The view from the cozy bar was pleasant. The bartender your typical South Philly girl with an edge. You could tell the clientele was mostly regulars by the way the interacted with the staff and a few reservations for the back room intermittently graced our presence. The wine list was nice but not what you would expect from a place that considers itself a wine bar and restaurant. One member of the Panel has enjoyed many fines meals at Meritage so maybe we caught them on an off night.....To start we ordered the pan seared scallops over a truffle risotto and micro greens. The medium sized scallops scallops were sweet and well seared but the risotto was at times tough and the truffle oil was average in taste.
The reviews of the main courses were mixed. The filet mignon with okinawa sweet potato puree, hericot vert and port veal jus was cooked to perfection and bold with flavor. On the other hand the braised beef short rib with smoked cheddar and truffle mac and cheese, roasted plum tomatoes and natural beef jus was an abomination - it wasn't even a short rib. Whatever graced the center of this main course was closer to a poorly cooked brisket or pot roast than a tender beef short rib. They even have it on the bar menu as a braised short rib sandwich - two items to stay away from!
Desert ended the meal nicely with a timely take on a seasonal favorite, a pumpkin pie with pumpkin seed brittle and dark beer sabayon. The pie was smooth, flavorful and the brittle added a change of texture and taste that separated this desert from the pumpkin pie you would get at the supermarket - good but we were not blown away.
I guess if you had to order your Last Meal at Meritage we would recommend the scallops to start, the filet mignon with a nice red wine accompianment, and maybe the sorbet for desert... better yet maybe a cup of coffee or an after dinner drink instead. The LM Panel gives Meritage an average rating at best (ΩΩ) with plenty of room for improvement.
http://www.meritagephiladelphia.com/page2.php
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