<p>Michael Symon opened a restaurant in our city last year and we have been threatening to go. We finally made it last night. I was under no illusion that the chef would be there, as he is a very busy man.</p>
<p>Well!! Not only was he there, he was taping a new show he is hosting. I’d like to think we were excited about this rather than star struck. :)</p>
<p>After the taping of the show, the Iron Chef hung around and chatted with the customers. He posed for a picture with our kid and talked with us for about five minutes. Nice guy.</p>
<p>And yes, the food was delicious. Hubby topped the dinner off with a Maple Bacon Doughnut Sundae!! (Yes, we went all went out of our food comfort zone)</p>
<p>Is there anything that Michael Symon won’t make with bacon? Other than the kosher Passover seder he had to create on Dinner: Impossible, of course?</p>
<p>Since I travel back to Detroit often to visit family, I checked out the menu. Love anything with bacon, so I’ll see if we can get there this summer. I’m intrigued with both the fried bologna sandwich and the Beef Cheek Pierogi. Of course, I’ll have to check and see if they’ll make anything vegetarian for my mom…</p>
<p>^ they have vegan bacon.
I made tofu bacon once when we were camping.
Some nearby construction workers commented on how good it smelled. The dog ( our black lab) was looking at me so I gave her some, but she spit it out.
Not the bacon she was looking for*. </p>
<p>I have found that people who own restaurants are usually pretty friendly- and that hosting a restaurant seems to be a natural extension of having the whole neighborhood over.
( although sometimes you probably still have a problem getting some people to leave)</p>
<p>Back in the day Rick Bayless was always cooking in his restaurant and would talk to folks when things slowed down. I have not been to his places in years so I don’t know if he still is as hands on. I’d bet he is unless he is out of town. Very humble but intense guy.</p>
<p>We went to Morimoto’s restaurant in Philly about 3 months after it opened. I was with 2 colleagues who teach Japanese. S2 was a big fan of sushi and Japanese cuisine, so I was taking photos of each dish in the $90 tasting menu that came out. They must have thought I was a food critic. He was there, and did come out a speak to us briefly.</p>
<p>I went to Morimoto’s with D2 (who goes to school in the Philadelphia area) when I went to help her move out of the dorm at the end of the spring semester last year. We had heard much about Morimoto and were looking forward to the experience. I left feeling disappointed. The food was good (but not amazing). I hated the room. It was large, impersonal, and quite noisy. I felt the servers were just pushing people along because it was very crowded (even with reservations we had a wait). They were not particularly interested in providing an enjoyable experience for the diners. (Maybe it was just our server–don’t know.) In contrast, I’ve dined in two restaurants (Babbo and del Posto) owned by another Iron Chef–Mario Batali. Babbo was my favorite and the contrast to Marimoto was striking. Dinner at Babbo was an experience and well worth the money. I wouldn’t say that about Marimoto–that would rate an OK.</p>
<p>Bromfield, I’m so glad you posted this - I too went to Morimoto’s in Philadelphia, and was quite disappointed, for all the reasons you stated. Although I have to say that I loved the lights, and the ladies’ room!</p>
<p>I thought I was the only one disappointed in Morimoto’s!</p>
<p>We have been to both Topolabambo (Rick Bayless in Chicago) and Babbo (Batali in NYC)…loved, loved loved them both. </p>
<p>We went to Babbo with a big Italian family for Granpa’s 80th birthday. Ordered lots of food and wine. Had a fabulous time and would do it again in a heartbeat (were we not too broke and paying tuition). </p>
<p>We went to Topo in Chicago over Christmas. Really loved the food and atmosphere. Did not see Rick Bayless at all…too bad. The only down side is my S2 is allergic to a lot of food (peanuts/nuts/shellfish and soy). It was hard to order for him and we weren’t completely comfortable with the answers and knowledge of the wait staff. The staff were excellent for everything else, I just wasn’t feeling that the food was completely safe. However, he ate and survived…lol…so I guess they did know! We would go back, but not with S2!</p>
<p>Next on to-do-in-future-list is Michael Voltaggio’s place called Volt…</p>
<p>Did you go to Morimoto’s recently? It was still pretty new when I was there, and our meal was exquisite. It must have gone downhill or he is not there much anymore.</p>
<p>Moritmoto’s in Phila was the single most enjoyable dining experience I’ve had in the United States. I loved the room and the atmosphere. Service was excellent. Attentive, hip, casual, not stuffy at all. It was a bit like dining on an elaborate movie set.</p>
<p>Food was fantastic. Now, we had studied the menu prior to going and plotted a strategy of appetizers, entree’s, and sushi platter to get a sampling of everything we really like. It was fabuous. I had to ask Santa for the Morimoto cookbook just just to figure out what he was doing in a couple of the dishes. The flavors on some of the simple fish preparations were amazing.</p>
<p>I thought the Morimoto tempura might have been about the tastiest thing I’ve ever tasted.</p>
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