Tangerine

Wow thats Crazy I wanted to go for our 7^th Anniversary this Friday: (I know I had one of the best NY Strips ever from there!

Um… I use to love this trendy spot! what happened and where did they go??? Did they move somewhere else? The energy in this place was amazing and artistic and the food was just different when I was there. And Café Spice in Old city is gone too. Was I gone from Philly that long? :-(

We took our friend out for dinner for her bachelorette. AIl I remember is the crème banana brulee! It was sooo good I came home and researched for a recipe online!! I

Ambiance alone gets me, but the service is phenomenal. You are so taken care of… it’s beautiful in there, albeit HOT. But I’m usually above average temperature wise so I let it go… and it might be vodka’s fault.
I wish they re-​opened this again for rando evening drinks… I can’t believe they weren’t making enough on that alone. The dining room was always packed.

I heard through my Philadelphia sources that Tangerine closed down?
NOOOOOOOOOOOO!
I loved Tangerine. The sultry lounge and deliciously creative dishes. My favorite was the triple citrus Hamachi ceviche. Amazing. The shrimp and scallops Afriquan held it’s ground.
What’s in it’s place?

Oh Stephen Starr how I love thee, let me count the ways…
The ambiance of this place is peaceful. Upon entering the bar area makes you just want to stay and drink the night away
Your appetizers… oh how the crunchy calamari ignites my taste buds and makes me crave for more seafood. Just the perfect blending of bread and the freshness of the calamari that makes the dish screams «eat me». The tuna tartare is the right texture, with just the correct amount of seasoning to not over power the taste of the tuna. Their main dishes, enjoyable (but not worth the price)! Tangerine is the god-​father of fusion and this is the place to go if you want to dip your toes (or in this case) tongue in multiple melting pots.
The décor in this restaurant is chic, and extremely trendy. I love the dimness of place, the ambiance is relaxing, and romantic. Perfect date spot. Service divine (at least for the dozen or so times that I’ve been there) but can be improved for the prices of these dishes!
Not interested in dinner? The bar area is very uptown, very sex and the city. When you’re coming here for dinner, come early, come drink, come soak in the love affair of the modern world of Stephen Starr. Like my fellow Unilocalers, I would recommend eating dinner elsewhere, and coming to Tangerine for drinks!

It had been a while since we had eaten here so boy was I surprised to find out that Saturday night was the last service here. Gone are the great cocktails, homemade charcuterie, and the great Moroccan vibe.

I was actually pleasantly surprised. I’ve been to a few Starr restaurants, and this one was pleasantly dark to the eyes with little candles in the entryway; a bar as you came in where young socialites hang out, and seating towards the back. I recommend getting larger groups reservations; couples and the like can usually get a table within 30 min and you can hang out at the bar or the leather seating in the entryway (which used to be a simple concrete ramp).
Seafood is the specialty here, and you should take a chance on it if you can. Stopped by here a while back for a set of calamari (soft but not too crunchy) & octopus salad (this was okay) as appetizers/​snacks along with white wine. We tried the duck for dinner — not bad, considering they managed to somehow pick a non-​fatty duck (or trimmed it really well), which made it a tad dry, but hey, not too bad. The potatoes… not sure what they were trying to do, but they were not mashed, and not whole… some odd kind of mishmash in between. Lots of «tangine» or «tangerine» themed dishes. The chicken was okay. Didn’t really pop out as anything amazing.
Shared the crème brûlée (crispy top as expected, not as flavorful on the bottom which was unexpected).
Overall, ambience and service were top-​notch, but for the price I expected slightly better food, but I suppose this place is more about being in a Starr restaurant and being seen.

I went with a party of 14 or so on a week night. Not crowded, but our food did take an awful long time to be served.
The food: Incredibly hit or miss. The ceviche plate was great– perfect in taste and texture, but the calamari was so over fried that it tasted like only the oil it had been fried in– awful, and not eaten by anyone a the table. Everyone seemed to like the salads, except of course, the one with the calamari on it. Two dinner entrees were ordered– most others shared apps, but the entrees ordered got my friends approval. Some desserts were devoured in minutes while other sat on the table with just a bite in them.
Atmosphere: Ok. Dark, and lighted nicely. I get the impression that on a busy friday or saturday, the place wouldn’t have been as cozy. The lounge tables up front were great– set low, and comfortable.
Drinks: Excellent, but of course, Olde City over-​priced.
I gave Tangerine only 3 stars, because of the hit-​or-​miss-​ness of it. I think you could go in there and get lucky by ordering the good items off the menu, or be SOOL and order the tasteless, overpriced dishes. Matter of chance, I guess, or reading up on the place beforehand.

