Marigold Kitchen

It's been a few years since I visited Marigold, but I was skeptical because head chef Erin O'Shea left the restaurant. Much to my surprise, the new chef was able to take everything O'Shea had done and improve upon it, making a place I liked a lot even better.

To start, we ordered the cheese plate. This is one of the true pleasures at Marigold, and the portions are more generous than I remember. The three featured cheeses were a hard, mild cheddar, a blue cheese covered in vinaigrette, and a cheese that was similar to brie; I believe it was a Camembert. All of these were really good and diverse, and paired well with the honey and pears served alongside. A visit here without ordering the cheese plate is incomplete.

Throughout the evening, we had amouse bouche brought over bunches of times. In fact, there were so many that I can't remember them all. Some were really good, others forgettable. Some of my favorites included the chestnut filled ravioli, grapefruit soda, shaved parsnips, and all the desserts (best dessert was salted caramel).

For our appetizer we split General Tso's veal sweetbreads, which was a unique Asian fusion dish that was really tender. The mains were pork tenderloin and scallops with peas, bacon and mushrooms. The menu here has a lot of options, and I honestly had a hard time picking out my dish. Nothing disappointed.

The atmosphere here is nice. It's a converted West Philly house, and the rooms are small and it's a great place to dine. The servers here were fantastic; the manager checked up on us and we were well taken care of all night.

Bottom Line: This BYOB provides a great dining experience. I liked it before, and this last visit exceeded my expectations. It's fantastic food and service, and while it's not the cheapest, it's certainly a great value for a nice dinner.