I think I just died and went to sushi heaven. Was the thought that entered my head when I took my seat at the sushi bar at Morimoto last night. I had to wiki Morimoto to determine the establishment date for this restaurant - 2001. I can not believe it's been around for 10 years. It feels like just yesterday that I watched the Food Network special featuring the challanges Starr and Morimoto faced when designing and openning this sushi mecca in Philadelphia.
Sitting at the bar facing the small sushi station made the restaurant feel intimate. Or maybe it was the company. My dining companion knew the staff well and that (maybe) made all the difference. We were treated not like regular dinner guests but like family. It was great to see Yoshi (our sushi chef for the night) in action carefully selecting the fish and prepping and cutting with precision. The selection of fish for our nigiri, maki and sashimi was varied and unique. It wasn't the usual trio of salmon, tuna and yellowtail that is usually served at ho hum sushi joints around this city. Instead we had abalone, rockfish, fluke, sockeye salmon and a number of other fishes that I cannot even recall. Every piece had it's own distinct flavor and was as fresh as possible.
We were also given an amuse bouche that I greedily gobbled up (it consisted of a slice of whitefish with micro greens and an orange based vinaigrette), there was an oyster course that included beautiful and sweet kumamoto oysters, a whitefish dish with hot oil and soy, a scallop dish with similar preparation and a dish from the hot kitchen of striped bass (i think) and tomatoes. Overall, it was one of the best sushi dinners that I've ever had. I would rank it above the omakase meal I've had at Morimotos a few years back and I'd say my omakase sushi dinner at Jewelbako in NYC would be the only other sushi meal that even comes close.
Since Morimoto opened in Philadelphia, it elevated the sushi offerings in Philadelphia tremendously. Over the last 10 years there has been a virtual explosion of sushi restaurants all over the city and surrounding suburbs..(often run by ex sushi chefs from Morimotos). Coming back here again, 10 years after my first exposure to the greatness that is Morimotos, I was afraid that the meal would not live up to expectations. But instead the meal far exceeded my expectations and I could truly see how this one little restaurant in Philadelphia helped inspire the entire genre of nouveau japanese cuisine and helped to solidify Morimotos reputation as an innovative and great chef.
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