Two stars may seem a bit harsh but I’m going to put it into perspective.
1. — The Food.
The food was good — but not great. And for $ 140 without alcoholic drinks [i.e., we don’t drink], $ 140 is a bit steep for two people. We split an appetizer and each had an entrée. While we thought the food was decent, in no way were either of us blown away and thought, «wow, we’ve got to come back here».
2. The Service
The service was really good. I have to say that. They were attentive and very helpful. No qualms with the service.
3. The Atmosphere
The place looks nice, that’s for sure but we both found it difficult to have a simple conversation. It was quite loud — a combination of obtrusive techno music and loud chatter.
For the above reasons, Tangerine gets two stars. And no, I don’t think we’ll probably go back.

Taken by a local friend while we were visiting Phili & it surely it’s a nice expereince, I like everything about Tangerine-​The food, the décor, the staff, the price, EVERYTHING!
If you’re looking for some French/​Moroccan/​Greek-​fusion type of seafood & steak, you won’t disappoint it with Tangerine at Phili!

I read the reviews below and felt that some perspective is in order.
First, I do agree — there are many restaurants that could outdo Tangerine when it comes to the food. Having said that, one shouldn’t think that Tangerine isn’t about good food — on the contrary — their food is very good.
Second, Steven Starr has tried to recreate the atmosphere in a traditional middle eastern eating house — something you don’t see much of anymore in the Middle East, much less in the west. The dark interior with the décor successfully recreates the atmosphere that you would experience in one of these places.
The combination of great food and atmosphere makes for a great dining experience. The biggest item that’s missing is that aroma. In traditional middle eastern kitchens and restaurants, the whole place will have fragrant aroma of the food, which is part and parcel of the atmosphere. That isn’t the case here.
However, Tangerine successfully takes the tagine from Morocco, and their Chicken Tagine is very tasty. Their wine selection is good. Their prices are Steven Starr prices — a bit on the pricey.
All in all, I give it 4 starts because it comes together very very well.

I finally made it to Tangerine. It took me a while, and I went there with high expectations. The start, then, was a bit rocky.
I booked a table for 2 through Open Table at 6:30 because they said they didn’t have another open spot until 9PM. I knew I’d be too hungry by then. When we arrived, the restaurant wasn’t even close to half full. But guess what? They paraded us through the main dining room, past the servers’ station, down a dark warren, and into the «private dining room.» Well, the private dining room is a wasteland for people who were suckers enough to use Open Table. The room itself was fine, but there was only one other couple in there, no music, no ambiance, and no pillows. I came for the pillows. So, I asked to be moved. (Kinda demanded it, if the truth be told.) They accommodated us.
After the bad start, we ended up at a good table next to Joe Pesci’s doppelgänger and 9 other people who had to listen to him and his amped up delivery for the entirety of their dinner. (And mine, too.) So, we’ve been moved, sit next to the Joe Pesci from Lethal Weapon 2, and there are candles on the wall. Bring on the food.
The food rescued the evening. It was just unusual enough to be great. I had the oysters and sashimi appetizer along with the crispy sea bass. Really, really tasty. And the sauces they used were amazing — kinda spicy, kinda bitter, and all around super. And the desserts were perfectly sized and tasty. Our waitress was really good — she poured the wine and got our orders expedited like a real pro.
I’d go to Tangerine again. I’d like to start out on a better note from the beginning. (Anyone else have that catch-​as-​catch-​can nervousness about Open Table reservations?) I really liked the food, and think it would be a fun place to go with a group of 6 or 8. I was expecting more, and more pillows, so I’ll go with a 3 for now. I liked the food and the hundreds of candles flickering in the wall — it’s just that diss about the «private dining room» that really threw me.

