food.

so, my birthday happened to fall on the last day of restaurant week. my father graciously agreed to take me out, seeing as there were some neat restaurants on the list, and it meant he didn't have to get me a birthday present anyway ;)

i chose Twenty Manning based on their proffered menu, which was larger and more interesting-looking than probably 90% of the other restaurants on the list. what i discovered after the reservation was made was that it had a reputation for being a collection place for rittenhouse square's chic-est of the chic. which, needless to say, isn't me. on the other hand, one assumed that the clientele would be somewhat different during the restaurant week promotion. in the end, dad said he'd like to come back for the food, but he felt too old for the place.

since it was my birthday, and even though i hadn't eaten for 7 hours or so, i decided to have a cocktail to "start off with." i don't usually drink cocktails; i don't like sugar with my alcohol in general and they don't generally go with food. but they had a "ginger cosmo" which was (iirc) "ginger-infused vodka" and cranberry and grapefruit juices. the ginger was more apparent in the nose than on the palate, but it wasn't as sweet as i was fearing (do cocktails have a nose?).

it also went surprisingly well with my first course, peking duck spring rolls. the peking duck filling was very, very mild, and unfortunately rendered essentially flavourless by the inclusion of a sweet and hot sauce. however, it enabled me to drink my cocktail without falling off my chair.

for my main course, i had seared mahi-mahi over grilled vegetables in a green coconut-milk-based curry broth-thing. that's an incredibly sophisticated description, i know. but it was very good. the curried coconut milk and the still-crisp vegetables cut the monotonous flavour of the fish very well. i like fish like mahi-mahi and tuna in steaks, but i find that uninspired chefs will present you with a block of fish over something bland, like rice. halfway through your meal, you desperately want to taste something, anything other than your fish. this one was very nicely done. for dinner, we had a dry riesling which was alright because 3 of the 5 of us ordered fish, and my brother is too young to drink anyway.

dessert was a "sampler" that included some very good ice cream and a disappointingly unripe blackberry in the fresh fruit melange. there was also a cinnamon-dusted puff pastry and a chocolate thing.

all in all, it was very good. the waitstaff was attentive and not snobby, although the restaurant was so full with tables that they could barely get through. also, if you happened to be left-handed, they kept missing your water glass.

i really enjoy philly's restaurant week promotions because they work exactly the way they're supposed to: you can try out new or previously unknown places, or places that would otherwise be just too expensive. it's a great idea, and from everything i've read, it generates a hell of a lot of business for the city. i'm all in favour of anything that keeps philly's food scene going :)