Three Bells For Mica

Craig LaBan has nothing but praise for Mica, Chip Roman’s Chestnut Hill restaurant ably steered by 26-year old chef Jason Cichonski.

Cichonski is one of our most exciting young chefs, and the combo of his boundary-pushing creativity with Roman’s slightly more classic sensibilities produced fireworks on the plate. Among the most unexpected was a silky puree of banana piqued with roasted garlic and sherry vinegar that, along with spicy black olive puree, added an exotic spark to seared skate one night, then a medium-rare steak of Jersey Shore tuna the next. There were others: the subtly smoky dashi broth in the white polenta for Roman’s beautifully stuffed chicken, combined with charred onion jam and soy for a umami bomb of savory power. Or how about the anise accent of licorice root aioli and sour apricot puree that made those heat-charred tangles of tender octopus dance? So unlikely, but simply stunning.

Three Bells – Excellent

Mica [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Mica [Official Site]