I think I get Stephen Starr now. When I moved here I was under the impression his restaurants were the best in Philly. But now I realize they’re maybe the best looking, but the food is definitely not top priority.
I came here as a guest for a work party. The food was served family-​style, so I got to try a lot of dishes.
The best thing was the Meze Tasting dish. If I ever get dragged here again, that’s my safety net. It is like a Mediterranean antipasto– meats, cheeses, hummus, pita, grilled peppers.
I also liked the arugula salad. The rest of the menu was forgettable. Overall it was just okay. The servers were a bit frantic. The interior is beautiful, of course.
Good for a drink and a snack, but that’s about it.

I’ll probably say things that others have said before me, but hey… nothing’s wrong with backup.
I invited my posse to fill the 4 other seats I reserved at Tangerine for Restaurant Week. I picked it because
1)
ranks them $$$$ on the price scale, so I knew we’d be getting a good deal with the $ 35 prix-​fixe menu.
2) I’ve been wanting to try a variety of the Stephen Starr restaurants.
3) The menu looked good, although I didn’t know what would be featured on the RW menu.
4) I had heard great things about the décor (from Unilocalers, thank you very much).
Now for my experience. Upon walking into the restaurant, I had to stop and allow my eyes to adjust to the moody lighting, which was, besides moody, incredibly sexy. I had my boyfriend in tow, and while we sipped (delicious) drinks in the cushy low seats of the lounge, I secretly hoped the others our party would cancel so that he and I could have a romantic evening. (No dice; they showed, which was fine.)
The lounge and the drinks are where the majority of the stars in this review come into play. If I go back, it will be for drinks only. Okay, and maybe dessert because my dessert (chocolate cake with almond paste and vanilla ice cream) was off the chain and an amazing rebuttal to an entirely mediocre entrée.

Went for my girlfriend’s birthday last year. First, let me say that the décor is amazing, in my opinion. Candles everywhere. One of the hippest and most tastefully decorated restaurants I’ve been to in the city.
Our server was amazing. She promptly took our wine order and then came back for drinks and appetizers. She notified us that the wine would take a bit to be brought up. Our first bottle of Chat-​du-​Pape was corked and they took it back without a fuss and brought us another bottle.
Our appetizers were average. Crudo was too heavily seasoned and lost the flavor of the fish. Portions were medium sized.
Entrees were totally hit and miss. Grilled whole fish was excellent. Chicken tagine was ultra-​salty. Crusted sea bass was a bit bland.
Chocolate tasting dessert was neat to look at if executed poorly. In fact that sort of sums up this place: Beautiful aesthetically but food execution is not up to snuff.

A close gal-​pal of mine and I both tried Tangerine for dinner for the very first time last night. We arrived for our (early) 5:30 PM reservation just as they were opening and thus, were the only people there.
The interior is very dark/​dim/​romantic and GORGEOUS. The right hand wall is completely votive-​lit in small arch-​shaped alcoves.
The low leather chairs were very comfy — but we are both short, petiit women — not sure if a big guy would feeel the same.
We started with non-​alcoholic drinks at the bar area (iced tea and Limonata). The custom drink menu looked great — but we were driving.
Then off to our table for dinner.
We split the YUMMY arugula salad with tasty candied almonds.
Then she (vegetarian) custom ordered a $ 22 veggie/​side dish plate and I had the Kobe beef appetizer in lieu of a full entrée ($ 16). My friends fava beans and kale «casserole» were delicious. She did not like the farro much. My app was great — but not light. It came with a rich parmesan crema — so good you could lick the plate.
We shared 2 desserts. As mentioned by others — DON’T MISS THE CREME BRULEE. Ours was banana and was accompanied by 3 house-​made ‘Nilla-​style wafers.
We also got the Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate trio which was not realy that great. The mouse cake was cold and very dense, the Napoleon had delectable house-​made ice cream (choloate of course) and there was a torte-​of-​sorts with a delicous fresh whipped cream blob on top.
Meanwhile with tax and tip our bill (no alcohol — remember) was $ 95. OUCH.
Thus 4 stars. It is great — but simply not a 5 star value.
This is a good place for a guy to take a girl to impress her. She may still not like you after the meal, but she’ll have had a good time.
Oh — and it’s $ 17 to valet park your car. (My friend drove — I walked.)
Service was excellent. (But it was early and we were the only guests until about 6 when a few LARGE party groups came in.)
Also –if I ever go back — I will go for cocktails «mezze» and dessert only. The desserts are really worth it. That crème brûlée is one of the best I’ve tried — complete with black specs of vanilla bean at the bottom, cold cream and a hot crackling sugar crust encasing the paper thin banana slices.
Kudos to the pastry chef!!!

