01/19/09

Hit-or-miss

by FoodandBeerSnob

I have been to Morimoto three times. The first two times I was with my parents and had two excellent meals, including the tasting menu. However, my third trip to Morimoto was with my friend. The waiter all but ignored us for the entire meal, probably because we both look about 25. Instead our waiter lavished all of his attention on a table who was spending more money on Pellegrino water, cocktails, and multiple appetizers. We had only ordered two appetizers and two entrees, which apparently is not enough to warrant any attention. We went for 10 minutes without water, and when our meal was delivered my friend had no fork with which to eat her meal! Our waiter was so inattentive that we had to flag him down to get a utensil. He did not ask how us how our meal was until after we had finished eating. I had ordered the ishi yaki bop rice dish with king yellowtail and, although it was tasty the first time I?d had it, it was dry this time. Overall this place is hit-or-miss, depending on your company (and how much the waiter thinks you will spend and tip). Although I had two good meals, I will not be returning.

• Pros: ambience, fun drinks
• Cons: service

10/21/08

Mixed

by gripdxd

I don't eat Sushi, but my boyfriend does and loves the Iron Chef. It's definitely overpriced in some regard. My boyfriend ordered the "Chef's Choice" he loved every single dish, but left there hungry and starving (that stinks when you spend over $100+ for your meal). We had to get room service late night in our hotel (a cheesesteak). I had some mixed fizzy drink, which was very good! The waiter was strange, very theatrical and knowledgeable but served us well. We had a 6P reservation and the place was initially empty, but filled up rather quickly. Don't go this place hungry, you will leave still hungry. I had the steak and it was okay, nothing great, but I didn't expect it to be great, since it's a sushi place. Just have realistic expectatons when you go, oh and the lighting fixtures on the tables look falic.

• Pros: Sushi
• Cons: Price & Portions

09/30/08

Not Worth The Trip

by NotMorimotoFan

On 09/29/2008 we drove from Baltimore to Philadelphia for a 5:30pm reservation on a Monday night. Upon arrival we were the only people there except the staff. We were seated and started out with a Morimoto Soba Ale and a non-alcoholic pineapple cocktail. We decided on three $120.00 Omakase and $85.00/$65.00 drink paring. We recieved a complimentary dish(About the size of a quarter) with a tiny peice of lobster and sauce, which was very tasty.

The first course was tuna tartar with caviar/scallions which was very tasty with a glass of wine.

The second course was three oysters with jalapeno/lime which were very good with glass of Sake.

The third course was red snapper with a citrus type sauce with a glass of wine.

The fourth course was yellowtail with sea urchin/grasses/sauce with a glass of Sake.

The fifth course was a half lobster(eight spice) containing about four bites of lobster with a glass of wine.

The sixth course was Kobe beef(Unk what part) that was just plain bland with glass of red wine.

The dessert was some type of cake with some drops of glaze, trully forgettable.

Overall for the cost it was certainly not worth the trip from out of town or the $120.00 per person cost for the food. The total cost for our meal was $585.00 plus tip. The best part of the trip was leaving and driving to Geno's Steaks and getting three cheesesteaks to fill us up for $22.50.

09/18/08

The Omakase is still the thing to get!

by claredin

I've eaten here over a dozen times and I still love it as much as the first. If you're going to dine here, get the omakase and be sure to get the $120 because the $80 one will just get you the pedestrian stuff you see on the menu. I was here last night and the place was packed (on a wednesday!). If I didn't make my reservation for 8:15 I would've had to make it for 9:30 as all the spots were booked. I love the toro tuna tartare, the yellowtail carpaccio, the oysters, the kampachi salad, the 8 spice lobster, the kobe beef sirloin, the sushi, and even my apricot pound cake. Yeah, can you tell this is what I had last night? Awesome awesome!!! Five stars all the way.

• Pros: the food
• Cons: very noisy

08/31/08

Too expensive

by JonL45

I have a hard time believing Morimoto himself actually came up with the dishes this place serves. Every sauce is over sweetened and is simply lacking in flavor. The sushi is good however it is not worth $6 a piece. The ishy yaki buri bop is basically a $30 bowl of fried rice, $45 if you want a few ounces of fake "Kobe" beef in it. For the amount of money they charge, this place is too noisy, too cramped, and the level of service is not there. A wet table, a cracked water glass and the lunch truck (break-apart) chopsticks is unacceptable for this price. If you are drawn to "hip" (neon lamps and phallic candles) ambiance and have a disposable income, you may like this place. Otherwise it's not worth it. I've had enough of this Stephen Starr nonsense.

