In the few short months since Emmett in Philadelphia has been open, the Levantine restaurant has already racked up a ton of raves. The Infatuation gave it a 9.3 rating, saying Emmett does “Mediterranean-meets-Middle Eastern better than anyone else,” and Inquirer critic Craig LaBan says the restaurant brings “a special-occasion aura back to this South Kensington corner.”
The $115 tasting menu is one of the most exciting aspects of eating here, and chef partner Evan Snyder wanted to strike the right balance between the amount of food and the price point. “It’s better value,” he says. “You get to try a pretty good amount of stuff on the menu.”
The four-course tasting gives you the option to choose from multiple dishes in each course. Although the menu changes frequently, there are a handful of items that Snyder says are an absolute must-order when they’re on the menu.
Read on for 5 must-try dishes at Emmett in Philadelphia, and book your spot on OpenTable to try them all.
When a pastrami sandwich becomes a tart
This dish is one of the few that never comes off of the menu. Snyder and his team make a rye tart shell and fill it with a mixture of Wagyu, shallots, and garlic, among other things, and top it with shaved horseradish and smoked mustard. “It eats like a pastrami sandwich,” Snyder says.
A buttery French cake goes savory
You can order most dishes from the tasting menu a la carte, including these sesame madeleines that Snyder says are “a staple on every table.” Madeleines might usually come out for dessert at the end of a meal, but at Emmett you’ll get these nutty, buttery creations as an appetizer with a side of strawberry jam and ras el hanout butter. Add a side of caviar if you’re feeling extra fancy.
Beef Wellington heads to the Mediterranean
Emmett’s borek lamb pie is a playful take on the traditional English dish that encases beef tenderloin with pastry. Snyder makes a lamb sausage with feta and smoked lamb neck and rolls it into layers of filo before frying it in a pan with beef fat. Order this to share—it comes with a side of English peas, apple butter, and lamb jus.
A meaty showstopping centerpiece
Snyder is most excited about this dry-aged ribeye right now. A combination of dry-aging and aging in koji gives it a sweet and salty crust when the meat is grilled on the wood fire. You’ll also get it with umami-packed sides like a burnt tahini maitake purée, stuffed morels, and smoked short rib.
A homey favorite gets an upscale twist
The rabbit lasagna is brand new to the menu, and this is one dish you’ll want to jump on because it may not stay on in this exact form. Snyder makes a sunchoke ricotta by roasting sunchokes, blending them with a sunchoke miso, and folding that mixture into ricotta cheese. He layers the sunchoke ricotta between fennel-braised rabbit and fennel-and-pork sausage, and tops the whole thing off with fried pork cracklings that act like a crust.
Nina Friend is a New York-based writer and editor who covers food, drink, and lifestyle.
