First of all, normally we could not afford to eat at Morimoto – we were lucky enough to get a gift certificate from Picky's sister and brother-in-law. We didn't know exactly what to expect from a hybrid of minimalist neo-Japanese cuisine and Steven Starr's traditionally over-the-top style. We walked through the opaque lime green doors under the curved white entranceway facade and were greeted by a hostess behind the reservation booth. We arrived a few minutes early but our table was ready right away. (This was both good and bad, as it prevented us from experiencing the upstairs bar). The night we were there happened to be the opening night of Morimoto NYC, which may have been why Morimoto Philadelphia wasn't too crowded. It also meant that the Iron Chef himself, sadly, was not in attendance. We were lead past a large black sculpture reminiscent of a Bang & Olufsen speaker. The entrance opened up into the dining area with an ostentatious minimalist décor. The walls were stark white, but their sculpted curves gently jutted into the cavernous space. The undulating ceiling was made of bamboo. The booths were all linked up to a lighting system whose lights simultaneously changed from reds to purples to blues to greens. No matter how long Messy stared at them, they always seemed to change as soon as she looked away.

As we were seated against the right hand wall at a table for two, we immediately noticed the immobile phallic plastic candlelight. It didn't get in our way too much during the meal, but it was kind of obtrusive when we attempted to share food. The seats could not be moved forward or backwards, but they were comfy.

Messy started off with an $11 glass of Choya plum wine. (Messy is not sure if she has ever even had an $11 bottle of wine). It was the best glass of wine she has ever had, but Messy doesn't know anything about wine. For an appetizer, Messy ordered a delicious warm mushroom salad which came in four portions dusted with different curry powders. She was instructed to use the bundle of endive leaves to scoop up the chopped mushrooms. (We weren't used to two servers coming out to tell us "The chef recommends that you eat this like this. . .") Picky started off his meal with a lobster salad with warm soy croutons, red romaine lettuce and hard boiled quail eggs (which Messy found reminiscent of pigeon eggs). Morimoto didn't skimp on the lobster, it was a heaping portion.

For the main course, Messy decided to order a bunch of appetizers since they didn't have any vegetarian entrees on the menu. Our server offered to prepare a special vegetarian dish, but Messy felt it would be more cost-effective to try a couple of appetizers. In retrospect, this was a mistake. Morimoto's appetizers are clearly meant for sharing: the portions too large for one person. Messy ordered up the Morimoto tempura, which came with gorgonzola cheese sauce (two of the pieces were not vegetarian — Picky ate those). The tempura was delicious, but way too heavy for one person. She also ordered up cha-soba noodles, which were pretty basic — yet very tasty — noodles.

Picky went with an order of spicy tuna maki and lobster epice. The spicy tuna is easily envisioned, but it must be noted that it was the first 'raw fish' sushi that Picky had ever ordered up. It was delicious. It came out on a wooden slab — we noticed that all of their sushi came out on long wooden slabs depending on how large the order was. But the lobster epice, wow. It looked to be about a .5lbs lobster split lenghtwise and baked with eight hot spices. Served not with a wedge of lemon and melted butter, but with a crock of crème fraise with a little citrus juice. It was the single best entree Picky had ever had; it was heavenly.

For dessert, we splurged (in addition to the previous two courses of splurging) and ordered up two desserts, a chocolate tart and wasabi tiramisu. The chocolate tart came out with these weird liquored raspberries. The tart was served with a large thin wafer. We ate it up quickly. The wasabi tiramisu had a very subtle wasabi flavor which wasn't overpowering, but was still a little too weird for us to order again. Both of the desserts were good, but neither was spectacular.

And one more note: the bathrooms. Walking into them, you are greeted by a trough style sink with water coming out and flowing downstream into the far wall. There is a wall of bamboo stalls which look seamless. The oddest thing in the bathrooms was this hole in the wall with a bed of rounded black stones. It said "DRY" above the cut out and it seemed as if it was concealing a sensor-driven hot air hand dryer. Both of us stood in our respective bathrooms waving our hands like fools, but . . . no dice. Anyone been to Morimoto who knows what the purpose of those cutouts are for?

Messy ****
Picky *****

The final word: Worth every penny.

