South Philly Review

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Six years ago, South Philadelphia-born chef Franco Martorella opened Bliss on South Broad Street. Although he was a master of French-Italian cuisines, Martorella, who worked at The Fountain in the Four Seasons Hotel, was named executive chef at the Ritz-Carlton and became a partner in the now-shuttered Brasserie Perrier. He also took classes with Eileen Yin-Fei Lo, considered an authority on Cantonese fare. Martorella wowed me with his splendid artistry, innate culinary sense and presented dishes which appealed to all the senses. The pastas were handmade and his Asian dishes often were the star of the menu. A little more than a year ago, Martorella sold Bliss to Chris Dhimitri who owns Chris’s Jazz Club. I was curious to see if the menu had changed and if the fare would be as fine as Martorella’s.

I visited Bliss on two occasions. Last month, before a performance of “Jeanne Ruddy Dance” at The Wilma Theater, I wanted a bite to eat.

I settled into a seat at the granite-topped bar and perused the bar and dinner menus. I arrived around 6 p.m. and Bliss was doing a brisk business.

Donna the bartender stirred up a fine Bombay Sapphire martini ($10) which was priced just right considering it was pretty good-sized. I munched on the long, slightly salty, crispy breadsticks.

I began with a salad of beets, goat cheese and mixed greens tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette ($9). The beets — the star here — were beautifully roasted, cooled, cut into cubes and sat atop a mound of ordinary mesclun. The dressing, however, was in the proper balance of vinegar and olive oil. I usually do not like balsamic vinegar unless I know it is from Modena. This one was just fine.

Kobe beef burgers are popping up everywhere. Some places are offering them at ridiculously low prices, especially for lunch. But I was dining during the cocktail hour and thought $14 for one was reasonable. It arrived rare topped with cheddar cheese, caramelized onions and served with a pile of piping hot french fries. Thank goodness it was not served on a sweet brioche roll. I liked the soft bun, which was a bit toasted. The quality of the beef was evident with each bite.

On my next visit, I ordered the arugula salad ($9). It was disappointing. No one trimmed the baby leaves. The long stems should have been removed. It also was very salty.

Donna graciously removed it and brought me the aforementioned beet salad that was just as fine as on my first visit.

Ask for bread and butter at Bliss. It is delicious when slathered with softened butter.

I ordered a glass of Tierra Brisa Malbac ($9) from Mendoza, Argentina. It was rich and bursting with fruit, so I knew it would drink well with a petite filet mignon. The menu description states it is a grilled petite filet Oscar, crabmeat, mashed potatoes, asparagus, hollandaise sauce ($30). I ordered it rare.

The steak arrived medium. It was not properly seared on the outside. It sat atop a mound of mashed potatoes. It was topped with a few pieces of crabmeat, which did nothing to enhance the dish. I detected a tiny amount of hollandaise. Some thin fresh asparagus were sitting on the potatoes.

“My steak is not rare,” I said to my server.

A new dinner was prepared for me. This one turned out to be as ordered. It was tasty. The beef was not on top of the potatoes and neither were the asparagus and a few haricots vert included on the plate because the chef ran out of asparagus. I asked for more hollandaise. This is a rich mayonnaise-like sauce which is marvelous for vegetables.

After I paid the bill, I noticed a man looking my way. He looked familiar to me. Another man sat down next to me and I introduced myself. He turned out to be the general manager and wanted me to try dessert. The profiteroles were about the best I’ve had. I asked if they could be filled with ice cream instead of pastry cream. He obliged my request.

Although Bliss lacks Martorella’s magic, it is a fine spot before or after a show.

Two tips of the toque to Bliss.

Bliss
220 S. Broad St.
215-731-1100
www.bliss-restaurant.com