Phildelphia, Pennsylvania -- May 2003: Day 1

Pennsylvania was an easy choice -- my in-laws had lived there for four years and we had never visited!  Our goal was to travel from one end of Pennsylvania to the other -- Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.  We would stay a couple days in each city, stopping along the way to visit the in-laws and take in Amish Country (I mean Pennsylvania Dutch Country). We took the train this time because though Boston to Philadelphia would only be around six hours by car, but Pittsburgh to Boston was going to be a major hassle and it would be better to relax, at least.  The train to Philly brought us in to 30th and Market.  We then took a cab to our hotel in Rittenhouse Square.  We were staying at The Latham Hotel, which was nicer than we were used to, but not as expensive as somewhere like New York.  When we arrived, it was too late to go anywhere, so I enjoyed a nice bath and got ready for dinner at Morimoto.

We were really excited about dinner at Morimoto.  We loved Nobu, where Chef Morimoto used to work, and we were also HUGE Iron Chef fans.  So, we took a cab to a neighborhood that seemed to teem with jewelry stores; buried in between was this small, unassuming restaurant.  Inside, however, was paradise: flowing hardwood ceilings, pulsing neon video screens.  It was natural bamboo and day-glo colors all together.  If the food was anything like the decor, we knew we were in for something truly different.

After we were seated at a Lucite table, we decided to go with the Omakase (chef's choice) menu as it is really the only way to fly when your a) eating the food of a celebrity chef b) eating food you've never tried before.  If we learned anything from Nobu, it made things easier and yummier.   After a sake-tini, we enjoyed Toro Tartare -- fatty tuna, diced (like little rubies), with wasabi and caviar.  Always a classic.  Next was whitefish capaccio -- silvery slivers of fish in hot oil.  My favorite (and very similar to what we had a Nobu) was the rock shrimp tempura.  It was melt-in-your mouth delicious.  Miso soup and sashimi salad was next (slices of raw tuna on greens).  A palate cleansing wasabi sorbet with a wasabi beignet (doughnut) rocked my world, straight out of Iron Chef.  It was mild and refreshing, not nose-clearing spicy.  The main course was a piece of black cod with miso sauce, sweet and mild.  The next course I did not care for -- foie gras with pickled peppers (I do not melt over foie gras as The Hubby does -- too meaty for me). It was too rich and greasy in my opinion.  After that, we were back to basic yet classic sushi.  Last was dessert.  It was all so good.  And, though very similar to Nobu's menu, this dinner had a little more edge on it.

During the meal, Chef Morimoto himself came by to see how we were and graciously agreed to a picture.  For me, it was like meeting Elvis.  He was so nice, he definitely belongs in the Cold Sake Hall of Fame!

After dinner, we took a taxi to Tank Bar on 21st Street.  It seemed to be rather, um, heavy on the gentlemen, but the upstairs was quiet and romantic.  We had cocktails and then took a cab back to the hotel.