Uzu Sushi

Uzu Sushi has been one of my favorite BYOs for some time. Even though it is located on Market Street in Old City, it is quietly tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the area restaurants, making it a convenient hidden gem. I frequent this restaurant, sometimes on a weekly basis, because since I discovered it, no other sushi place is able to satisfy me. From their sashimi to their creative rolls, everything is light, fresh, often spicy, and leaves me smiling. As you enter, the owner greets you with a warm smile as he shows you to your table. He is attentive, but never rushes you through your meal. As he presents you with your dish, his smile always widens with pride at his carefully constructed masterpieces. While the restaurant is tiny, it is a cozy haven where you can bring your favorite bottle of wine, and leisurely relax and enjoy a top notch meal.

When ordering, I generally skip the bound menu altogether and go straight for the paper strip that lists the sushi items available. To be honest I've really only had a few items from that menu (despite the countless times I've been there) because the sushi is really the star.


Here we tried (clockwise from top) the Spicy Scallop, Rainbow, and Devil's Delight rolls. The Spicy Scallop is one of my husband's favorites. The scallop is sweet, and the spicy sauce is a careful balance of creaminess and spiciness that highlight the scallop. The Devil's Delight is one of my favorites. The meaty sweetness of the tuna, the spicy jalepeno, combined with the tempura crunchies give you spice, sweet, and crunch all in one delicous bite.

On the left we have the Fireman Special (top) and the Raising Arizona (bottom). Similar to the Devil's Delight, the Fireman Special combines tuna and crunchies on the inside with more tuna on the outside and spicy sauce. The Raising Arizona has yellowtail, masago, scallion, and jalepeno on the inside with spicy sauce. The light, firm yellowtail with the bursting beads of the masago and the fresh spice of the jalepeno are a perfect combination.

I saved the best for last-just looking at this makes my mouth water! Pictured here are the Toro, medium fatty tuna (top left), Hamachi or yellowtail (bottom left), and the Spicy Scallop (center line). The Toro is a luxuriously rich and meaty piece of tuna that is worth the splurge. The yellowtail is a more lightly flavored, tender yet firm fish. Finally, our favorite of all rolls/sushi is the Spicy Scallop sushi. Mouthfuls of melt-in-your-mouth sweet scallop tossed with masago, that dances around your tongue and pops at just the right moments, are bathed in the creamy and spicy sauce, and presented on top of a bed of lightly vinegared sticky rice and surrounded by the seaweed wrapper that somehow manages to delicately secure everything on the trip to your mouth. This is what you MUST have when you go here. This is also what will keep you coming back.

There are items on the menu, like the Spicy Scallop sushi that are outstanding and deserve an A+. Most items fall into the A category with very few, mainly because they are the more common rolls, that I would give a lower rating. Rolls range from $5-$15 with most hovering around $9. The Sashimi will cost you around $6/2 pieces. While its not the cheapest sushi you can find (do you really want to eat the cheapest sushi you can find?) it is still a bargain for the quality. Every experience here has been pleasant. In fact, this is my go-to restaurant for out-of-town sushi-friendly guests and every single one of them has left happy. My guess is, you will too.

Overall: A

Uzu Sushi

104 Market Streeet

Philadelphia, PA 19106

215-923-9290

www.uzuphilly.com

Vietnam

Vietnamese food is something that I've only been introduced to in the past couple of years. Since my knowledge of this cuisine consists mainly of its signature dish, Pho, I am always looking for opportunities to try new dishes. In these short few years, I have grown to love this 'brand' of Asian food. The dishes are light and fresh-full of bright ingredients like cilantro, hot chilies, lemongrass, and vinegar. Flavors of sweet, spicy, tangy, and mild are well balanced giving each element its own recognition but all working together harmoniously. My first chef was Vietnamese, and through his cooking and stories about Vietnam's culture and food, I have to admit that I am partial to this region.

Vietnam, is a 'classy-joint' for Chinatown. You'll know what I mean when you set one foot in the door. All the surfaces are covered in well-polished wood, the waitstaff is helpful and pleasant for the most part, and there are no ducks hanging in the window. To be honest, I don't really care about any of those things in a Chinatown restaurant. Instead, their presence, or the lack thereof, is sometimes what give a place its charm. However, I am not naive enough to think that these luxuries do not make an impression on other diners. One glance inside and you'll notice that the tables are mostly filled with (gasp!) Caucasians. I know it seems wrong to point out, but you know the old saying that if you find a restaurant filled with the people of that culture than it must be a good, or at least authentic, place.


I ordered the scorpion cocktail which was made with rum, brandy, and fruit juice. The tiki-style glass it came in was cute, right along with the paper umbrella. I know it was cheesy but I had to do it. The cocktail was a pretty generous size for the $7 price tag and I didn't need to order another drink with my meal. It was a little too sweet for my taste but there was an acceptable alcohol:filler ratio. B-. I did have to laugh at my husband though who also ordered one.

