Morimoto, Philadelphia PA

Over the weekend a large party of us went to Morimoto in Philadelphia to experience the omakase, or tasting menu.

We arrived promptly at 6pm for our reservation and were seated right away. The ambiance and decor of the restaurant in unique and a little polarizing. Some people love the modern, minimalist decor with changing lights and strangely phallic shaped candles and others find it bothersome and even claustrophobic. The first picture below is the entrance and the second & third a look at the main dining room with it's color changing booths.

There were ten of us seated at a large rectangle table immediately in front of the sushi bar at the rear of the restaurant. For many of us, this was our second trip...we had gone as a group in 2002 when the restaurant was only a few months old. During the three hours we were there this time it became obvious looking around us that it remains very popular and apparently THE place to take a date. The restaurant filled up quickly and the staff bustled all evening.

It was also apparent that this was not going to be an evening of quite chatter. You really could only hear the person to your immediate side or across from you. It was so loud that trying to converse with the person kitty-corner or anyone further down the table was impossible. Nor could you hear the staff when they presented the courses unless they were standing next to you and you leaned in while attempting to lip read. Even then it was hit or miss. I'm happy to say when requested, they did furnish us with a copy of the evening's tasting menu when we were leaving...that helped significantly in clearing up some questions about a few of the courses.

Our table (with the exception of one vegetarian in our party) ordered the omokase, or chef's tasting menu. This is a traditional way to dine in Japan and you have no idea what courses will emerge from the kitchen until they are presented to you at the table. Our menu ended up consisting of eight courses. We paired the menu with four bottles of wine (a sauvignon blanc and three pinot noirs from Oregon and California) and there was more than one flight of sake making the rounds.

Unlike the high end French and American restaurants, this one jumped right into the first course - no amuse bouche to kick off the evening. It took a while longer than I thought appropriate for the first course to arrive. This was a glimpse into the service level that we'd experience through the night. While I do give leniency to a restaurant when they have to deal with a large group such as ours, I am not that forgiving of anything rated or regarded as high as this one is. But enough about that...on to the food!

First course: Toro tartare with fresh wasabi, osetra caviar and a Japanese peach.

The presentation was quite lovely on this course and the soy & ginger broth was fragrant. The toro was fresh with a wonderful texture but the sauce was overabundant and too sweet which diminished the overall taste of the dish. Even with heapings of wasabi, the dish was lacking the salty/savory quality you'd want in your tartare. The acidity in the white wine did mesh nicely with this course.

Second course: Kumamoto oysters with a trio of sauces: Japanese orange salsa; citrus cilantro ceviche and a Thai fish sauce with fresh jalapeno.

The presentation on the second course was equally beautiful and showcased these small oysters on their bed of ice. The four of us on the my end of the table all ate them from left to right, in the order of the sauces listed above. The winner seemed to be the middle one with the citrus flavors and leaf of cilantro. So bright and crisp, it matched wonderfully with the chilled, freshness of the oyster. I personally really liked the Thai fish sauce on the third oyster. This was a very nice course overall.

Third course: Seared red snapper carpaccio with garlic, ginger, mitsuba & chives served with a yuzu citrus soy.

This gorgeous course was a winner. The sauce was a perfect accompaniment to the snapper which has a meatier texture but still comes off as delicate in the mouth with a melt-away quality. If I could have licked the plate, I would have...really wonderful.

Four course: sashimi salad with mixed greens, yuzu vinaigrette and chive oil.

This dish resulted in mixed reviews. A tuna tataki, the fish itself was very nice with a clean, sea taste to it. And I liked the yuzu when tossed with my greens. But others thought the dish too dry and uninspired.

Intermezzo of raspberry & pomegranate soda (no picture). Useless course, no flavor detectable.

Fifth course: chef Morimoto's eight spice lobster epice with citrus creme fraiche and chives.

It wasn't hard to get excited about this next course! All the meat was in the tail section and the lobster with spices was fantastic! I would have ordered this as a whole meal if it was an option. The creme fraiche went really well for an overall well balanced dish. Yum!!

Sixth course: braised kobe short rib with wasabi furikake crust, wasabi greens, pickled carrot & turnip and a red wine reduction (no picture).

I did take a picture of this course (it was quite pretty) but it didn't come out well on my phone. The short rib was topped with a salty, spicy crust that I personally had to scrape off to keep it from overwhelming the rib. The meat was cooked nicely and super tender. But unlike other braised short ribs (Daniel, NYC comes to mind) where the flavor of the braising sauce is infused deeply into the meat, this one seemed to have not been cooked with anything other than a dry rub. The sauce on the plate was nice, but the dish lacked that level of deep warmth and succulence that others have achieved.

