Marigold Kitchen

Oh man...this place.

We were looking forward to having our minds blown and our tastebuds tickled at Marigold Kitchen. Sadly, our wishes did not come to fruition.

The 13 course tasting menu sounds overwhelming, however, the portions are small-plate size. Each item was beautiful presented (very Instagram-worthy if that's your thing), but the flavors of the dishes were confusing and felt forced. Textures were odd, flavors were flat, and we were truly underwhelmed by many of the dishes. So much so that the 4 of us couldn't even recall what many of the dishes were when we regrouped the next morning for brunch.

The waitstaff was kind and relatively detailed in their descriptions of the dishes. It would have helped to have been provided with a paper menu to outline what the evening had in store for us, but that's apparently not their thing at Marigold Kitchen. You're really relying on a thorough explanation from your server on what you're being presented. This may not be the best option for people with food allergies (they did ask ahead of time if our party had any). None of us had any dietary restrictions, however, we still would have loved to know what the courses entailed. We lost track of where we were after about 7 courses.

The bathroom in the main dining area looked like a bomb went off in there way before the end of the evening. It might behoove the staff to check-in on their facilities from time to time. It was very off-putting and gross (unisex bathrooms on both floors).

We can check this restaurant off of our list. One-and-done and we won't be returning!

We came by for brunch Sunday morning with reservations and were seated promptly. For food, we had the ham and leek tourtiere, suckling ham hash and a side of potato darphin. The tourtiere is like a meat pie. Inside, the meat, celery and carrot were probably once stewed and then blended into bits before baked into a pie. It was definitely flavorful. The suckling ham hash was delicious as well and the potato darphin reminded me of a tortilla espanola. It was a very hearty brunch. Service was great, as our server consistently came by to refill our coffee and waters. This is a nice and quaint place if you want to just get away from the usual rowdy brunch places.

When I first heard of Marigold Kitchen, I knew I had to go and try it myself. I finally did, and while there were a few things I didn't like, such as the amount of courses and a few dishes, it was a remarkable culinary experience overall. The few dishes in the middle were not to my liking, but Marigold Kitchen finished strong with the dessert game, so I still left home feeling satisfied. Satisfied, yes, but physically uncomfortable due to the amount of food I ate. I'm a petite lady, so fourteen courses were too much for me. Even though each course was tiny, they added up quickly. If you're like me and don't eat that much to begin with but still want to try Marigold Kitchen, I would suggest fasting the day of your reservation.

On to the flavors. All the dishes were intriguing to say the least. We started with a walnut bisque, followed by pumpkin with brioche, charcuterie, veal sweetbreads, Some of the Duck, cauliflower, a free sample of leak ash ravioli, wild boar sausage, sorbet, The Rest of the Duck, Mom Mom's Apple Pie, Pineapple Tort, Marigold's PSL (deconstructed Pumpkin Spice Latte), and chocolate. My least favorite dish was the overly salty leak ash ravioli, while my favorite dish was the pineapple tort. All the desserts were simply spectacular. The non-desserts were hit-or-miss for me. Some of the Duck, the Rest of the Duck, and veal sweetbreads were my favorites.

Our waiter was attentive, but the service was nothing to write home about. Pretty standard for a restaurant of this level.

One thing I really liked was the menu card that we could take home as a memorabilia. I also liked the fact that they wanted diners' feedback by giving us survey cards at the very end to ask about our dining experience there. I hope Marigold Kitchen took my feedback on the leak ash ravioli and improve the dish for other diners to enjoy.

My first visit to Marihold kitchen was closer to a 3.5. But the staff was awesome which got them to a 4 star rating.

I am a Big Sister with BBBS and this was a SUPER BIG night for my Little. She just finished her freshman year of college with excellent grades and we hadn't seen each other in a year, so we picked a really special restaurant for the night. She was do look excited about the 13 course tasting menu... So imagine our disappointment when the day before our reservation they called to say they would only be offering a 5-6 course test menu the night we were coming. The 9nly way to get a full menu was to come on Friday or Saturday (which had been booked solid the previous week). Details like this should probably be noted in the reservation process.

Once we arrived, the ambiance was great. The restaurant is in an old house with strange acoustics so it will suddenly get oddly loud at random moments.

The food was good overall. Because it was a test menu, some courses were more successful than others. Oddly, they didn't ask for feedback, so I'm not sure how they are determining ing the successfulness of the menu.

If you don't bring you own beverages, they have a wonderful selection of teas they will brew for you. And they describe each dish in excellent detail as it comes out. They pay close attention to pacing and make sure to take the time to engage guests, on a personal level.

I will an back, but definitely on a night when the full menu is available.

My boyfriend and I shared an incredible meal on an early May Saturday night. He surprised me with a reservation, so I did not have time to properly prepare my expectations or taste buds. But - what a phenomenal meal from start to finish.

The setting is understated and cozy - an unassuming home at the corner of 45th Street & Larchwood Ave in West Philly. I have walked by the restaurant many times in my years of living nearby, and always wondered what magic happened in there.

From what I can remember/what I jotted down immediately after the meal, we ate:
- Deviled egg
- Frisee salad with goat cheese & mushroom croquettes
** - Roasted carrot in coconut curry soup
- Seared asparagus with mini english muffin and roasted sunchoke and hollandaise
** - Duck scrapple with sunny side egg and coffee reduction
- Pomegranate sorbet
** - Diver scallops with english peas and fiddlehead ferns
** - Duck breast with duck liver pate
- Irish cheddar cream cannoli with guinness drizzle
- Home made strawberry soda with marscapone ice cream
** - Blueberry muffin with blueberry coulis and frozen yogurt

I starred my favorite dishes, all of them unique and surprising. I think both of us, throughout the meal, kept saying out loud "wow - this is so interesting... and unexpected." To be honest, each course kept getting better and the attention to every detail is impeccable.