Tangerine was pretty neat. I like Stephen Starr places, having been to the Continental, Morimoto, and Buddakan in NYC, but this place seemed like a different kind of production from Stephen Starr… It was very good, but didn’t seem to have the theatrical presence that I’ve come to expect from a Starr Restaurant (not necessarily a bad thing if you’re looking for more of a romantic dinner than a crazy night out).
The food is excellent, don’t get me wrong, and the atmosphere is very chic, but it wasn’t what I expected from a Starr restaurant. I’d recommend Buddakan over Tangerine if you’re looking for some good fusion in a more unique environment.

If Raphael painted meals, they would look like Tangerine.
This trendy fusion restaurant uses lighting to both enthrall and guide its diners to a state of bliss. Another outpost of Stephen Starr’s, its façade is more refined than his other restaurants. Tangerine’s appeal lies primarily with its food and secondly with its mystique. This place is DARK. The lounge’s foreign theme employs drapes, candles and low seats in concert to achieve an effect uncommon in many restaurants. Their full menu is served in the lounge area if you can’t obtain a reservation in time for that hot date.
Service was practically top-​notch. A bus person tried to take a plate with a substantial amount of food on it without asking — the only glaring negative for the evening. The manager and our waiter came by several times to ask how everything was going.
We ordered a sweet tangerine cocktail ($ 8) with tangerine purée, vanilla vodka, and club soda in it.
For appetizers, we started with the crunchy calamari ($ 9.50), sprinkled with red pepper aioli and topped with a kalamata olive salad. The calamari was lightly breaded and tasty. I found it to be enjoyable; others swear by it. The sauce adds visual flair to the presentation and is quite tangy and flavorful.
Arriving nearly simultaneously were the chickpea crepes ($ 10) filled with chicken and chanterelle mushrooms. They were delectable and well-​made.
For entrees, the pan-​seared red snapper ($ 24) was flanked with spinach ravioli and lightly soaked in a toasted red pepper sauce. This was the most robust (considering serving-​size) of the entrees.
The next entrée was the shrimp and scallops Afrique ($ 26.50) which consisted of day boat scallops and jumbo shrimp in a pleasantly zesty almond curry with carrot fufu and a side of steamed rice. The scallops were amazingly huge. Both the shrimp and scallops were tender.
Easily the weakest of the entrees, the pan-​roasted chicken breast ($ 22) was served with a mascarpone gâteau filled with baby spinach and mushrooms. The stingy portion is barely enough to feed a small underweight child. The gâteau was appetizing though.
Dessert was an unusual treat. A toasty-​warm apple-​cinnamon baklava ($ 9) ended the meal nicely. It contained walnut cream, buttermilk ice cream, and was served with a dab of sour cherry sauce.
Tangerine is wicked expensive. You’re paying for quality, not quantity. You will be hungry afterwards too. (Luckily, Chinatown is not far away.) The check came when needed. Go if you’re seeking a romantic dinner or interested in sampling new cuisines. Reservations essential! Tangerine may not be the epitome of fine dining, but it comes close.
UPDATE, 5÷9÷2008: Friendly server Josh helped our party. I asked to have the bar make me a «creative shot» but I received a smaller version of one of their drinks instead. That soured me a little, but Tangerine’s surprising departure from small portion sizes let me transport myself to heaven many times during the meal: try the shrimp and scallops! I still heartily recommend Tangerine.

Very trendy and tourists love this place.
But it actually has some great food and isn’t all talk. Walls are lined with votives and there are tons of great tables in great locations. However, you’ll probably want to set on the window seats in the front. These are perfectly lounge areas to grab one of their awesome mixed drinks and people watch on your cushions.
Expect creative dishes such as lavender crème brûlée.