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Best New Restaurants '04 - Martorella creates easygoing American and Asian cuisine,
like Peking duck breast with leg confit, sweet-potato puree, and port-wine sauce, and baby-back
ribs grilled with lashings of white balsamic vinegar. His lamb loin laced with pepper and
sweet garlic jus is riddled with spices and sparkles with flavor. You can always tell when
a chef really loves cooking because there's never
anything on the plate he wouldn't gobble up himself, and that shows in every dish at Bliss.
Don't-miss dish: Warm raspberry tart with cremé anglaise and vanilla ice cream.
Francesco Martorella is a formidable chef who was named an "American Super-Chef" by Food & Wine
magazine, and who has gained many other honors. His approach to cooking is seasonal and global,
resulting in combinations that may be unexpected, but are never forced. In fact, his menu is
the essence of simplicity, allowing natural flavors and judicious seasoning to shine...
-- Maxine Keyser
An airy, beautiful restaurant/lounge... just a stone’s throw from the Kimmel Center.
Lots of mahogany wood, high ceilings, a cozy bar and a tranquil blue wall decoration
contribute to the serene atmosphere. The brainchild of Francesco Martorella... Bliss
lives up to its founder’s pedigree.
Starters like beef tenderloin carpaccio and a potato goat cheese terrine, served on a
warm bacon frisée salad, are just previews of the delights the entrees bring. It’s
likely that Bliss will be what Neil Stein tried to create at Avenue B: a destination
for Kimmel Center patrons, Rittenhouse Square residents and in-the-know tourists alike.
-- Doree Shafrir
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