Service was superior. The courses were paced well (maybe even a bit too spread out occasionally) and our servers were friendly, knowledgable, and professional.

I would love to come back to try the Summer and other seasonal menus.

My bf knows me too well. He took me to Marigold for my birthday, without providing any indication of where we're going, other than saying that it's "fancy schmancy". As we headed towards West Philly, I started getting an inkling; and then became ecstatic when my inkling was confirmed as we walked up the steps of an old Victorian home.

Service? Impeccable. The wait staff were attentive, friendly and patient - never losing their cool even though we annoyingly asked them to repeat the descriptions of every one of the eleven courses that came our way.

Ambience was quaint and incredibly intimate, with no more than 10 small tables. Plus, it's a BYO, a rarity for restaurants of this caliber.

Favorites: first, the roasted carrots with Parmesan cream, pearl onions, basil oil, brandied raisin, and nutmeg. Why was it so delicious? I'm pretty sure the carrots being cooked in duck fat had something to do with it. Second, the wild barley "risotto" with Maine lobster, cherries, fennel, and chives. Hearty and creamy, but surprisingly light. Another favorite was the bao bun, with mustard crusted sweet breads, mustard greens, and black garlic horseradish mayo. Slightly heavy, but incredibly tasty. One of the two sweet desserts was an maple poached apple with dulce de leche, pistachio strudel, cinnamon ice cream, and ginger meringue. A lot of components, yes. But it went so well together!

Although I loved or liked most of the dishes, there were a couple that slightly missed the mark (though let's get real, I'd probably still eat it again). First, the Belgian endive, with gorgonzola foam, candied walnuts, and balsamic emulsion orange zest. The issue was that the endive was bitter, so much so that I had trouble eating the whole dish. Another was the dark chocolate pudding with roasted hazelnut, apple cider "caviar", and butternut squash cream. It was slightly too rich, especially as the last sweet dessert dish.

All in all, an amazing food experience. If I were a millionaire, I may consider going another time this year. But alack, alack......

Marigold Kitchen is a homey BYOB inside a converted house, one block away from Baltimore Avenue in West Philly. Friends and I caught up in their charming dining room - slightly drafty during the wintertime - which is open for dinner, including Sundays.

Chef Michael Solomonov's[1] menu is a mix of American and Mediterranean influences. At the time, they featured a tasting menu (call ahead to check availability, if interested). Their menu's strength lies in that it is always fresh, always changing.

For our first course, we enjoyed Taylor bay scallops with uni custard and black trumpet mushrooms ($10), and the superb escargot with honey mushrooms, Israeli couscous and pine nuts ($9). For the second course, the braised lamb shank with prunes and basmati rice ($27) floored us, while the seared scallops with oxtail tagine and root vegetables ($27) were well-seasoned. To close, I tried the cardamom-scented creme brulee with orange ($7).

Enticing food, perfect service[2], and a comfortable atmosphere make Marigold well worth a visit. (Reservations recommended. Street parking only. Credit cards accepted.)

[1] Executive Chef Erin O'Shea is also on deck, having joined more recently
[2] General manager Brett and the staff that night took care of us

For the price of $90 per person, I do not believe the quality of the food lived up to that amount. I wonder if the price is more so for the experience rather than the quality since the atmosphere was lovely -- very warm, romantic, and intimate of a setting. Our waiter was extremely attentive to our needs (made sure none of us had food allergies or dietary restrictions) and always ensured our wine glasses were never empty.

With 13 different courses, only 2 stood out beyond a mediocre rating -- the squab dish with wild rice and the halibut. All other dishes looked lovely, but at times the vegetables seemed undercooked and some dishes were lukewarm. One meat dish was simply cold and tasted/had the texture of canned cat food. It was very hard for my friend and I to say anything impressed us beyond the 2 prior mentioned dishes.

I wouldn't recommend paying $90 for Marigold for taste because it is not worth that sort of money. If you want to spend that sort of money for the "experience", go for it, but I still do not believe it is worth anywhere near that amount. Save that $90 and go elsewhere.

Amazing! Have been wanting to try this place for a while now, and I figured UC Dining Days would be a great time to try it. Came here with a friend on a Friday night with an 8:30 reservation. It's literally a house that's been converted into a restaurant. We were seated on the second floor right next to the ac, perfect for the 100 degree temperatures we were baking in outside.

I went with the asparagus dish with the 147 degree egg, the wagyu with fried bearnaise and potato, and chocolate tort for dessert. Everything was delicious and beautifully presented. The wagyu was a little chewy, but tasted great, and the lemony bearnaise and potato foam were a perfect complement. My friend got the goat cheese and beets, salmon, and profiteroles with ice cream. His meal was great too, although he was eyeing my steak.

The added bonus was the 6 or 7 amuse-bouches. Also have to mention the staff. They were super nice about explaining everything. The timing between each course and amuse bouche was perfect, and our server stopped by after each course to make sure we were enjoying everything. It was just a really terrific dinner all around, and I definitely recommend giving Marigold a try.

I don't get the 5 star reviews for this place. The decor is basically a dumpy DIY house. IKEA everything and a sloppy paint job.

The food is borderline garbage. Some people might think it's creative but one course was a marshmallow with a pea. Another course was grey water ice. About half of the courses will be so disgusting that you won't be able to finish.

If you want the type of experience they're trying to offer, go to Vetri, Zahav, or some other place.

Plus it's over $100 a person.. not even remotely worth it.. no wonder it was empty on a weekend night.