After a long day in Philadelphia, we were very exc...

After a long day in Philadelphia, we were very excited to end with a meal at Morimoto. It very nearly met our (admittedly high) expectations, but missed on a few notes.

I will start off by saying that the service was excellent, and the pacing of courses was spot on. But, we have a minor gripe in this regard: when making our reservation and asking about the tasting menus, we wanted to make sure it was realistic to finish the 8-course meal in two hours. We had one more thing to do in the city after our dinner, so asked three separate times if this schedule was realistic, and were repeatedly promised it was. Of course, it took 2.5 hours and we had to rush out, leaving a bit of dessert on the plate. We understand that there's a structure to tasting menus like this, but more transparency up front would have helped us plan properly.

With regards to the meal itself, we ordered one of the traditional tasting menu, and one of the seasonal, sharing each course between the two of us. Really wonderful variety! I had what I believe to be the best pieces of fish I've ever had, anywhere (one of note was a cut from near the collarbone of a fish if I recall... But all filled the mouth with wonderfully smooth, clean, flavor). There were also amazing fruits and other items bursting with flavor that closed out each course - remarkable and unique food.

I also got the flight of Morimoto beers (made just for the restaurant by a brewery in Portland, OR?), and these were among the most flavorful, complex, well-balanced beers I could imagine. With a quick sniff, the beers could pair with the different courses, complimenting and not overwhelming them at all. Excellent beers!

All things considered, nearly every bite and every sip was delightful throughout the full experience.

However, two parts of the meal stood out for their deficiencies.

In the middle of the tasting menus, a "palate cleanser" of sorts - a citrus/ice dish - was brought out. It was so bright, so intense, and so lasting that the following course for both of us was ruined until the flavor finally dissipated. We could only enjoy the last few bites of the following course... Which was really great once we could taste it! But it informed the flavor in a bad way for far too long. We both said after the meal that the course imediately following the palate cleanser was our least favorite.

The other negative came as a shock: for all of the great things to say about the fish, the rice was, oddly enough, just plainly bad. We couldn't believe that the rice would be crunchy and actually unpleasant in a restaurant of this quality. I don't know if I'm used to "fake" sushi rice and the "real" stuff is meant to be like this... Maybe, but I would be surprised.

I don't think you'll regret going to Morimoto, even with the high price tag. It's a treat! And the interior design is great too. Really an aesthetic experience as well, as each dish was plated beautifully.