGG, MANDARIN OOLONG REDUCTION.  Oolong is a traditional Chinese tea produced through a unique process including withering the plant under the strong sun and oxidation before curling and twisting.

CHILEAN SEA BASS KOJI MARINATED AND GRILLED, SEASONAL VEGETABLES, SHANTON NAGE. A traditional nage is a broth flavoured with white wine, vegetables, and herbs, in which seafood is poached. The liquid is then reduced and thickened with cream and/or butter.

Matcha tres leches. Green tea castella, burnt honey ice cream, sweet red bean paste.  A delicious tres leches cake to end the meal. Yum.

The nashi blossom.  Reyka vodka, pear puree, ginger simple.

Bordeaux, chateau les reuilles.  Bordeaux, France '11.

Marigold Kitchen

Marigold Kitchen - BYOB Restaurant In Philadelphia, PA
501 S 45th St, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (215) 222-3699
www.marigoldkitchenbyob.com/

This house-converted-to-restaurant West Philadelphia gem is an underrated, prix-fixe establishment deserving of the same critical acclaim as much more famous prix fixe establishments, like say, Volver. And, at $95 a person, decidedly cheaper too.

We stopped in for dinner around 745pm on a weeknight for dinner.  We had had a little trouble finding parking as it is a residential area, but we were able to scamper in just a few minutes late.

In the main dining room is seating for maybe 20 patrons with an upstairs private dining area and a back room featuring additional dining space.

The dimly lit atrium gave the restaurant an old time, country feel as was substantiated by the dated decor.  This contrasted with the new age, refreshing food presentations that were to follow.  When we were seated, we were informed of the smorgasbord to follow: a 14 course tasting menu.  To my knowledge, the most tasting courses of any restaurant in Philadelphia, dwarfing Volver's 12-course tasting menu (and need I say about half the price).  Without further ado, here it is:

The first course was an edamame hummus with sesame, rice and lemongrass.  An interesting take on hummus in my opinion, and one of the more memorable dishes of the evening.

The second course was a wild mushroom torchon with brioche biscuit, spring onion, and watercress. This was delicious and perhaps my favorite portion was the onions which were soaked in a sort of vinaigrette.  Very tasty.

Thai Scallop. Coconut-Curry, Mango, Basil, Mint. This was a really unique take on scallops.  I loved the little chunks of mango. The curry had just enough kick to give it a "Thai" flavor but not enough to be overpowering.  The edible orchid was a nice decoration.

Asparagus Ravioli. Hollandaise, Spring Onions. Not bad. The only criticism here is...it was ONE bite.  I wish it was served in a bowl with maybe 2-3 of them.  But one?!  Come on here.

The next course was a course in comedic relief as the gentleman sitting next to us had his chair literally collapse beneath him.  He was not a large man either.  The management quickly apologized and picked up his entire meal. Over the hundreds of meals I have eaten, this is the first time that has happened, so I thought it worth noting. Never a dull moment.

I promptly forgot about the collapsing chair as this course came onto the table. Chilled pea soup, english pea, cracker, ham, cured yolk. Yum. The yolk was the most interesting portion in my opinion as it was hard. Both my companion and I thought it should have been served warm though.

The wild boar. Braised mustard seed, shitake, fava beans.  This was by far my favorite dish of the evening.  The sweet braised mustard seeds wonderfully accompanied the boar and blended with the fava beans to create something I imagine is just like heaven.  Delicious. My companion thought the boar was too rare, but I thought it just right.

Barquillo.  Daikon, carrot, achiote, adobo.  In laymen's terms, a bunch of vegetables wrapped in a rice paper roll, served on a piece of tree bark with some spicy jalapeno sauce on top.  Not too spicy, and the vegetables were a nice combination.  It dovetailed the boar quite nicely as there was no meat to this course.  Daikon is a mild-flavored winter radish,  Achiote is used usually to impart a subtle orange color to the food but can add a bit of flavor as well. Adobo or Adobar is the immersion of raw food in a stock composed variously of paprika, oregano, salt, garlic, and vinegar to preserve and enhance its flavor.

The escargot.  Parmesan, basin, zinfandel.  One of the best renditions of snails I've ever had.  Especially the parmesan.  Bravo.

A lovely Key Lime Sorbet to cleanse the palate before the main courses.

The salmon.  Black Pearl Scottish Salmon.  Fiddleheads, Vermouth, Wild Rice Excellently executed and seasoned. Was a bit salty and dry for my taste, but my companion thought it the best dish of the evening, so, there ya go.  Fiddleheads or fiddlehead greens are the furled fronds of a young fern, harvested for use as a vegetable.  In this case, they are blackened and are seen as coils on the dish.

Green Circle Chicken.  Glace de vollaile, asparagus, lemon.  Interesting tidbit: Green Circle chicken is the latest introduction, exclusively from D’Artagnan. Every chicken that bears the name is raised free-range on a diet of actual vegetables, is certified-humane and air-chilled.

Le Chatelain Camembert.  Lavender, Rhubarb, Walnut, Strawberry.  The best portion in my opinion was the candied walnut.  Fantastic first dessert course.

House made caramel toffee served with sea-salt.  The most simplistic, yet delicious dessert of the evening.  Better than all other dessert courses in my opinion.

Banana. Dulce de leche, pistachio, chocolate. This is a delicious offering.  The panna cotta was ornately shaped with a dap of house made dulce de leche ice cream.

The evening finished with some lemon thyme macarons.  Delicious, and literally melt in your mouth. A fantastic finish to a fantastic meal.  Would definitely return.