Mica: Craftsmanship at Work in the Heart of Chestnut Hill

By now you've likely read or heard that Philadelphia's own Mica was recently named one of GQ magazine's 10 Best New Restaurants in America. You can probably understand, then, why I did a little jump for joy reading this and knowing that we already had a reservation. Demand is sure to peak in the next few months. 

For us, Mica lived up to its reputation for complex and creative dishes, handcrafted with perfection by emerging local star Chip Roman. Looking at the meal as a whole though, including the progression of small plates and service, it was mix of positives and negatives. In the end, I did walk away with admiration for the TLC put into every bite.

There are just a few options at Mica: the chef's tasting of five or seven dishes, or a fixed price for three or four choices from the main menu. The month's tasting ingredients are listed but you don't know how they'll be used. We went in February, so what you see below may not be what's offered another month. 


We opted for the five-course tasting menu at $75 per person. It came with a freebie dish at the beginning and end, so we really had seven courses. Don't know if that's the norm, but it certainly made us glad we picked the smaller option. Roman's complimentary Spanish mackerel ceviche was a perfectly fresh combination of light fish, grapefruit, cilantro and salsa verde, possibly even our favorite dish of the night. It set the tone very well.