I've tried other dishes here before, but so far my favorite is really the broken rice dishes. Today I decided upon the Com Tam Thit Nuong (Pork Broken Rice) to which I added a crispy spring roll. When I crave rice, this is what I want (yes, sometimes I crave rice). The pork is thinly sliced and grilled. The flavor from the grill is just enough to enhance the flavor of the pork without overpowering it. The rice is a nice balance of sticky and fluffy. Pickled vegetables and a spicy chili sauce are served on the side-although I could always use more chili sauce. The dish is also served with a Nuoc Mam sauce which is a thin dressing with a light vinegar flavor. I like to dip the pork in it and drizzle it on the rice. It gives everything a sort of fresh and tangy flavor-kind of like a Vietnamese ketchup. Now lets talk about the spring roll. I know I said that this is what I crave when I want rice, but in reality, deep down, what I really want, and what is always my ulterior motive for coming here is the crispy spring roll. It is filled with ground pork, seasoned with Vietnamese spices, and rolled in a thick-enough-to-give-it-bite-but-not-too-thick-to-be-chewy wrapper and lightly fried. It comes out with a kind of blistered skin that gives the wrapper another dimension of crispy. This is the kind of thing I have to plan how I eat it, one bite to begin then one halfway, then one saved for my last bite. The dish as a whole gets a B+ but the spring roll deserves its own rating-A.


My husband ordered the Com Tam Dac Biet (House Special Broken Rice) which comes with grilled chicken, pork, and beef, and a slice of a kind of crab meat, egg, noodle loaf. Each item is grilled well, however he did fess-up halfway though the dish that he realizes why I ordered only the pork-its the best! Despite all my urging that he should add a crispy spring roll, he did not want to splurge the extra $2. B.

After my first visit to Vietnam, I do crave it and return. I wake up in the middle of the night grasping blindly in the darkness and whispering, "Crispy Spring Roll!" It is a nice restaurant with many options. Everything I have tried there so far has been decent at the least. Most dishes range from $8-$13 so it always an affordable option. While I cannot vouch for the authenticity of the place, I can say with confidence that you're friends who are either picky or afraid to try new things (why are you friends with them anyway?) will be able to say they like Vietnamese Food after a visit.

Overall: B

Vietnam

221 N. 11th Street

Philadelphia, PA 19107

http://www.eatatvietnam.com/

Mercato

My husband had bought tickets for us to see Seinfeld at the Academy of Music. I saw this as the perfect opportunity (or excuse) to try a new restaurant before the show. I mean who ever heard of a show without dinner, right? As I began looking for something near Avenue of the Arts, I realized that I never tried Mercato. I guess that with all of the new cuisines from around the world that are available, Italian-inspired doesn't really interest me anymore. I figured it was time to try this place, since people do seem to love it, so we made our decision and our game plan for the night was finalized.

We were the first diners to arrive at the restaurant (OK, so 5pm is a little early to eat on a Friday) which meant we had the luxury of picking from the many seats carefully arranged in the small space. We chose one near the completely open, or really missing, window/front wall. The decor was simple and comfortable. The open kitchen greeted us towards the back, a nice setup. It was a pleasant cool evening. The sun was shining in at just the right angle to give the restaurant a kind of angelic glow. Our wine was opened and poured, glistening in the glass. I was happy. We were served a dense slice of warm bread with a delicious olive-garlic butter. It was a nice beginning to the meal.

We started with a charcuterie/cheese plate which we were able to construct ourselves. I really liked that we could pick our quantity of and specific elements for this plate to ensure we got what we liked. We opted for the spicy chorizo with two of our favorite cheeses, the grassy and buttery Pierre Robert and Caciotta al Tartufo a harder cheese with the decadent flavor of black truffles. The three items were $15. Not bad, considering the portions of each were pretty generous. Bread was not served with the plate, but the server was quick to offer us more as soon as we had finished our initial slices. The cheeses were served with a pomegranate jelly which was sweet, thick, and crunchy. The house-made mustard was excellent. While I didn't care for it with the chorizo, I did eat it on its own. It wasn't too tangy but had a mellow mustard flavor with pieces of what I thought were mashed apples. It was like a mustard flavored apple sauce. All in all a nice plate with well done accompaniments. B.

For my entree I decided to try the Pasta of the Day which consisted of house made fettuccine, mussels, shrimp, cherry tomatoes and spinach. The plate was nicely presented with a big piece of crusty bread on top to sop up all of the drippings. As I dug into the pasta, I found it had become one big clump of mush. It had turned into an overcooked solid mass that I had to carefully pry noodles from without splashing myself with the red sauce-I was not very successful and my dress became speckled with red dots. The shrimp were incredibly tiny like you would find in a deli shrimp salad (I've had nicer shrimp for Chinese take-out). Both the mussels and the shrimp were overcooked and dry. To top it all of the dish was incredibly spicy. I do love heat, but I wasn't expecting it here. Beads of sweat began forming on my forehead and the previously angelic sun now seemed to beat down upon me mocking me for thinking everything was off to a good start. I couldn't eat the dish and was glad I had filled up on the cheese and chorizo. C.

