reesesWeb

WD-50 is not a great restaurant. Out of nine courses on the tasting menu in place when I ate there, I enjoyed probably three. The first shouted "Hey, I read about that Adria guy!" and consisted of carrot juice or soup stabilized by calcium chloride and sodium alginate over a similarly thickened disk of coconut milk. I don't remember the name, other than that it included "over easy" so you can easily visualize the presentation. It was quite good.

I also enjoyed the miso soup with soba noodles. It was a normal white miso, all of $.30 of paste and hot water at home, but the soba noodles were delivered in a squeeze bottle, still in semi-liquid form. I squeezed the pre-noodle goo into the hot miso soup and made my own noodles. I should like to declare that I was well along in the wine-pairing part of my meal, and the clumps were a result of my reduced coordination and the small size of the vessel.

However, it was the second (and third) dessert which contained an element of the perfect. The pine-needle jelly, kind of a Pacific Northwest Delight, if you were, (yes, I know "applets and cotlets" are made there, so they'd have some sort of nominative primacy in that regard) was absolutely fantastic. It blew the back of my head off and reminded me so much of home (and especially my mother, strangely enough) that I asked for a second piece. My waiter smiled and returned with a second plate of the entire dessert, and to my surprise, it never appeared on my check.

The foie gras terrine was a miss with me. I'm a "just give it to me right from the bird" guy when it comes to foie gras, and the more the better. However, the terrine was nicely sealed, with a filling of a beet sauce that didn't work so well. This was pretty typical of all of the dishes, and I know it's largely intentional. Take one item that is absolutely sublime, then pair it with challenging seasonings, sauces, or infusions. They ranged from the "at least it's a small serving" to "oh, that's mildly interesting."

The wine pairing was hit or miss, with a couple very pleasant surprises. There was a nice campagna served with two of the courses that I otherwise would have passed up, and while I would normally avoid madeira, they dropped a verdelho bomb right in the middle of the savory courses and started melting the back of my brain rather nicely.

Two caveats about the wine pairing, because I heard complaints on both sides of my table about one aspect -- there are nine courses, but not nine glasses of wine. Some glasses (and these are not large pours, for which I am grateful in the case of the madeira) are intended to be consumed over two courses.

In addition, I have read online that they will pour the bottles empty, always a risk when drinking by the glass, but which should be considered below this restaurant. Watching cork and other dregs tumble into your glass is not amenable to the imaginary transcendence expected at this restaurant. An early reservation should help avoid this. Since it's a two hour sprint and a three hour relaxed meandering, you shouldn't feel bad about asking for a 7:30 seating. They're also on opentable, so you can work out your reservation without having to talk to a human.

If you do go, I would recommend sticking to the normal menu, and avoiding the tasting menu. They have dishes which I am told by reasonable reputable sources are quite fantastic, generally coming from the bellies of animals.

By the way, drink a lot of water so you can visit the bathroom. It's twee, but sometimes I like that. If only they had taken it a tiny step further, which you'll see if you visit.

Also, as mentioned in the title, I'll be in Philly next week, flying in Monday evening and out Friday morning. If you're around, give me a buzz or email. I have fixed plans for Tuesday dinner plus, and a floating commitment for drinks, but if you're in town, let me know, and maybe we can hit morimoto. I'll be emailing the residents directly, of course, as I don't expect you to read this in time.