by Ryan F. on We came here on a friend's recommendation, since we only had one night in Philly. Many fellow rateclubsers praise Starr restaurants (almost all of them located in Philly), and this one's no exception. Morimoto offers up a trendy atmosphere amidst some more classic Olde City pubs and restaurants nearby on Chestnut Street. Their entrees were bursting with flavor, and other plate accompaniments nicely complimented the main course. In addition to sushi, hot and cold apps, and a few noodle dishes, they also offer a chef's tasting menu of over seven courses, each paired with saki... Maybe next time! Seafood toban yaki (prawns, king crab, scallops, bok choy, mushrooms, and sticky rice) is your go-to dish if you crave shellfish, although I found the citrus-butter based sauce a bit overpowering. I had a taste of the arctic char and "duck duck duck" (roasted & seared duck, duck fried rice, and a poached duck egg) but found the latter to be extremely small. The waiter told us it was an eight-ounce cut of duck, but I'd be be surprised if it topped four. The seafood toban yaki was definitely the most generous dish of the three... The atmosphere was "svelte" and our waiter really knew his way around their intricate menu. He offered us many chef suggestions when we questioned various dishes (pierce the duck egg and let the yolk permeate the rice, dip the sticky rice into their spicy mayo!). Unfortunately, for dinner, the portions were small, and while they were very tasty, it was a shame they couldn't at least include some (more) of the included rice and/or veggies to at last satisfy three hungry New Yorkers! While the overall dining experience was top-notch, something should be said about some of the minuscule portions they serve here. Trust me, I'm all about quality over quantity, and when you're ordering lunch or some small plates from a place like this, I would never expect to order one and leave full, but I think the dinner menu (or at least two of the three items we ordered) could be a bit more substantial for the prices paid. That being said, this place definitely lives up to the Starr name, but I think we'll try others out before returning here...
by Carylon Mull on Fantastic music and cheap drinks always make for a fun night. This was my second time at MJQ and it didn't disappoint. I'm actually trying to figure out who the DJ was last night, if anyone else was there and can help me out, that would rock. He was mixing rap and classical music and it worked really well. Anyway, the place is a dive bar, and if law school students like me know about it, then it's no longer "underground" or "cool", but I still had a blast.
by Anabel Townes on Is this place a club or a sauna, because my friends and I were sweating up a storm in here! Okay, so here's the rundown, Suite 181 is pretty big (two stories, multiple rooms, flashy VIP area), but it fills up quickly and gets hot and humid fast (wear deodorant, you'll need it). The drinks are expensive, $10 per shot. The crowd is a tad ghetto and the music is mediocre (old hip hop, nothing current). The location of Suite 181? Scary. But the bouncers give all the guys a really thorough pat down, so I guess it's relatively safe once you're inside the club. Honestly, it's not a bad club, I've been to worse. At the very least, Suite 181 has a lot of bathroom stalls for women. Just for that, I gave them an extra star. I'm so over the one unisex bathroom thing.
