July 5, 2007 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

King Solomonov reigns in regal Marigold Kitchen
by LEN LEAR

Chef Michael Solomonov and his wife, Mary, of Mt. Airy, are seen at their wedding last year at a location near the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

You have to love this riches-to-rags story. (Well, not exactly “rags,” but a reduced cache of riches.) Steven Cook, 33-year-old son of a rabbi, grew up in Pittsburgh, came to Philly to attend the University of Pennsylvania, graduated from the Wharton School and made some serious money as an investment banker in New York for six years.

But in addition to making money, Steven had a creativity itch that just had to be scratched (and with a last name like Cook, he was probably pre-destined to wind up in a professional kitchen), so he began taking night school courses at the French Culinary Institute in New York in 2001. If he had just learned to make a few great dishes for Saturday night dinner parties, you wouldn’t be reading about it in this newspaper.

But apparently Cook had even more of a flair for reduced red wine sauces than for reduced rate mortgages or compound interest, and he wound up kicking to the curb a career that promised to produce lots of “Benjamins” in exchange for one with lots of beans and butter.

So Cook returned from the heights of Wall Street to take a humble entry-level position at Twenty Manning restaurant near Rittenhouse Square. He later worked as a line cook at Salt, another Rittenhouse Square denizen which earned raves during its short shelf life. But with his combination of business acumen and culinary skill, Cook was not destined to be a rookie for long.

So in October of 2004, Cook opened his own restaurant, Marigold Kitchen, at 501 S. 45th St. (at Larchwood) in the gentrified Spruce Hill section of University City (with partner Jonathan Makar). The Victorian corner rowhouse, which is exactly 100 years old this year, was for many decades a boarding house with a down-home restaurant, Marigold Dining Room, on the first floor. In fact, for 70 years tenants were forced to walk through the restaurant, some carrying folded-up bicycles, in order to get to and from their apartments.

But those whimsical, sitcom-like days are gone. Cook began preparing serious, intricate New American dishes in his new BYOB, such as lemony butterfish over celery root puree with a shrimp “tamale” steamed in a banana leaf. Or roasted black cod over cabbage with hedgehog mushrooms and urchin cream.

Eventually, though, Cook’s entrepreneurial impulses won out over his shaved fennel and smoked paprika. Last year he opened another restaurant, Xochitl (pronounced so-cheet), an upscale Mexican eatery at 408 S. 2nd St. in Headhouse Square, which has been both a critical and artistic success. Cook does not now cook at either restaurant. (Do we have another Stephen Starr here in the making?)

At Marigold Kitchen, Cook turned over the reins to Michael Solomonov, now just 28, who was born in Israel but grew up in Pittsburgh with Steven Cook’s wife. But this was hardly some kind of Philly-style political friendship payoff. Solomonov, who graduated from Florida Culinary Institute, was previously cooking at Striped Bass and Avenue B and was sous chef under Marc Vetri. After coming to Marigold Kitchen, Michael was named “Best New Chef in 2006” by Philadelphia magazine, and Philadelphia Style magazine called him one of the “Top 10 Chefs You Need to Know” in its November issue.

Speaking of Vetri, who is Philly’s hottest chef with the eponymous Vetri restaurant and the new Osteria on North Broad Street, where reservations are like solid gold nuggets, he was involved in the most emotionally wrenching day of Solomonov’s life. “I took Marc to Israel to meet my family,” Michael said. “We also went to the Israeli army base where my brother was killed, and we made a big dinner for all the troops there, about 60 or more. We will never forget that experience ... Everyone in my family is a good cook, including my father, who was born in Bulgaria, and my grandmother, who is a Sephardic Jew. She really inspired me.”

Michael’s wife, Mary Armistead Solomonov, who grew up in Mt. Airy, now lives with her husband in South Philadelphia. She is a map maker for a local urban planning firm. “She’s an Episcopalian, which is close to Judaism,” joked Michael. “They just drink a little more.”

The converted rowhouse that houses Marigold Kitchen has two dining rooms on the first floor, seating a total of about 40, and one on the second floor for weekend overflow and private parties. There are hardwood floors and chairs and comfortable maroon banquettes on one side, along with pretty oak-trimmed bay windows with stained glass, but there is ductwork hanging from the ceiling that takes away somewhat from the charm, as does a gas fireplace wrapped in chintzy looking blue steel.

Solomonov’s cooking is an upscale, very original amalgam of Middle Eastern and New American elements with French technique, using local and organic ingredients whenever possible. Appetizers average about $11, entrees about $25 and desserts $7, although on Sunday nights a fixed price, three-course dinner is just $35. A five-course tasting menu is always available for $60, with Michael deciding what the courses will be.

On the current menu, a sweetbreads appetizer is absolutely sublime, wrapped in crispy chicken skin and accompanied by hummus. Another toothsome appetizer you won’t find anywhere else is the escargots with Turkish hummus and pickled ramps.

Michael’s seafood dishes could graduate summa cum laude from Penn. An olive oil-poached salmon was a divine inspiration alongside a potato pancake even better than my mother made (and hers were great), asparagus and mushrooms; and a pan-roasted halibut with fork-tender olive tortellini had a sensuous flavor that lingered in the memory for hours. Michael also makes the not-to-be-missed desserts such as the pineapple semolina cake with pineapple sorbet; lemon tart with lemon curd and lemon meringue sorbet; and a selection of three or five artisanal cheeses, each one accompanied by a partner for dipping, such as chamomile honey. Our server, a Drexel graduate named Christa Lawlor, was very personable and knowledgeable.

Like most restaurants these days, Marigold Kitchen can be extremely noisy when it’s crowded, although I seem to be in a small minority of customers who find most restaurant noise disconcerting or worse. Another negative for me was the fact that when we asked for a bucket with ice for our white wine, we were told they don’t have any.

One big plus is the free on-street parking very close to Marigold Kitchen. We had a few spaces to choose from within one block of the restaurant. Dinner only is served Tuesday through Sunday. For more information, call 215-222-3699 or visit www.marigoldkitchenbyob.com.