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Edward slipped on the ice last week and broke his ankle. He’s getting around on crutches and in a wheelchair. Cousin Carl is in Florida and all the people I called to accompany me to Zama were busy with holiday preparations.
I never did mind dining alone. I usually bring along a book for company or sit at the bar, where I can enjoy friendly banter with the barkeep or with the person next to me. I chose to visit the Japanese eatery Zama just steps from Rittenhouse Square.
The space that housed Loie for years has been completely gutted and transformed into one as blond and serene as Princess Grace. The lighting was just right, the music soft and the staff most accommodating. I sat at the sushi bar, where I watched chef/owner Hiroyuki “Zama” Tanaka and his staff select fresh ingredients and transform them into colorful, tasty, edible art.
I sipped a glass of Clifford Bay Sauvignon Blanc ($9) and studied the menu. Because the master sushi chef, who once worked at Pod, was standing before me I asked him for suggestions.
Dinner began with seaweed salad ($7), which arrived in a deep white bowl filled with assorted seaweed topped with sesame seeds and dressed in a soy vinaigrette. It was light and refreshing.
From the small bites I selected kirin ichiban braised short ribs ($10), which warmed me up. Although it was a “small bite,” it was not a tiny tapas. My waiter placed the deep white bowl in front of me and I found a tender boneless pork rib nestled in crispy noodles. I picked up my clear acrylic chopsticks and dug in. The beef was redolent with an aroma and flavor I could not identify.
“What is this marvelous flavor?,” I asked.
“Cloves and star anise,” the sushi master replied.
He had the perfect hand in enhancing the short ribs with these spices. The salad, short rib and dessert would have been a sufficient meal, but I wanted to see what else was in store.
I like sushi, but I do not enjoy all that sticky rice.
“I will create something for you,” Zama said.
He peeled thin slices of cool, crisp daikon radish that became the sushi wrapper. He filled the roll with a little rice, ripe bits of avocado and top-quality tuna ($10). When a chef can create something so eye-appealing and tasty on the fly, any patron will be delighted.
Torrontés is a flowery, light white wine from Argentina. Similar to a dry Riesling, I knew it would drink well with my next course. Whoever chose San Huberto Torrontés ($8) for the cellar hit the mark. I liked it from my first sip.
There are just seven entrees at Zama: four fish, a pork dish, a chicken dish and an Angus New York strip. The Berkshire pork chop tonkatsu ($24) was a big rib coated in crumbs and sautéed until golden brown. It was sliced and served with a homemade, Japanese-style slaw that added crunch to my dinner. I do not like miso sauce, but this one was light and blended with katsu, so it was not overwhelming or strong. The portion was so generous, I brought much of it home for Edward to enjoy.
The Chestnut Baked Mont Blanc ($8) caught my eye on the dessert menu. I love this sweet. It is French, but has roots in Hungary.
This marvelous concoction is made with lightly sweetened chestnut cream placed in a pastry bag and piped beside a slice of vanilla chiffon cake adorned with sticks of caramel. It’s unusual to find European desserts at a Japanese eatery, but I say throw culinary caution to the wind and enjoy because this sweet was a fitting end to a delightful dinner.
Rittenhouse Square needs a quiet, peaceful place like this. So many restaurants are dark and loud. As soon as Edward is up and around, we’ll mosey over to Zama — even if I have to push him in a wheelchair — and I will simply ask the chef to make us dinner.
Three tips of the toque to Zama.
Zama
128 S. 19th St.
215-568-1027
28400652