08/22/08

average at best

by sdornewass

meal was only average. I had a sea bass whole fish meal and my partner had the $120 chef choice. although she liked the variety of her courses she was not overly impressed with the meal. My choice was mediocre at best. I could have gotten the whole fish at many restaurants for a fraction of what I paid at

morimotos and been just as satified.

As far as service, this is the second time visiting Marimotos and I would have to say that I see a decline in the service. I felt as if we were being "up serviced" at every oportunity. I dont know if my waiter lacked the nuances of an upscale server or not but he came accross as more of a salesmen than a server. Our experience was alright but the price was over the top. For what we paid we should have been wowed. I frequent many local restaurants and spend appropriatly at each one. Morimotos was a bit of a let down.

• Pros: nice variety, interesting decor
• Cons: price, price and price. for what you get, too high

08/02/08

Overated food!

by Phillynewbie

After being at another Steven Star restaurant, Buddakan my expectations were high going into Morimoto. It was just one restaurant I had always wanted to try. The prices were high on the menu so our group of four decided that after ordering at least a couple of appetizers and entrees to share we might as well go with the recommended chef menu for $80 per person. The chef's menu can go up to $120 depending on the quality of the ingredients used. The chef's menu is where the chef picks out his best dishes of the night over several courses. I have to say that all of the courses were very disappointing! There was not one course that I absolutely loved considering the money we were spending on the meal and all of the dishes were seafood bases (yes I know it is a sushi place) but something vegetarian would have been good for a change of pace. Also some of the dishes did have a fishy taste to them. I like fish when its fresh. Our last course consisted of sushi the tuna was very good but there was some scary fish on there that no one of our group wanted to try and the one person who did said it had a fishy taste. The dessert was good but not outstanding. When you are paying that kind of money for a meal you expect outstanding. The service was excellent though. Once we were finished with a course we had no idea how they knew and someone would just appear with the next. Also if you're going to a place for atmosphere only this is it. The atmosphere was very chic with lighting that changed different colors every few minutes in shades of red and blue. The bathroom was pretty unique too, they had very interesting hand dryers that came from nowhere, literally a hole in the wall. Overall Morimoto had good service, and atmosphere, but the food was just not up to par with the prices.

• Pros: Atmosphere, Service
• Cons: Value

07/31/08

Unforgettable experience

by Trinarose

I had dinner here with a friend last night and everything was perfect. The service, the sushi, the drinks. I would say if you want sushi and you are in Philly this is the only place to go. The hosts were warm and welcoming and the server, Jean was informative and unintrusive. The sushi was fresh and the rice was cooked perfectly. There is also an extensive sake list which included Chef Morimoto's own signature sakes. I can't wait to go back.

• Pros: Sushi and Service
• Cons: None

07/15/08

just average

by mab_nyc_00

I didn't think this place was that special. I don't quite understand why it got so many great reviews. I thought this would be really good because, ( i hate to admit) of the name behind it, but it was just your average sushi joint at above areage prices. I was expecting a nobu-like experience, but it just didnt stand up. Yeah the atomosphear was cool but for me it comes down to the food. I could care less about the other stuff.

• Pros: looks cool
• Cons: food/price

04/21/08

Everything was perfect

by rxm78

My husband and I went to Morimoto just recently and had an amazing experience. We ordered the $120 chef's menu and fell in love at first dish! We had 8 courses including dessert. The pacing was perfect. We never felt rushed or overstuffed. That's not to say we didn't get our money's worth. Each course had it's own unique quality and our waiter told us that you will never get the same menu twice. Great sake drinks and martinis. Wonderful atmosphere. From the hostess that seated us to our server John to one of the managers that came over to our table after dinner, you couldn't ask for a more hospitable staff. I can't think of any part of our dinner that would be a con. At first glance the menu could be a little overwhelming. Overall, GO! GO! GO!

• Pros: Service, quality of food, chef's menu
• Cons: none