27019017
Adriatica
217 Chestnut St.
215-592-8001
Credit cards accepted
A few steps up into the restaurant
Open daily for lunch and dinner
Retail shop features fresh fish and a variety of Mediterranean foods
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Mustapha Rouissiya is one of the most talented chefs in Philadelphia. He insists on top-quality ingredients, many of which he personally selects. He has an instinctive hand with sauces and spices. Rouissiya prefers straightforward foods with clean tastes.
These qualities were most evident in Figs, the casual BYOB he opened in Fairmount two years ago. Since then, Rouissiya, a native of Morocco, has been determined to open a restaurant with an accent on seafood — something reminiscent of his mother’s cooking as well as the restaurants that dot the nations along the Adriatic and Mediterranean seas.
The result is Adriatica, a beautiful multi-room restaurant, bar and retail shop that Rouissiya opened on Chestnut Street in Old City several months ago. The warm colors of the Adriatic sun are evident in soft saffron, orange and purple walls and modern hanging lights. The whimsical shades are made of paper.
The restaurant seats 175, has a private room and a built-into-the-wall wine cooler that stocks more than 500 vintages. The wine list has something for everyone, with a number of international wines by the glass in the $6-$7 range. There’s also a fine selection of bottled beers and beers on tap. New and classic cocktails are good-sized and well-prepared.
My husband Edward and I have been to Adriatica on three occasions. On our first visit, the restaurant had been open for only a week, yet the service and dinner were excellent. On our second visit, we were guests and, thus, it wasn’t ethical to review the restaurant just yet.
So we recently made a third visit and found a delightful surprise: a three-course dinner, with choices, for $29.95, along with the well-planned � la carte menu.
A basket of warm semolina bread — the kind Rouissiya’s mother baked each day when he was growing up — arrived with a dish of extra-virgin olive oil and a scattering of Moroccan olives. Clams casino are among my favorite starters. Adriatica’s version ($7.95) consisted of five littlenecks topped with prosciutto di Parma and a bit of butter, which had been run under the broiler until the ham became crispy. Another tasty starter was a combination of grilled tender squid and octopus ($8.25) bathed in a slightly spicy, but not hot, tomato sauce with fresh herbs.
The array of fresh fish on offer was dazzling. On our first visit, I savored a good-sized filet of red snapper ($18.75) prepared Moroccan-style. The fish was baked with fresh herbs — I detected a bit of cilantro — and spices and sat on a bed of tiny French lentils. Hot whipped potatoes arrived with dinner.
Lamb is the traditional meat of many Mediterranean nations, including Rouissiya’s native Morocco. Rack of lamb is popular and Rouissiya’s version ($21) was a winner. The chops were chargrilled and the bones frenched for easy eating. Couscous is traditional with lamb. Rouissiya uses imported couscous from Morocco, not the instant stuff we buy in a box. It has a marvelous texture with a bit more bite than the variety that cooks in one minute. Fresh asparagus arrived on the plate.
Desserts ($6.50) included key lime pie, a Bavarian-like light cake and probably the tastiest profiteroles I’ve ever savored. Three cream puffs were filled with homemade chocolate, vanilla and fig ice cream. Squiggles of chocolate fudge and caramel sauce had been squirted, Jackson Pollack-like, onto the plate.
We ordered the three-course dinner on our recent visit. The entr�es are centered around several fresh fish, which can be ordered head-to-tail on the bone or filleted.
A filled-to-the-brim bowl of gazpacho cooled us off on a warm evening. Rouissiya prepared a rich, almost stew-like gazpacho with fresh tomatoes, red peppers, onions and cucumbers. Both Edward and I prefer the chunky version, and this one did not disappoint.
I began dinner with a salad of immaculately fresh baby spinach and baby arugula with ripe grape tomatoes and big chunks of Italian gorgonzola. The salad was bathed in a light vinaigrette.
Red snapper, striped bass and bronzino — that marvelously light, slightly nutty-tasting fish from the Mediterranean — were on offer. I ordered the bronzino grilled on the bone; Edward wanted to try the whole deep-fried striped bass. Both fish were perfection on the plate. The bronzino was grilled just so that when I pulled the crispy skin away from the flesh, the juicy white meat was a bit translucent inside.
Our delightful server advised we try two dipping sauces for our fish. One was a rich herb butter sauce, the other a sort of Moroccan pesto made with cilantro, olive oil and spices. There is a choice of sides with the three-course dinner. I selected the authentic couscous and broccoli rabe, which had been saut�ed with the right touch of olive oil and garlic.
Edward’s whole deep-fried striped bass was a masterpiece to the eye. It had an inviting golden color and was nice with the plum sauce, but Edward preferred the butter sauce and Moroccan pesto. He selected hot whipped potatoes and saut�ed fresh spinach.
I sipped a glass of Torrontes ($5.75), a slightly floral white wine from the Santa Julia vineyard in Argentina, and Edward enjoyed a Guinness on tap, which was poured into a scooner glass. Desserts included the tangy key lime pie, prepared with fresh key lime juice, and the Bavarian cake, which was light and moist.
Obviously Rouissiya has gathered a talented and competent staff. Patrons can enjoy a tapas-style meal, an � la carte lunch or dinner or the three-course fish dinner. I am content when a chef has truly thought out his restaurant plan so there is something delicious for everyone.
Three tips of the toque to Adriatica.
