"N" is for Noble American Cookery

Ring, ring, ring...

"Hallo, Noble American Cookery, zis is Pierre."

"Yeah, hi Pierre. I have reservations with my wife tonight for her birthday and I was hoping there was something small you could do to acknowledge that, like maybe put a candle in the dessert or get the staff to do a song and dance routine. You know, something simple."

"We are bery dizcreet here, sir."

"Um, yeah, I was just kidding about the song and dance routine (uh oh, they are going to spit in our food)."

"Weez try not to interfere with the enjoyment of our other guests."

"Yeah, like I said, it was a joke. A candle will be fine, if that's not too difficult (uh oh, they are going to spit in our food)."

"What name is the reservation under? I will makez a note of it."

"Um, Johnson, yeah, Johnson, party of 12 at 5:30."

Click.

"Phew, that was a close one."

If only I had thought that fast on my feet (looks like those improv lessons went to waste). At it was, Pierre knew exactly who had called, when we were coming from dinner, and how much of a jackass I was. Uh oh.

And so it was that we stepped into Noble with a little bit of trepidation, gave the hostess our name, and were seated upstairs.

Noble truly is a fantastic, airy, well designed space. It was an ambitious project for the owners, without question, and one that certainly has its risks. Noble is perched a few blocks from prime walking territory, and while there are a few theaters on the same block, I don't know how much walk-up foot traffic the restaurant is going to get. And that's a shame, because it really does a dynamite job with its food.

The appetizer was decent (shrimp tostada), the dessert was only iffy (molten chocolate cake with a peanut butter filling and a marshmellow on the side in a too-powerful strawberry sauce), but my meal really turned on my entree. The pan-seared black sable with pea puree and creamy white potatoes was definitely one of the best meals I have had all year.

For whatever reason, I am always drawn toward "black" fish -- black bass, black cod, etc. -- and I really am not entirely sure why. I do know that I had a great black bass in San Francisco last December so perhaps that has something to do with it. Anyway, when they had a black sable (no, it's not a fur coat) on the menu at Noble, I knew it was a definite contender. And when our waitress specifically highlighted it her description (the "pick one of the following three things I am considering" approach worked again), I took a shot.

Thick yet tender, with crispy skin and achingly delicate white meat, the sable was cooked perfectly. I mean, perfectly. I usually find a way to screw up fish like this (almost always undercooked) so I know how difficult it can be to get it right. And the pea puree and potatoes, both artfully presented on the plate, were also great. It was the total package and I made sure to tell our waitress how much I enjoyed it. I didn't even taste the saliva in the food. :)

THE FOOD: The one problem I had with Noble is that it presented its dishes a little too much like art, which made them a little difficult to eat without making a mess. The tostada was a good example. It really was yummy, but it was a little scary cutting into it initially without fearing the whole thing would bounce off the table and into our lap.

THE DRINK: A good beer and wine list. I was still getting over a cold (and still am) so I just stuck to a glass of pinot gris. It was fine, but unmemorable.

THE STAFF: Since we had late reservations (at least for a weeknight), we were one of the last people in the restaurant. We chatted up our waitress quite a bit and found out her life story (girl from California, spent a few years in Missouri, was now in Philly because of her med school boyfriend). She could have done a better job professionally -- I swear she completely disappeared mid-meal for at least 15 minutes (I thought maybe she had quit on the spot) -- but she was a sweet girl so no demerits.

MAD PROPS FOR: The olive bread from Metropolitan bakery. It was excellent. They also have a cool bar downstairs that opens up in the street. Since there is no outdoor sidewalk seating, they were creative with making a space that looks out onto Sansom Street. It'd be fun for drinks on a summer evening.

OVERALL: An excellent job. Alas, not only was there no song and dance routine, but there was also no candle on the dessert. We had to ask them to go back and bring one out. Stupid Pierre -- the French suck.

THE CHECK: Not cheap -- $105 for two. But nothing is too good for my wife, right?

On to the Os...

Ineligible restaurants for round 15:

• Oceanaire -- If you were looking for overpriced seafood, this was the place to go. I kept waiting and waiting for it to go out of business. Finally, a few weeks ago, it shut its doors.
• Old Country Buffet -- I'll admit it. As a teenager, I loved this place. How naive I was.
• Old Nelson -- One of my lunchtime regular hangouts. It's clean, it's efficient, and it's relatively inexpensive.
• Olive Garden -- Everyone loves the Olive Garden. I mean, how can you not (oh, let me give you, let's say, 15 reasons off the top of my head)?
• Osteria -- When it opened, Osteria was the place to eat in Philly and topped most foodies' Top 10 lists. However, as the glow has died down, I don't hear much about Osteria anymore, which leads me to worry about its long-term survival. I'll be curious to go back one day soon to see if they are still busy.

Candidates for round 15:

• Oishi -- Quite an extensive menu at this Newtown enclave. Lots of sushi and non-sushi options, plus hibachi (it's dorky, but it's fun). Their website kicks ass, too. http://eatoishi.com/
• The Orchard Restaurant -- Our second suburban entree for this week up in the Brandywine Valley. It one of the many "we tailor our menu to what's seasonal places" -- no prices on the menu either, which always worries me. http://www.theorchardbyob.com/
• Oregon Diner -- As a rule, I am generally suspicious of diners, but I've driven by this place many times and it's always busy. http://www.oregondinerphilly.com/Welcome.html
• Oyster House -- Formerly the Sansom Street Oyster House, it has reopened after a major renovation and much-needed overhaul. I walked by a few weeks ago and, visually at least, they did a nice job. http://www.oysterhousephilly.com/