Most people call them "hip" and "trendy," while others call them "sleek" and "classy." I call them an experience. (A delicious one at that.)
This is my story of three Stephen Starr restaurants: Pod, Tangerine, & Morimoto.
In August of last year I broke the Stephen Starr seal. I had first heard of Pod (3636 Sansom Street, in University City) about three years ago when my roommate told me she'd talked about "some futuristic Pan Asian restaurant where you sit in pods that change color as you eat" with the lady she used to nanny for. Unfortunately for my tastebuds, I put it in the "save this for later" part of my brain, and it got lost pretty soon after that. But then, last August, I got a $100 Starr Restaurant gift card and remembered my roommate's report. So what else could I do? I immediately suited up in my sexiest black dress and went on a date at Pod.
We decided to go all out since we had the gift card. No holds barred. Drinks, appetizers, sushi, two entrees (which isn't always necessary since the restaurants are family style), two desserts. We didn't mess around. We wanted the full experience. The drinks were amazing (I had an Asian coconut martini of some sort), the Miso and dumplings were the best I've ever had, the sushi went down easy, the entrees were both unique and very tasty (the Peking duck was second only to the Peking duck I had in China last March), and the deserts were mind-boggling (a chocolate sampler -- but I'm a sucker for chocolate, of course). The whole time during dinner, there were unusual cartoons playing on a big screen behind the sushi bar that had a Samurai trying to kill the Devil, which added to the whole distinctive dining experience. And I have to say that the restrooms were by far the coolest I had ever seen.
I give Pod * * * *
My next Starr experience: Tangerine (232 Market Street, in West Philadelphia). This one was quite different than Pod. Tangerine, with its Mediterranean decor, has an earthy, warm feel to it. As you enter the main dining room, the right-hand-side wall is illuminated with tea lights, the left-hand-side wall covered with dark red, flowing fabric. The seats are comfortable, and --at least at the two-person tables-- a little lower to the ground than most seats. The food tasted like the restaurant looked: warm and earthy. With its non-Western spices, warm fruit glazes, affectionate wait staff, mouth-watering breads, and intoxicating smells, this Tangerine was a feast for all of the senses.
I highly recommend the Pan-Seared Diver Scallops for appetizer, and the Roasted Leg of Lamb for dinner.
I give Tangerine * * * *
My third and favourite Starr restaurant: Morimoto (723 Chestnut Street, in Center City East). With "Iron Chef" Masaharu Morimoto in the kitchen, Morimoto had the most smooth & unbeatable cuisine I have ever savoured. This man puts the art in "culinary art."
For starters, we "appetized" the Calimary Tempura Salad (whose chilled lettuce/hot calimary combination made my spine tingle), then moved on to our two entrees: the 'Buri Bop' and the Seafood 'Toban Yaki.' First of all, the Toban Yaki (a dish with scallops, king crab legs, shrimp, & mussels) was in a 'Yuzu' butter that was the best thing I've tasted since my own mother's milk. It was as if I was born to taste that butter (I think there was cocaine in it), and upon eating it I completed my life's only purpose. Needless to say, all the seafood was perfectly cooked and prepared, and --in case the dish wasn't yet perfect enough-- it gave you the chance to get your hands a little dirty in an upscale restaurant. What more could a girl ask for?
Now the 'Buri Bop' was totally out of my league...in a good way. I can easily compare eating this dish to making out with a person you've had a crush on for 10 years: it's something you'll never stop talking about. It came in something called a "hot river stone bowl," which was just like it sounds. The server brought it to the table, the bowl just out of an oven, and proceeded to cook the king yellowtail with the side of the bowl as he vigourously stirred and chopped a combination of sticky rice, 1 egg (which cooked in the bowl as well), sesame plum sauce, very thin asian greens & seaweed, and then later the cooked fish. The final product contained tastes that I had never experienced before (do we see a theme here? - and I assure you, I am not an inexperienced consumer; I have tasted gourmet cooking from around the world), and was an absolute pleasure.
The only bad thing about the whole Morimoto experience was leaving the restaurant knowing that I can't eat there every night. It was most unforgetable.
I give Morimoto * * * * *
Stephen Starr is definitely on to something here, in case you haven't noticed. At all three of these places, I tasted spices, butters, sauces, & textures that I had never tasted before. I watched things that I was about to eat be prepared in a way I had never seen food be prepared. I The smells, the flavours, the spirit...this is what made the whole thing an "experience", not just a dinner.
So I would suggest letting it be an experience. Go with a bunch of friends on a night when you have a few hours to relax and be yourself. Don't do lunch there when you have to be back in the office at 1:00. Just take your time, absorb the scenery, become part of the atmosphere. And for goodness sake, people - make a reservation.
Remember: I still have ten more Starrs to go. Check back for more later.
I give Stephen Starr an overall rating of * * * * *
You can't miss this.
