Morimoto in Philly

morimoto

At long last, I am posting my pics and comments about a fabulous dinner I had this summer at Iron Chef star Morimoto's self-titled restaurant in downtown Philadelphia. I had the pleasure of eating with two old pals (Amy and Elizabeth) and one new friend (Michelle) -- all attendees of the Council of Writing Program Administrators' annual conference.

When we walked in the place, we were greeted by big, black art (above) and ultra hip people. This is the most hip place I visited in Philly. Admittedly, I was at a conference of English Professors, so my hip-o-meter was pretty low all week!

After the appropriate amount of deliberating for a group of English professors, we decided to order the prix fixe dinner, which consisted of six courses and dessert chosen by the chef -- a bold decision, financially and culinarily!

first course: yellowfin tuna cake with crunchy shallots in dashi sauce
This was so yummy! We ruled it our favorite right away (after all, it was the only thing we had eaten thus far!). I did not get the smart idea to photograph the food until this delicious morsel was already making its way through my digestive system. It was like a crab cake only better. We all loved the juxtaposition of the chewy and the crunchy.

second course: tile fish seared in hot olive oil with mint basil and citurs soy sauce

As I hopped out of the cab in front of Morimoto, my ex-chef husband (not ex-husband, just ex-chef) urged me to "try something new." Whenever we got to a Japanese restaurant, I always order the same safe thing: California roll. I never go for the raw fish like most sushi, sashimi, and seared tile fish.

Well, I branched out and loved it! This was seared perfectly, not the rubbery sensation I was expecting. The citrus sauce was also a delight -- I got over my raw-phobia with this course and was ready to dig into more treats from the land of the rising sun.


third course: skipjack tuna salad with micro greens and chive oil and soy-onion vinaigrette with sea salt
The salad course was just like the rest of the dishes so far: perfection! We were all feeling intoxicated by the mix of flavors in our mouths, and we were not even drinking sake! Our public higher education salaries did not allow for food and drink, so in this case, we chose food.


palate cleanser: apple blackberry balsamic soda:
We were split on this. I, for one, was scared to drink something called "balsamic soda," but I loved it, blackberry residue at the bottom of the glass and all. Some of my braver dining companions, however, did not like it. Here's a pic, nevertheless:

My new pal Michelle from Auburn with exotic Japanese soda

fourth course: alaskan halibut with black bean paste and shallots steamed twice in sake and sealed with hot oil
Again, loved by all. This was our only taste of sake all evening! You see Amy eating it with the blue fiberglass wall behind her. These walls slowly morphed from red to pink to a purplish violet. At first it was unnerving, then it became mesmerizing, and finally it seemed normal. I was surprised when I got home to my own kitchen not to be dining next to a color-changing wall.

When we saw the sizes of the plates (small), we thought we might not get full from this meal, despite the wallet-emptying price. But, we were feeling satisfied at this point in the evening, and there was more to come . . .

fifth course: peking duck in madras curry sauce and a side of foie gras on a peach
I love peaches but I never got to eat mine . . . . . . because it was smothered in foie gras. Yes, I have had foie gras before, and, yes, I knew I did not care for it, but, yes, I gave it a go because I had challenged myself to become Adventurous Eating Woman (da-dat-da!) for the evening. Sorry, couldn't finish it. And, despite my (crooked) smile in the picture, I did not care for the curry sauce either.

sixth course: THE SUSHI!!!!
We were served five selections on a traditional wooden sushi board, some ginger, and real wasabi. Not that stuff at most restaurants (even the fancy ones) that is made from a powder mix, but the real deal. We agreed on the excellence of the wasabi, but had varying opinions about the sushi. . . You see here: tuna, baby herring, red snapper, hamachi, and squid. The tuna was the overwhelming favorite, and the squid brought up the rear. I was really jazzed about the red snapper; I was predisposed to like it, though, because I know it is my father's and my son's favorite fish (obligatory random TMI comment -- this is a blog, after all).

dessert: tea-soaked peach cake with raspberry dark chocolate sauce, white chocolate/buttermilk mousse, and a molasses crisp
Once again, I could not get to the peach -- it was smothered in things I do not like. However, everyone else loved this dessert. It was light, yet sweet; small enough not to stuff us, but generous enough to make us feel like we had dessert. For those of you like me who dislike white chocolate and mousse and molasses, pass your plate to your tablemates. They'll love it, mine did!

I'll wrap up my review/reminiscence with one last photo of Elizabeth and Michelle in front of the lighting for the table (other than the iridescence chameleon walls). As you can see, Morimoto has re-purposed old dildos by turning them into small table lamps. What a decor choice -- he can be on the Food Network and HGTV!!!!