That old Vegas slogan certainly applies to our own gaming playland, where the anything-goes celebration dinner has helped fuel the growing restaurant scene. That evolution has certainly made a night out in A.C. a tastier gambit. But little of what actually happens on the plates in those new casino dining rooms - mostly branches of branded restaurant names - has been truly distinctive enough to be worth taking special notice of from afar.
Savvy Phila-vores, however, might want to pay attention to Izakaya. It caught my eye the moment I found myself suddenly suspended over riverstones on a glass bridge at the entrance. The sweet smell of hickory and cherry wood roasting miso-glazed skewers of lobster and lamb chops on the robatayaki grill drew me in, and never quite let go.
With its casually stylish ambience and ambitious small-plate take on Japanese pub fare, this is a departure from traditional casino fine-dining. And, judging from the stunning parade of dishes, from the crispy nori-rice cracker topped with spicy tuna to the silky kabocha cheesecake, Izakaya is also a smashing debut for a familiar name we're likely to be hearing more from.
Michael Schulson, 35, a longtime Stephen Starr hand who opened the original Buddakan (as chef de cuisine) and Pod (as chef), has reentered Philly's gravitational pull after rocketing to national notoriety as the chef of Manhattan's (far more interesting) Buddakan.
Eminently photogenic, he's been steeped in a heady celebrity-chef brew of appearances alongside Martha Stewart and Matt Lauer, his own TV show (Pantry Raid), a line of frozen dumplings, and a spice-company endorsement deal. He's even got big plans to open another place in Center City next year.
