Pod | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

If you haven't done so already, please be sure to check out my East Coast Eats gallery on Nonstop (@nonstophonolulu). A "like" or comment would be greatly appreciated ;)

Pod is another venture by restauranteur Stephen Starr. Since Pizzeria Stella was such a hit, we decided to try another of his venues in celebration of my mom's birthday. Pod features contemporary Asian cuisine and very eccentric decor. The food and service, however, were outstanding. That's two-for-two for Stephen Starr!

Pod
3636 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215) 387-1803
Website
Follow (Starr Restaurants) on Twitter
Like (Starr Restaurants) on Facebook

As we walked into the restaurant, we were greeted by this huge lighted sign. It had the feeling of an 80's era retro lighted billboard.


For some reason, I thought the interior was very J-Pop-ish. It must have been all the circles, colored lights and red vinyl...


Our "pod" came equipped with this light panel. Pressing a button would change the entire overhead lighting of our booth. It was highly entertaining for our four year old, but not so much for the other adults trying to enjoy their dinner.


We started with mushroom dumplings. The minimalist presentation really spoke to me amidst the heavier dishes that followed.


The House salad was tossed with a tasty ginger dressing.


The vegetable tempura was exceptional. The batter was light and crispy and fried to perfection.


Being of the Jasmine variety, the Seafood Fried Rice had a nice, fluffy texture. It was prepared Chinese style, without a lot of shoyu.


Here's a plate of their Vegetable Combination sushi platter.


The assorted sashimi was top notch. The pieces were fresh, fatty and flavorful.


Duck 2 Ways: a medium-rare pan-seared duck breast and duck confit in bao bun. This was the first time I've ever eaten duck medium rare and it rocked! It was by far, my favorite dish.

Pizzeria Stella | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

When I asked Melissa Chang (@Melissa808) for recommendations about where to eat in Philadelphia, her response was, "Anything, and I mean anything!! by Stephen Starr is going to be good." That's a pretty heavy endorsement from one of Honolulu's top foodies, so my brother suggested Pizzeria Stella in downtown for our Memorial Day dinner.

Pizzeria Stella
420 South 2nd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 320-8000
Website
Follow (Starr Restaurants) on Twitter
Like (Starr Restaurants) on Facebook

Melissa was right. Stephen Starr's restaurants are gold. This was probably the best pizza I've ever had (though V Lounge back home is a close second).


This is the asparagus appetizer, served with a sunny-side-up egg and parmesan vinaigrette. The asparagus was done perfectly.


We also ordered some broccoli rabe. While good, I felt it was the least memorable dish.


The chopped salad had some ridiculous number of different veggies in it. Each bite was a unique blend of flavors and textures. This is definitely worth ordering again.


But who goes to a pizza parlor for salad and appetizers, right? This is the "Marinara," done simply with san marzano tomato, oregano, garlic. All of the pizzas are wood-fired so you get that nice crispy outside and warm, chewy inside.


Here's a close-up of the "Marinara." If you're lactose intolerant, this is a good option because it comes sans cheese.


The "Pepperoni" has abbruzze pepperoni with oregano, mozzarella, tomato.


This was slightly spicier than your average pepperoni pizza and balanced nicely with the "Pistachio."


Yes, you read that correctly. Pistachio. As in the nut. This was an interesting blend of red onion, pistachio, fontina and extra virgin olive oil.


It was on the sweeter side, which is why it went well with the pepperoni. I suppose some red pepper flakes would do the trick, too.


To round out our order, we included the "Mushroom," which had rosemary ham, smoked mozzarella and garlic crema.


Like the others, this was an amazing combination of flavors that exploded in your mouth. The saltiness of the ham brought out the natural sweetness of the mushroom.