Morimoto
723 Chestnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19106
215-413-9070
Lunch: Mon – Fri: 11.30am – 2pm
Dinner: Mon – Thu: 5pm – 11pm, Fri – Sat: 5pm – Midnight, Sun: 4pm – 10pm

We went here for a prix fixe Valentine's Day dinner with three courses and complimentary bubbly (a great deal at a total of $80/couple). Since we didn't go on a normal night, we can't comment on the regular menu items, but we can tell you what we had!

We started off with a "Kiss Martini"– a heavenly concoction of Godiva white chocolate liqueur, vodka and a Hershey's kiss. (Hey, it was Valentine's day!) Messy had a standard salad that was not especially good, although it was extraordinarily large. [Sidebar: Messy will never understand why restaurants insist on serving huge, uninspired salads. It's not like they make good leftovers.] Messy's main course was vegetable risotto– also very large but unfortunately, tasteless. Picky, on the other hand, started off with a wonderful lobster soup. (Not a bisque, don't call it a bisque! There is no cream added, it's just reduced.) The best part of the soup is the homemade sweet potato crisps lying right in it. Picky's entree was a delectable filet mignon with a Hawaiian coffee glaze. All this was washed down with a complimentary bottle of merlot (Picky has connections!)

We finished it off with a pretty tasty dessert sampler and two glasses of bubbly which neither of us finished – we're not big fans of the bubbly, but that's just us.

Messy **1/2
Picky ***1/2

The final word: A much better bang for your buck if you're a meat eater.

World Fusion
123 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 215-629-1100
Tuesday through Thursday: 5 PM to 10 PM / Bar Menu 5 PM to 11 PM
Friday and Saturday: 5 PM to 12 AM / Bar Menu 5 PM to 1 AM
Sunday: 5 PM to 9 PM / Bar Menu 5 PM to 10 PM Closed on Monday
Lounge Hours – Tuesday through Sunday: 10 PM to 2 AM
Bottle Service Available

This was the best restaurant meal either of us could remember having, from start to finish. The atmosphere is cozy, not super schmancy, and the price-to-value ratio is outstanding. From the second we tasted the bread with the basil and garlic-infused olive oil, we knew we had come to the right place.

We started off with the vegetarian tapas ($12) and were overwhelmed with a platter filled with cheese, bruschetta, white beans with pesto, olives, cucumbers, carrots, goat cheese crustini, roasted red peppers, and more. The only part of our meal that wasn't fabulous were these weird pickly things, but they weren't bad either, just weird. By this time, Messy was already full and was not expecting much from her vegetarian-ized version of the pasta of the day. She was ecstatic to find out her ravioli with a million fresh vegetables was damn near the best thing she'd ever had. Picky went for a parmesan-encrusted rack of lamb on a bed of beans and sausages, and pronounced it oustanding as well.

For dessert, we shared the chocolate pot de creme with almond gelato, which was also incredible. Messy had her own individual French press of coffee and it was so good that Picky, an avowed hater of hot coffee, was able to enjoy it as well. All this, plus a glass of sangria, and our total tab was still in double digits. If you can afford it (and we can't, really), go there. Immediately. It won't let you down.

**UPDATE: We've had a couple more excellent meals at Valanni (try the grilled romaine salad with chipotle dressing — yum!). However, even though the food is consistently good, Messy has had to lower her rating by half a star due to the lack of vegetarian choices on the menu. On each visit, Messy has ordered a vegetarianized version of the pasta of the day. The last time, it definitely tasted like fish sauce. The big vegetarian tapas dish we ordered on our first visit is, sadly, no longer on the menu. However, Valanni still remains our favorite fancy (but not too fancy) dinner place in all of Philly. [September 17, 2006]

Messy ****1/2
Picky *****

The final word: The best meal we've had in Philly!

Valanni
1229 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA
215-790-9494
Hours: Sun. brunch: 11:00am – 3:30pm, dinner: 5:00pm – 10:00pm, lounge: 10:00pm – 1:00am
Mon.-Thurs. dinner: 5:00pm – 10:30pm, lounge: 10:30pm – 1:00am
Fri. & Sat. dinner: 5:00pm – 11:00pm, lounge: 11:00pm – 1:00am (Bar is open until 2am)