Post by ironnut77 on Jul 20, 2008 13:51:35 GMT -5
Just wanted to take a moment to tell everyone about what may go down as one of (if not THE) best meal of my life, at Morimoto's restaurant in Philadelphia.
My wife, myself and a friend made the trip. From the start we were taken aback by the magnificent decor (quite different and fascinating) and excellent service. The food was top notch -- my friend and I got the $120 Omakase (or chef's tasting menu, consisting of 8 courses of things for the most part not on the menu and more exotic depending on the price -- $120 was top of the line before going into excess). My wife chose to go the a la carte route. While were expecting our courses to be small portions (so many courses), I did not expect for each of my wife's three selections to be a meal in themselves! The house salad with yuzu vinnaigrette and shaved bonito was enough to feed all of us, the ramen noodle chicken soup was heavenly...and the dry aged new york strip steak (with tempura veggies and two sauces) was probably the best piece of meat she had ever had. Our Omakase meal consisted of the following treasures:
1) Toro (tuna belly) taretare in soy sauce with crispy onion and shallot, topped with osetra caviar -- the texture took 1st place here, but the flavor was phenomenal!
2) Kurimoto oysters, raw, 3 flavors. I forget what the 3 servings consisted of, but the oysters were top notch!
3) Red Snapper carpacchio, par-cooked in hot oil and soy -- this was probably the overall best dish we received. The texture and flavor of the fish was unlike anything we had ever experienced, kind of like steak that melted like butter. Magnificent!
4) Skipjack sashimi salad in yuzu vinnaigrette. The texture of the fish was thick and meaty, the vinnaigrette a perfect accompaniment. After this dish we were served a small helping of strawberry sorbet to cleanse our palettes before the entrees.
5) Eight-spice lobster with creme freshe. A masterwork of flavor and design, some of the best lobster I have ever sampled. The creme freshe effectively cooled the heat from the spices.
6) Rare seared kobe beaf with mushroom -- mouth-wateringly tender and succulent in the extreme.
7) Sushi course consisting of 5 nigiri sushi -- the rice was perfect, the fish fresh, and the real wasabi gave it quite the kick. It is also worth noting that the soy sauce used was some home-brewed stuff, the best we have ever had.
8) Flour-free chocolate topped with white chocolate mouse, with red and white miso sauce -- this was what Morimoto had always represented to me -- dishes that defy logic. You wouldn't believe how well this worked! The chocolate was ultimately rich, and a perfect finisher to a perfect meal.
Anyway, there's my epiphany for the year
My wife, myself and a friend made the trip. From the start we were taken aback by the magnificent decor (quite different and fascinating) and excellent service. The food was top notch -- my friend and I got the $120 Omakase (or chef's tasting menu, consisting of 8 courses of things for the most part not on the menu and more exotic depending on the price -- $120 was top of the line before going into excess). My wife chose to go the a la carte route. While were expecting our courses to be small portions (so many courses), I did not expect for each of my wife's three selections to be a meal in themselves! The house salad with yuzu vinnaigrette and shaved bonito was enough to feed all of us, the ramen noodle chicken soup was heavenly...and the dry aged new york strip steak (with tempura veggies and two sauces) was probably the best piece of meat she had ever had. Our Omakase meal consisted of the following treasures:
1) Toro (tuna belly) taretare in soy sauce with crispy onion and shallot, topped with osetra caviar -- the texture took 1st place here, but the flavor was phenomenal!
2) Kurimoto oysters, raw, 3 flavors. I forget what the 3 servings consisted of, but the oysters were top notch!
3) Red Snapper carpacchio, par-cooked in hot oil and soy -- this was probably the overall best dish we received. The texture and flavor of the fish was unlike anything we had ever experienced, kind of like steak that melted like butter. Magnificent!
4) Skipjack sashimi salad in yuzu vinnaigrette. The texture of the fish was thick and meaty, the vinnaigrette a perfect accompaniment. After this dish we were served a small helping of strawberry sorbet to cleanse our palettes before the entrees.
5) Eight-spice lobster with creme freshe. A masterwork of flavor and design, some of the best lobster I have ever sampled. The creme freshe effectively cooled the heat from the spices.
6) Rare seared kobe beaf with mushroom -- mouth-wateringly tender and succulent in the extreme.
7) Sushi course consisting of 5 nigiri sushi -- the rice was perfect, the fish fresh, and the real wasabi gave it quite the kick. It is also worth noting that the soy sauce used was some home-brewed stuff, the best we have ever had.
8) Flour-free chocolate topped with white chocolate mouse, with red and white miso sauce -- this was what Morimoto had always represented to me -- dishes that defy logic. You wouldn't believe how well this worked! The chocolate was ultimately rich, and a perfect finisher to a perfect meal.
Anyway, there's my epiphany for the year