Winterlicious - Hemispheres

By the time we arrived at the Metropolitan Hotel, we were late, but just by 10 minutes or so. One of the hosts took our jackets and showed us to our table. The Winterlicious fun begins...

Hemispheres, Metropolitan Hotel
110 Chestnut Street
"New luxury chic"

For those who are not familiar with the term "New Luxury" (as opposed to old luxury), new luxury primarily refers to a more minimalistic style of luxury. Luxury that accentuate rather than define who you are. It's quality without the pretense - think Prada vs. M0851.

The bistro, which was newly renovated, accommodated about 25-30 tables in the main room and another 10 or so in the adjacent room (which looks more like a bar). The wall that separated the two rooms was filled with over a hundred wine bottles accentuated with pieces of modern art.

As we took our seats I noticed that one can see the chefs cook up their magic through a large glass window. Food AND entertainment!

We took a look at our menus (the truncated version of the main and the Winterlicious menu) and thought that it was a nice subtle way of encouraging add-on selling. I mean, what if I wanted soup and/or salad in addition? For an extra $9 I can get it from the regular menu since the Winterlicious only offered you a limited choice.

I started with the Prosciutto wrapped shrimps, which was absolutely delicious (although the shrimp in my opinion was a little too chewy). The saltiness of the prosciutto and shrimp (on a skewer) was balanced out by the blandness of the polenta cake (cornmeal), which was shaped into a triangle. The bottom layer contained spinach, which added a subtle taste to the overall entree. What I really liked was the mango bits that the chef included to add a little zest to the dish as well as the red pepper coulis (puree). I give it an "A" both for taste and for presentation.

For mains, we both opted for the Metropolitan Mixed Grill, which contained alligator and apple sausage, flat iron steak, lamb chop and mixed vegetables. First off, the alligator and apple sausage was good, although again, for me it was a little too salty. The flat iron steak, I did not enjoy so I gave it to my partner who seemed to like it even though it was slightly tough and over cooked (it was medium and I was surprised that he didn't ask us how we liked our meat). The lamb chop was good, but again, I would have preferred it to be a little less cooked, it was tender enough though that I could cut it with the non-sharp steak knife. What I thought this main excelled in was the amount of vegetables that it came with, unlike Truffles. A nice balance of meat and veggies! The 3 brandy sauce was perfect and nicely complemented the meats. For wine, I chose the Pinot Noir and our waiter (we'll call him Trevor) recommended a Red Zinfindel to my partner.

At last, dessert time. I was watching the pastry chef prepare some of the desserts through the glass window and I couldn't wait for mine. For dessert I ordered a classic New York cheesecake with sherry macerated berries and icing sugar. What can I say, it was creamy soft and I would have inhaled it if I wasn't in a public place. One negative: the two pieces of chocolate on top tasted a little waxy. The coffee was nothing special, but it did nicely end my meal.

My partner ordered the the Chocolate Daquise with Rum Pot Cherries. This was an amazing dessert as well. You can definitely taste the rum in the cheeries and the chocolate mousse just melted in your mouth. As can be seen below, it was very nicely presented with a wintery theme (notice the silver balls and gold leaves), almost a pity that we had to eat it...almost.

All in all, I enjoyed my experience at Hemispheres much more than Truffles. Not only was the food better, but so was the service. At the end of the night, Trevor waited at the coat rack with our jackets before we got there and helped us into our coats. I would definitely come back here, Winterlicious or not. Next stop: Pangaea.

A final picture...