A myriad of Mediterranean surprises

Long, dark and highlighted on each side by thin rows of orange-lit rocks, the entranceway is, without a doubt, distinctive, if not a little intimidating at first.

Even more so the dining rooms, of which there are three quite large ones. From the short, brown-leather chairs and the red-and-gold tapestries to the peach lighting that glows from the base of benches and the tiny candles hid in alcove after alcove along a long blue wall, the decor is striking, to say the least.

But despite the myriad of conspicuous aesthetic touches carefully placed throughout Tangerine, diners realize something interesting after a few minutes inside - instead of being distracting, it all just sort of, well, works.

Same for the food. "Risotto" doesn't usually bring to mind mushroom sauce, tomatoes and peas, topped with tender lobster claw meat ($19). When you order kobe sirloin, you don't usually expect it to be accompanied with beet rissole - fried balls of rice and cheese mixed with beet puree for a dark red color - and a parmesan cheese and cream sauce ($16). And you might expect either appetizer to be a little overwhelming in the utter variety of ingredients and flavors.

But somehow, inexplicably, they aren't - they're just tremendously good.

Further examples abound: hiramasa sashimi crudo topped with, among other things, tiny slices of refreshing green apple ($15); pomegranate-glazed pork tenderloin with a sweet golden-raisin sauce, on top of an unbelievably savory corn chorizo (a type of sausage, apparently) fritter ($25); moombassa sirloin with miti-crema (a sweet and very, very creamy cheese) potatoes ($34). On paper, Tangerine's offerings sound a little much; on palate, they're almost indescribably delicious.

All in all, it's almost magical, the way in which bold, unexpected flavors mix and stark Mediterranean influences become subtle touches in each dish. And it's this achievement that distinguishes Tangerine from among the noted Stephen Starr pantheon and as one of the most inventive and satisfying restaurants in Philadelphia.

And that entranceway, with its warmly colored rocks and lightly painted walls, seems less jarring and slightly softer as exiting diners mingle, hesitant to leave for the surely more meager sights of the Philadelphia cityscape.

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