Spice Finch — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Spice Finch is a pleasant and inviting Mediterranean restaurant just outside of Rittenhouse Square. Over the course of our evening we enjoyed the chef's tasting menu, and while everything tasted good and there's nothing specifically I can criticize, there was also very little that was exceptional or memorable. It just consistently decent.

When we told the waiter that we wanted the chef's tasting, we were informed (maybe even warned) that it would be a LOT of food and it was not an exaggeration. The variety and quantity of dishes was borderline comical, and for $59 a person we absolutely got our money's worth. I think that's what I enjoyed about the experience was the opportunity to try so many different things off the menu, from starters and small plates to proteins and desserts.

Our first course was a trio of dips (hummus, yogurt, and one other I couldn't identify), a pita, a basket of crackers, a large plate of tabbouleh, and then some chickpea fritters. The standout was the tabbouleh which was fresh and vibrant, while the dips were nice but none particularly stood out.

The second course was a skillet of cheese with tomatoes and herbs which was rich and decadent, and some shishito peppers with a tangy sauce. My favorite item was probably the grilled shrimps in some sort of tomato sauce which to me was maybe the one item I was served that was really exceptional.

The main course was a choice of either whole black bass or lamb shank and we chose the bass. It was very simple and nice, and the skin and sauce were flavorful but many bites were a touch bland. Again, I enjoyed it but it was the sort of dish that I wasn't going to remember.

Dessert was a brownie and ice cream, which tasted like a pretty standard brownie out of the box (in a good way?) and there were dessert dates that had way way too much lemon in them.

Finally, I'll comment on the "wine pairing" that we added to the tasting menu. For $25 you can add three wine pairings to the tasting menu and for a price like that we weren't expecting too much... and it pretty much met those expectations. Like our overall experience, it added some nice variety at a reasonable price but the wines weren't that good. I would probably suggest cocktails or glasses of your choosing.

Overall, we had a pleasant evening and enjoyed our dinner! At the same time, I don't anticipate being anxious to go back for more immediately. If I did, it would probably be for a happy hour at the bar, as I very much liked the atmosphere and...

I've had a lot of great experiences with Middle Eastern food in Philadelphia. This was not one of them.

We went with the tasting menu, which was reasonably priced. Another benefit was that I probably would have regretted the meal more if I had to pay individually for the majority of the dishes we received. One big gripe I had, though, is that there is no menu for the tasting menu and really at no point until the main dish did I know if more food was coming or what food was coming.

First came the dips: garlic yogurt, red pepper hummus, and melitzanosalata. I wasn't familiar with the latter but it was the best of a fairly mediocre three. Came with one flatbread but wish there had been more instead of the strangely hard spiced chips they came with (which felt like/tasted like chicharrones).

At this point, an absolute mound of tabbouleh joined the table. I continue to wonder why someone felt so much tabbouleh would ever be necessary. The twist of a broccoli tabbouleh I felt like didn't really work, as the broccoli just made the whole thing quite bitter.

Blistered peppers was a nice dish. The sauce was a good mix of tahina and harissa.

Chickpea wedges were fine. A bit overly mushy inside and crumbled easier than expected once dipped.

The baked cheese really added nothing to the meal by the time it came out. Not sure that the combination of baked cheese and tomatoes was a smart choice. Also, serving this in the baking pan in which it was made felt a bit off when the remainder of the dishware had matched so well.

Peri-peri shrimp: probably the best dish of the night. Plump shrimp, decent sauce.

Lamb shank: We chose this over the bass option. We subbed the crispy rice for the couscous. The rice was fine but at least what I was expecting from it. The lamb was supremely unflavorful, as were the vegetables with which it was served. The latter were also not as cooked/soft as I would have wanted or expected.

Two desserts: the brownie with the ice cream and halva was good-nothing standout but at least done well. The date truffles bordered on inedibly sweet.

The place itself was pretty empty for a Saturday night. Our waitress was super attentive. This was in contrast to the waitstaff that brought the dishes over and essentially whispered what each thing was with no...

We decided to dine here, since it was supposed to rain that evening and it is located right inside the hotel we were staying at.

We checked in at the hostess table, and advised we did not make a reservation, which I guess is best in their eyes.

After a quick glance, the hostess had us seated in the far front right corner of the establishment. The decor was very settle and nice. I might have to copy some of ideas for my backyard patio.

The price point ranges from $20 and up for most entrées. I needed something hot and ordered the mint tea; enjoyed that they served fresh mint tea leaves. Hubby ordered an iced tea (unsweetened).

While we were overlooking the menu, hubby was not too thrilled with the seating due to the vent was dripping water upon him, so we asked if we could be moved. And quickly we were seated diagonally to the other side. But to my discovery, no one didn't check or cleaned up that section in a minute, since I had to remove a whole spider and it's web from the corner of the bench. And would've took off another star because of that.

After we settled into our new section, our server took our orders. I do not remember what hubby ordered first, but it was not bad. The item included sliced cucumbers, radishes, and beets along with pita chips, served with a yogurt sauce, and two different types of hummus. I liked the pea hummus.

I ordered the Peri-Peri shrimp and hubby ordered the lamb kabob. I did read a few reviews, but wanted to be hopeful that there would be more to the dish. To my surprise, the reviews did not lie.... for the serving and cost for the food, I expect at least a starch or some vegetables to go with our meal. My dish was mostly sauce served on top of the 6 pieces of shrimp stuffed in the shrimp shell, for the amount of sauce left, some saffron or Jasmine rice and some vegetables would've made this meal complete. Even hubby's meal lacked a side.

Now, we did like the ambiance, however the noise level was a bit bothersome. There was a large table that was on the other side of us, but the two ladies that were seated after we were moved, do not know the meaning of inside voices. The flavors were just okay, nothing to sing about. Overall, you will spend a hefty change for a main course with no sides, but you have...