Seventh course: sushi (no picture).

Potentially the least inspired course of all it was a selection of five fishes served traditionally just like you can get at any local sushi bar. The fishes included maguro, tuna, yellowtail, octopus and striped bass.

Eighth course: (dessert) sweet potato cheesecake with miso caramel & black sesame.

The cheesecake to end the evening was pretty good...almost bland but with a creamy and yet airy texture. It was not polarizing or intriguing but just sweet enough to wrap up the dinner quietly.

All in all it was a nice dinner with some standout dishes. Can it take on the heavy hitters of NYC, Chicago and Northern California...no. Would I rank it at or above Nobu in NYC...no. And at this price point, it's also not special enough in this reviewers mind to do the tasting menu again. If you go, order off the menu, skip the sushi and stick with the specialty dishes and you'll have a really nice evening in a totally eclectic hot spot.

Jenn's Rating: 89

Zagat's Rating: 28-26-25

What's on your table this Christmas?

The holidays are fast approaching. What's everyone serving this holiday season to celebrate?

Daniel, NYC

In November of this year we made our annual trek up to 65th and Park Avenue for the tasting menu at Daniel, my all time favorite restaurant. But this year was special - we weren't going alone! Conversations earlier in the fall with besties and fellow foodies, Paul & Sarah, revealed a long held desire by them to dine at this king of New York, long standing, three starred Michelin destination. We got the 5:45pm reservation months in advance and waited excitedly for the date to arrive.

Paul & Sarah made the trip up to the Empire State from lovely Virgina the night before via Connecticut to drop off a foodie in training, Amelia with family. Baby safely ensconced, P&S met Alan and I first at The Plaza for champagne and hors d'oeuvres. For a description of that wonderful kick off see earlier post.

From The Plaza we made the walk uptown in weather that felt more like September than it did mid-November. Upon entering the updated lobby (since we were there a year ago), we were immediately taken to our table in the middle of the main dining room with a 360 degree view of the entire restaurant. One of the first tables to be seated, an usual, the restaurant filled up quickly around us.

Arriving prepared and having already all taken a look over the 43 page wine list posted on the restaurant's web site, we ordered a bottle of the 2006 Marie-Noelle Ledru, "Grand Cru Cuvee de Goulte" Blanc de Noir. Alan and I were excited about trying this bottle since we had also picked it out from the wine list of Eleven Madison Park earlier in the month but didn't order it for the reason explained on the post of that dinner and that evening.

This dinner was the tenth year in a row we'd be coming to Daniel in November for my birthday and there were certain things that we'd gotten use to...expected even. So what a surprise it turned out to be that they had changed things up! The first example was the amuse bouche. For years this chef's gift was served to the table on a four tier tower with four single bite dishes for each person in the party. Imagine our delight when this clever trio of tastes came out from the kitchen, presented on a bridge across the plate. Our little dishes to start the night were three tastes of sweet potato - all interesting, different textures and temperatures and all quite yummy!

We decided as a table to do the six course tasting menu along with a mid-course addition of the Alba white truffle served two ways - pasta and as a risotto. We also picked a bottle of red wine to pair with the later courses.

Since Daniel always offered two options on each course of his tasting menus, we were able to have all of the options between the couples. The menu consisted of:

First Course:

• Duck Terrine with Marcona Almond, honey crisp apple confit, sauternes glazed date mache salad and hazelnut-cider vinaigrette
• Mosac of Griggstown Farm Mallard and parsnip with apple cider poached quince, pickled champagne grapes and peppercress salad

Second Course:

• Wasabi cured Fluke with Shiso Bavarois, roasted beets , edamame coulis and seaweed bread tuile
• Tasting of Yellowfin Tuna en Tartare with Northern Lights Caviar cured with compressed celery confit and anchovy dressing

Third Course:

• Crispy Scottish Langoustines with tandoori hearts of palm, pickled kumquat and lemon balm salad
• Artichoke and Squid Ink raviolini with little neck clams, ruby red shrimp, razor clams sea beans, saffron cream and opal basil

Truffle Course:

• White truffle Abbaye de Tamie Agnelotti
• White truffle creamy risotto with parmesan

Fourth Course:

• Bacon wrapped Swordfish with spaghetti and butternut squash, confit cipollini onion pumpkin seed gremolata and Ommegang Beer jus
• Slow poached Monkfish tail with green cabbage-sesame fricassee, parsnip mousseline and toasted cashews

Fifth Course:

