By Munia Islam
It was Valentine’s Day, and while every girl is showing off her flowers, teddy bears, and chocolates on every social media outlet—which I would attend to later—I’m more focused on the best part of the day—the food! [Editor’s note: Flowers, teddy bears, chocolate?! I spent V-Day on the couch with my roomies. -Shy]
My loveable boyfriend had booked weeks in advance for this popular modern-twist-on-American-food restaurant: Meme. I knew he was busy eyeing the mussels on the regular menu, but as a guest on Valentine’s Day, we were in for a “special” menu surprise.
We walked in, and of course I noticed a guy just hanging out in a t-shirt and shorts, amidst the all of the dressed up Valentine’s Day couple. I wondered who he was, and before I could open my mouth to ask a question, my boyfriend chimed in with “You know who that is sitting right behind me? It’s Chef David Katz.” The owner! I thought that was the coolest thing ever–being so inconspicuous, and just chilling among the guests! I knew this dinner that would be one to remember, and the food was still to follow.
The special menu had a three-course appetizer, entrée, and dessert set-up. I immediately knew exactly what I wanted on that menu: (1) Grilled Quail (served with: date puree, candied bacon, and pickled pearl onion)
The quail was cooked to perfection, and with my recent introduction to the meat, I realized how quickly it cooks and how it can go from cooked well to burnt in seconds! The date puree was a nice sweet, heavy-creamy accent to the light salty dish. I don’t eat pork though, so I can’t comment on the bacon — although it looked lovely and quite tempting, to say the least!
(2) Duck (served with: truffled grits, collard greens, and port reduction)
I am a very serious critic when it comes to my duck dishes. I would have to rate this in the top two duck dishes I have ever tasted, and trust me, I have had my share of duck dishes. The dish just came together so well, and with each bite, I had to make sure I had a some grits, duck, and collard greens, dipped into the port reduction fully enjoy the bliss on my plate.
(3) Vanilla Panna Cotta (served with: blood orange compote)
I honestly don’t remember every having compote…well, definitely not like this. I have a weak spot for blood orange…anything, but this just took the ended my meal with a smile from ear-to-ear. I appreciate desserts, but am not a huge fan. If I could have this everyday, I would be more of a dessert-girl!
The boy’s dishes were: (1) Tuna Tartare (served with: harissa, olive, grapefruit)
We experiment a lot with tuna tartare. It’s a staple dish that we absolutely have to order wherever we go, if we see it on the menu. We also somewhat judge a place by the quality of their tuna tartare, and good thing we did! Meme easily takes the number one spot tuna tartare from us. I’ve never had harissa before, and after being given a quick Harissa 101 lecture from him, I got to appreciate its existance while digging in. Harissa, for all those who are new to it, is a is a Tunisian hot chili sauce made up of several chili peppers and some other spices like garlic paste, coriander, and oils. For all you hot sauce lovers, I would replace my hot sauce any day with this!
(2) Scottish Salmon (not pictured) (served with: olive-oil fork mashed potatoes, green & white asparagus, and shellfish sauce)
We were hoping for another fish selection instead of salmon, but this dish was still good. The fish was a little overcooked for our liking, but the other components of the dish were much more delectable.
(3) Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream
You can almost never go wrong with a classic chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream dessert. The chocolate cake was oozing with chocolate flavor and the vanilla ice cream gave it the necessary oomph to remind us of the simplicity of a yummy childhood favorite!
Overall, the dishes were perfectly portioned, and filling, without the feeling of discomfort after a serveral-course meal, or the hunger pain of not being fed enough. Dare I say my selections won, but it wouldn’t be fair because his dishes were equally delightful.
We had a wonderful meal and the desserts just topped off the perfect meal. The staff was exceptionally friendly and attentive. Really excited to go back again to check out the normal menu, and try the mussels and steak! Hope everyone else had an amazing Valentine’s Day meal. We would love to hear about your picks!
REPORT CARD
Meal: Dinner
Occasion: Valentine’s Day
Price: $$$
(Out of three stars)
Ambiance: ***
Food: ***
Service: ***
Would I go back?: Any excuse I have to go, I will! Definitely, YES! Excited to try the mussels and steak dishes next time.
Restaurant Info:
Meme
2201 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 735-4900
Rittenhouse Square
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