11/14/07

HELP WANTED!

by fine_food_fan

I have a gift certificate for Pasion; I just read that it closed in June........does anyone know if the cert. can be transferred to another restaurant? Thank you!

06/20/07

The Famed Pasion Restaurant has CLOSED for good!

by gda26

Pasion, Center City's first Nuevo Latino restaurant, closed this past Sunday ( 6/07/07) Reported earlier that Pasion's chef, Guillermo Pernot, was poached by rival restaurant Cuba Libre, owner Michael Dombkoski closes restaurant after blaming its recent failure to the chefs absence in his kitchen.

04/09/07

It takes two to tango and Pasion doesn't have what it takes

by reality_check50

We look at two primary items when considering to return or not to return to a restaurant: good service, good food. Pasion didn't come close to either.

The Bad: The service. The female waitress was rude, impatient (as two of four of us asked for clarification of menu items) and ostensibly did her best to ignore us. We went to a relatively empty Pasion at 6:00 on Saturday night. As our friend was finishing her entree, the table was being quickly cleared of all items, the crumbs on the table were being brushed off. WE would've walked out (long before this). There wasn't a line at the door, what was their problem?

The food was sparce and rather ill-conceived. The flank steak, scantily clad the plate. While the chicken was moist, the citrus flavoring surrounding it was intense. Some of the appetizers were so overly flavored with citrus, they were bitter. They were also left on some of our plates. Why didn't the waitress ask us if everything was ok? (See above for the answer.) We should've sent it back but since our friends recommended the place, we attempted to be polite. We understood the chef took license to make his own creations but that was an understatement.

When we left to have dessert at Buddakan, the coatcheck man dropped a coat on the floor. He should never have attempted to pick up four coats at once and hand them out. There's a word for that I can't use here.

The good: The chicken was moist and without the INTENSITY of the citrus would have been fine.

Summary: We would've better understood some of the rush and lack of attention if Pasion had been busy. But, we've been to other restaurants in the same price range during their busiest time and they are attentive and polite. We're not going back. We went to Buddakan at 8 p.m., which was packed when we arrived. We had a drink at the crowded bar and dessert (and one of us made up not eating at Pasion). The service was attentive, timely, FRIENDLY and worth it.

• Pros: ceviche (but it was way too costly), ambience..., noise level
• Cons: Food other than the ceviche, lack of service, poor service, citrus flavor over-runneth

02/23/07

Forget about Sushi...Ceviche is the Best

by hairoun

I try to get back to Pasion at least once every three months for dinner to try out something new on their seasonal menus. I'm always impressed with their wine list which they obviously put a lot of thought into. I'm a huge fan of enjoying your meal as an experience and have never been rushed through a meal here. Food seems to magically appear only when you are ready for each course.

But lately I'm addicted to their ceviche bar. I don't know why I have not indulged in this experience before. I'm not a fan of sushi so when a good friend who is a chef at a local restaurant suggested that I talked him into Pasion instead. Each night they have differrent ceviche options and we ordered the tuna, orange roughy and something else I cannot remember but it was fabulously fresh. We also ordered the chef's appetizer sampler after the ceviche and that was as exciting as Christmas morning. The sampler is chef's choice so each serving comes up to you as a delightful surprise.

The ceviche bar is of course a bar that faces the open kitchen so it is like having dinner and a show. The chefs are wonderful and don't seemed to be annoyed one bit by your endless questions. What's that meat? What's that on the plate next to it? I'm tasting a flavor in the tuna ceviche but I can't figure out what it is...what is it? We both had a wonderful time and even though we only had the ceviche and appetizer sampler we left completely satisfied. Of course their were the three desserts we ordered as well. The flan was silky and amazing, a wonderful rice pudding type of dessert that was carmelized on the top which gave it a crunchy bit of fun but not too sweet, and my favorite...the warm chocolate stuffed pastry. Something a dream about regularly.

I strongly encourage everyone to belly up to the bar, order a mojito, get the three ceviche tasting and settle in and enjoy yourself and don't be afraid to ask the chef some questions...it adds to the whole experience.

• Pros: Ceviche Bar and Wine List

01/23/07

Not worth the money

by ericthecritic

Not worth the money. Why do I say that? The appetizers were delicious, the best part of the dinner. The pork dish ( $27) was fine, but not any better than a typical latin cafe. Basically, all the main courses served could be had at any latin restaurant saving you a bundle. The desserts were not good at all - the factory flan and the bunuelos had no flavor - Wawa even has better desserts. It was a special occasion and I was disappointed. There are too many good restaurants to try, so skip Pasion and splurge somewhere else.

09/03/06

4 hours 30 minutes

by lunamaya1

We made a reservation for 12 people at 6:00PM on a Friday night. Although we had made the reservation over a week in advance we were seated at two separate tables. Three people in our group arrived a half an hour late. We weren't allowed to order appetizers while we waited for them. After eating our appetizers we had to wait AN HOUR before out main plates arrived. We didn't leave until almost 10:30! We wanted to get dessert but feared that would tack on another hour. I understand that it takes longer to serve a large group but 4 1/2 hours is ridiculous. On the positive side, the Deconstructed Gazpacho, Pescado, Appetizer Sampler (with Ceviche) and Empanadas were great, our waitress was attentive and the music was lovely.

• Pros: Ambience, Music, Appetizer Sampler (esp. the tuna)
• Cons: 4 1/2 hours

Your taste buds will mambo for Nueva Latino cuisine at this award-winning restaurant.

by Contributor

In Short
Pasion's two earth-toned dining rooms pulse with energy and tropical details including a tile floor and fabric-draped ceilings. Salsa music and the hum of the open kitchen surround a crowd of corporate types and friends out for a special night. Chef Guillermo Pernot is known for his seviches. His specialty entrees include sweet potatoes with plantain and wasabi pea-crusted salmon. Finish with the signature traditional Cuban flan doused in caramel, topped with a phyllo-dough crust.

04/25/06

Fabulous!

by vodanon

We were in town for a conference and heard good things about Pasion, so we decided to try it. We loved the creative decor and upscale (but not stuffy) atmosphere and were impressed by the creative menu offerings and polite, outstanding service. I'm a picky vegetarian, so the helpful server put together a bunch of great sides for my meal. Tasty sangria and mojitos completed a great meal. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Pasion and highly recommend it!

• Pros: Cute Decor, Helpful servers, Creative menu
• Cons: Small tables

02/08/06

Flavors of Life

by jtsimpson

Tthe most professional staff and the most wonderful flavors make an evening here and evening to remember!!!!!!!!!!! The food is presented with passion, and the beautiful smells in the kitchen set the stage for an experience you will not forget!

My wife and I have taken many friends over the last few years and we always walk away very happy!

• Pros: Warm Comfortable , romantic, Delightful taste

06/04/05

Very Romantic Evening

by steph_teaches

My husband and I went to Pasion for our 10th anniversary on 6-10-03 and it was just spectacular. It was everything I read about it and more. Very attentive wait staff and extremely romantic. The food was well presented and was very tasteful. The desserts were awesome. They even brought of flan for us with a candle and a chocolate that said Happy Anniversary. Highly Recommend it! You can't go wrong. There is something on the menu for all tastes. We found the prices were right!