• Roasted Veal Tenderloin with Creamy Polenta, poached cheeks with parsley pasta crispy sweetbreads, chanterelles and crosnes
• Duo of Beef; black angus short ribs with califlower mousseline, seared wagyu tenderloin, oyster mushrooms crispy potato and poached bone marrow

Sixth Course:

• Lemongrass Poached pineapple with coconut meringue, lime-rum gelee and pina colada sorbet
• Warm Guanaja Chocolate Coulant with liquid caramel, fleur de sel and milk sorbet

Extra Courses & Dishes:

• MAPLE-HONEY PEAR VARIATION, Poached Bosc and Crisp Asian Pear, Maple-Pecan Ice Cream
• Warm, fresh Madelaines

• Petit Fours

All in all...amazing. In particular - the langoustine and tuna courses were off the charts. The truffle pasta was perfection. The newness and excitement that both the Monkfish and the Swordfish brought to the meal are going to be long remembered. And ofcourse, the Duo of Beef continues to be one of the single best dishes served in any restaurant anywhere in the world and there is just nothing more perfect than ending this incredible meal with Lemon Verbena herbal tea and that never-ending basket of warm Madelaines. A perfect evening with incredible friends!

Jenn's Rating: 98
Zagat's Rating: 29-28-28
Michelin: 3 stars

Tuna Tartare from Inn at Little Washington Cookbook

Alan and I spent our 1st wedding anniversary at the Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Virginia. It was an incredible experience and afterwards, bought the cookbook. It's been a while since I've made anything from this one, but we did this tuna tartare over the weekend for a party. Easy to make - just make sure you get the freshest, sushi grade tuna possible.

Marinade:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 rice wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• pinch of cayenne pepper

Make the marinade and refrigerate until ready to assemble and serve. This can be made several days in advance.

Tartare:

• 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
• 3 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped finely
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped finely
• fresh ground pepper to taste

Blend ingredients in a small bowl and set aside until ready to assemble.

• 1 pound very fresh, sushi grade tuna

To make it easier to mince the tuna, put it in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove and mince, being careful to remove any dark patches or sinew you see.

To Assemble:

• pour enough of the marinade on the tuna to just moisten, mixing well with fork
• sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the tartare mixture and mix
• sprinkle some of the tartare mixture into the bottom of four ramekins; pack the tuna mixture into the ramekins
• unmold the tuna tartare from the ramekin into the center of a small plate; serve with chopsticks and something crispy like wasabi chips

Additional options:

• Use a wasabi mayonnaise as an accompaniment or drizzled lightly on the finished tartare
• Before mincing the fish cut off a slice of a few ounces of the tuna and pound it between wax sheets into wafer thin carpaccio; put that down on the plate, upturning the tartare on top of the carpaccio

Red Snapper & Sea Bass Ceviche

For our Third not-always Annual Drink Down the Cellar Party we did a mid course of ceviche and tuna tar tare to provide lighter fare before the midwestern Saratoga rib roast came out of the oven. This ceviche recipe is easy to make and came out really, really well. You can use any type of firm sea fish and you don't have to use two different types. I liked having the sea bass and snapper since they have a very different consistency and taste - it gave the dish a nice complexity.

1 lbs fish (recommended snapper, sea bass, halibut, mahi mahi...)
1 small white onion
Fresh limes (6 to8)
Fresh lemons (4 or 5)
Lime and / or lemon juice (1 cups)

• Cut the fish into 1/2 inch cubes and put into a glass bowl
• Cut up the onion into small chunks and add to the fish
• Squeeze lemon & limes into a different bowl so you can put through a strainer to get out any seeds. Pour fresh juice over the fish & onion combination. Use bottled lime juice (or lemon or a combination) to finish covering the fish completely. Fish should free float on the top - this is how you know you have enough juice to "cook" the fish.
• Cover tightly and put in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Check the fish for "doneness" by breaking open a chunk. You shouldn't see any raw inside.
• Once cooked, drain the fish and put back, covered, in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve - up to 24 hours ahead of time.

While the fish is marinating, make the rest of the mixture.

2 ripe tomatoes cut into cubes
1/3 cup fresh cilantro chopped coarsely
1 or 2 fresh jalapeno chili peppers, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons orange juice

Mix all ingredients together with a little salt for seasoning and refrigerate until ready to serve.

SERVING:
...you'll also need 2 ripe avocados (peeled, pitted and diced) and some Tostadas, tortilla chips or crackers.

• Combine the fish with the tomato mixture. Fold in gently the avocado and serve with chips or crackers.