Since its construction, the Cira Centre has served as the shiniest welcome sign to University City Penn has ever seen.
It has simultaneously served as a building that has confounded students with an array of questions: What exactly goes on there? Is it an office building? A conference center? And how exactly do people walk inside when it's shaped so weirdly?
One question (is the food there good?) was answered at Rae, the building's first floor occupant, with a resounding yes.
Opened last December, Rae is the brainchild of Daniel Stern, who has been the chef of Le Bec-Fin, one of Philadelphia's favorite high-end eateries, as well as tiny Gayle in Queens Village.
One could say that Rae has a little bit of both eateries in its make-up - high cuisine with the prices to match, but not without Stern's creative touch.
Many of the dishes are deliciously simple, but there are a few more eccentric plates to take in - namely the smoked-rabbit nachos ($12) and crab pot with herb flatbread ($18), literally a bowl full of crab that serves as a dip a tad more elegant than your Tostitos salsa.
The main course comes with many options and even two separate menus to boot.
One, the "standards," includes more basic dishes like roast chicken ($22) and grilled salmon ($22) that are best served with one (or two, or three) of the many sides the kitchen offers.
The other, the "renditions," tends to jazz it up a little bit, with dishes like chicken, porcini and artichokes ($32) and a N.Y. strip and eggs ($40).
The best move is to stick with the standards - the 28-day, dry-aged strip ($42) and the rack of lamb ($34) with walnut pesto and feta cheese are full of flavor, and complemented by a heap of potato skins with bacon and cheddar ($10), there's nothing better.
Desserts are just as good - a white-chocolate mousse ($9) will cure any sweet tooth imaginable.
The dishes are definitely among the priciest you'll see in the city (cough, cough, Parents' Weekend), but that first bite lets you know where those extra dollars are going.
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