stregapez's Profile
Which restaurant would you choose?
Like others have said, most Stephen Starr restaurants are overrated. I do not recommend Buddhakan; the service was seriously lacking, the food wasn't memorable, and the Buddha that adorns the middle of the restaurant has a shrunken head. My boyfriend and I found the tiny Buddha head distracting and distasteful. I am a picky eater when it comes to Asian food, because I've lived in Asia and traveled quite a bit. When I ordered green tea, they gave it to me in an English tea cup, which seems like giving the customer a beautiful plate of sushi and asking them to eat it with a fork. Maybe I'm just a purist.
That being said, Stephen Starr has ONE restaurant that he's done right: Morimoto. I actually worked there for a day as a pastry chef, but didn't get along with the new head chef. That didn't turn me off from returning to the restaurant, I was able to see its inner workings, cleanliness, preparation, etc., and it was very impressive. The fresh wasabi is grated on real sharkskin, all the pastries are made in house, the sushi chefs properly sharpen their knives on whetstones before each meal, they have imported sushi chefs (I think this makes a difference!), the list goes on and on, and we haven't even got to the food!
If you do choose Morimoto, definitely choose the omakase platter-- it's definitely worth the money. If you go for lunch, you can get the same omakase for much cheaper... i believe I chose the $60 lunch, but one could get a $50 or $70 platter. The ingredients were fresh and authentic Japanese, the portions were large enough to fill one at the end of the entire meal, in my opinion, and everything was delicious from the tuna tartar, to the sushi, to the chicken tempura. Really, I had no complaints; the food *was* Japanese but had a sweet little twist that made each dish unique. Also, the wait staff was extremely knowledgeable about the food and were attentive. The hostesses were a little scary and unfriendly, but that's usually how it goes. You can't go wrong with Morimoto! go go go!
Most authentic japanese in Philly (not sushi!)
Kaizan looks great! Thanks for posting that. I like sushi, but have been frustrated that all the Japanese food in this country is usually just sushi. I'm *still* trying to find a place that serves traditional shabu-shabu. Now, I just need to find someone to take me to Kaizan :)
