Spatocks

Food Quality: Fantastic Sushi with a more exotic selection than most establishments. Finding O-Toro (Fatty Tuna) is never a problem here. The appetizers are great, but are not worth the month. As with any city-restaurant, appetizers empty the wallet before you fill your stomach.

Food Presentation: Pod’s presentation stood out for many of it’s appetizer dishes. The Kobe Beef seared on river stones was absolutely beautiful, as was the Lobster Spring Roll Dish. As for the sushi… each piece was uniformly cut and well arranged.

Service: Service is definitely Pod’s strength. Each waiter is knowledgeable of the food and the ones I’ve had in the past were quite courteous. Furthermore, they even clean your table and provide new silver wear between each meal.

Atmosphere: Absolutely one of the coolest places to be in Philadelphia on a Friday night. Due to it’s close proximity to Upenn, the crowd is quite young and the bar area is always hopping. Finally, the Pod design is extremely chic and modern. Check it out on the website!

Overall Impression: Definitely a stimulating experience. The food was quite above average and the service and atmosphere is what really made the restaurant a place worth visiting several times. If you just want great sushi , Pod isn’t a bad place to start… however, combined with its cool ambient feel, Pod definitely ranks in the top 5 of Asian restaurants in Philly.

Visited: 3 times

Price: 30-50 per person

Food Quality: Food was delicious but nothing landmark to justify the high prices. Portions weren’t bad considering the upscale nature of the establishment.

Food Presentation: Presentation was moderately pleasing. Nothing to call home about.

Service: Service was rapid and accompanying. However, I found the waiter to be a bit arrogant at times.

Atmosphere: Super-Trendy New York Hot Spot. This is where New York’s social upper-crust go to eat. Definitely a people watching place. I hear it’s common to find celebrities cruising around the bar area.

Overall Impression: Very cool place to go with friends, however the prices weren’t justified given the quality and presentation of the food. I imagine this place would be more fun if one went simply for the bar experience.

Visited: 1 time

Price: 50-60

Food Quality: Without a doubt, the best sushi in New Jersey… and most likely, in the Tri-State area. Fish is fresh and many times imported from Tokyo. The rice is always perfectly seasoned, and the cooked dishes are traditional in every sense.

Food Presentation: Sagami doesn’t need to go all out on presentation given that the meal laid before you is probably the best Japanese food experience you’ll have in quite some time. In spite of this, the Sushi chefs have a very pleasant way of arranging and presenting sushi dishes, especially the Chirashi Sushi dish.

Service: The place is always packed and bustling. I recommend bringing some good friends and a bottle of wine (BYOB) to spend the time talking. Food comes out slowly at times, but its always worth the wait.

Atmosphere: Traditional Japanese. I’ve been to several traditional restaurants in Tokyo and Nagano and have found this restaurant to be accurate to almost every detail… even the low ceilings :)

Overall Impression: After having eaten at nearly 100 sushi restaurants in American, Sagami is without a doubt the best traditional Japanese you’ll find anywhere in the States.

Visited: 20+

Price: 30

Food Quality: Ingredients were of high quality and tasted quite well. I did order an appetizer which was a bit overcooked on the bottom causing some excessive browning. Overall, the food was delicious and well choreographed.

Food Presentation: Nothing Astounding… as they serve Italian food. However, the dishes and table decor was quite extravagant.

Service: Definitely this restaurants strongest point. The staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and interested in conversation with the table. They even offered us a free tasting of a special Italian drink made from grape vines and roots after a harvest.

Atmosphere: Classy. Very classy. It’s a nice place to go with a large party of folks. The bar also looks like and I plan to head back for a couple drinks with friends.

Overall Impression: An extremely elegant restaurant with delicious food and inviting atmosphere. La Fontana would make a fantastic choice for a dinner party or to take important clients.

Visited: 1 time

Price: 30-40 per person

Food Quality: Absolutely top of the line food. Chef Morimoto does a fantastic job fusing traditional and modern Japanese cuisine while at the same time likening it to the foreign palate. This is not to say he can’t stand his ground with a traditional japanese chef. The sushi is absolutely top rate. Tuna and Yellowtail are particularly good. Also, Morimoto restaurant is only one of three restaurants that can make the sushi rice perfectly seasoned. Try it!

Food Presentation: Astounding. You get what you’re paying for in terms of taste and style.

Service: Service was a bit slower than many restaurants… but I didn’t mind hanging around since I was shelling out nearly 80 dollars for a meal. Waiters are incredibly knowledgeable yet seemed a bit pretentious at times. Finally, if you’re lucky, you can meet Morimoto. He walks around the restaurant on occasion! I haven’t washed my hand since.

Atmosphere: Another ultra-chic restaurant in philly… no surprise though as it is a Steven Starr restaurant… he tends to go all out. Check it out on the website.

Overall Impression: Definitely worth at least one trip. The restaurant is similar to some of the upscale dining I’ve seen in Tokyo and does a great job at presenting new unique culinary works of art.

Visited: 2 times

Price: 40-80 per person