My husband had better luck with the Pan seared Diver Scallops. Aside from a slightly burnt parmesan tuile, everything was nicely done here. The scallops were seared nicely, perfectly cooked and sweet. The wild mushroom risotto with peas was creamy and rich. I have always been a sucker for the explosion of peas in your mouth in a perfectly rich, slightly al dente, and creamy risotto. My only citicism would be that it had a touch too much parmesan in the risotto. The dish was beautiful. At least he had an edible dish that didn't attack him when he tried to eat it. B.

We ordered two cappuccinos and a selection of gelatos to finish the meal. Sugar cubes made from raw sugar were presented with the cappuccino's which I thought was really cute. The cappuccino itself was not the best, the foam lacked the indulgent thick and creamy texture that I love. As the server brought the gelatos, he quickly turned and left without telling us the flavors, and then seemed to disappear so we were on our own to discover them for ourselves.

The meal had a nice beginning, the atmosphere was pleasant and quiet when we arrived (but much more lively and crowded by the time we left). But after the pasta of the day, I was turned off and disappointed. My husband's meal was better, but for around $25 an entree, I expect all the kinks to be worked out. Especially at a place with this much interest. I can see the appeal of the open windows, the BYO atmosphere, sidewalk dining, and lively scene, but I think people get too caught up in this alone. If the food doesn't leave me anxious to go back again and again, then I think the restaurant has missed the mark. In my opinion, a little fine tuning is needed here.

Overall: B-

Mercato

1216 Spruce St.

Philadelphia, PA 19107

215-985-2962

www.mercatobyob.com

Vino

This was my first trip to the Piazza at Schmidt's since it opened about a month ago. After hearing the buzz about the restaurants there, I figured it was about time for me to check things out for myself. I was also interested to see what sort of impact this Italian-style piazza would have on Philadelphia. My husband and I took a taxi to Northern Liberties, and due to a slight miscommunication with our cab driver, we ended up walking a couple of blocks to our final destination. I am not very familiar with the scene in NoLibs, but I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Our arrival at the Piazza was announced loudly by the purple banners hanging from the lamp posts (if only there were trumpets and someone to announce our names as we entered). We caught a glimpse of the edgy-cute-artsy boutiques framing the square. As we entered the Piazza I was surprised at how large it was. Tables dotted the edges of the space and a giant screen showing the Phillies game stared at us from one end. It was still early for this Friday night, so I was not surprised at the lack of attendance in this huge space.

Vino is situated near one of the far points of the square. It has a large area for outdoor seating with options on the main Piazza and overlooking the 'older' restaurants on the other side of 2nd street. It was a cool and pleasant evening, so we decided to sit at a table outside. The host showed us to a table so distant from the restaurant I felt kind of excluded from the main vibe of the place. Don't get me wrong, such an abundance of space between tables is quite a luxury, but I don't want to feel like I'm stranded in the middle of the Piazza with only my glass of wine to sustain me.

Our nervous server greeted us. We mustered up smiles as he struggled to remember all of the specials. The fact that he was trying so hard to do everything right was adorable and won us over despite his shortcomings. The menu consisted of Italian-based fare served tapas-style with most dishes around $10. There was also a wide selection of wines by the glass to choose from.

Our first item was the Chianti Pizza (which came out as a wrong order the first time around). The crust of the pizza was thin and crispy-exactly what I expect of a brick oven pizza. Unfortunately, while the pizza tasted fine, It was really missing the distinct Chianti flavor that was advertised. In fact, I didn't see the Chianti balsamic reduction anywhere on the pizza. The salty Parmigiano Reggiano, prosciutto, and peppery arugula were all present and worked well in the pizza, but were overshadowed by the largely diced red onion sprinkled on top. I think the dish would have been slightly elevated had the reduction actually made an appearance. C+.

Next, we had the figs with blue cheese that were wrapped in prosciutto. It was served with arugula and a balsamic reduction. I actually couldn't taste much of the blue cheese-which is odd since I would have expected it to jump out a bit more. The sweet figs with their crunchy seeds were also overwhelmed by the charred prosciutto which seemed to suffocate the other elements rather than complement them. This classic combination is usually one that seems fool proof, but didn't seem to work here. The reduction was too sparse and thick to really add anything to the dish. C.

We also tried the cheese plate (the picture is after we began attacking it). This was by far the best dish, but since they only had to slice cheese to make it, I'm not sure how much credit they deserve. It was served with a rustic crusty bread that was sprinkled with salt and went well with the cheeses. The most unsettling thing about this dish was that neither the food runner nor the server seemed to know exactly which cheese was which. They each gave us conflicting stories. They agreed upon the Maytag blue and the the truffle asiago, however those were of course the most obvious. They just guessed as to which one was the cambra and the taleggio.B.

All in all Vino fell short of being the great wine bar that the name suggests. The food is fine, but by the time you receive the bill, you are left wondering what you ate that could cost that much. I for one know that I could spend $60 on a much better meal. However, I guess that's the price to pay for a nice evening sipping wine and watching the passersby in the Piazza.


Overall: C
Vino
1001 N. 2nd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123
215-923-2014