The greenery on the rooftop herb garden atop Noble American Cookery’s glass ceiling sways in the breeze. Herbs permeate every facet of the restaurant’s menu, enhancing cocktails, brightening entrees and adding an unexpected twist to the desserts.
On the table in front of us, the Check is in the Mail ($8), a concoction of vodka, lemon, honey syrup and house-made ginger beer, tastes like a drink from a Roald Dahl book, in the best way possible. A gin and tonic-type cocktail ($11) with house-made tonic is pure, clean class.
As we relaxed into Noble’s comfortable, cozy banquettes of dark leather with crushed-velvet backing, the decor was already evoking the same kind of superlatives we would soon apply to the food. The wooden, clean-looking interior of the restaurant is warm and understated. The first floor provides an intimate feel, with a slightly-older-than-college-aged clientele nestled into tables facing the beautiful bar, made from a single cut of varnished wood. Stairs lead up to a second floor, an open, loft-type space that can be rented out for parties (the night before we came, the chicest bachelorette party ever had apparently drunk them out of their stone fruit puree cocktails).
My date and I dined at Noble on the first day after the rush of Restaurant Week. Pro: the menu was all-new, perfect for fall and just-developed to show off seasonal ingredients. Con: Restaurant Week is the culinary equivalent of Spring Fling and leaves the kitchen staff positively steamrolled. Even so, the service at Noble is impeccable. Our awesome and attentive waiter touted the “unique flavor profile” of, he claimed, every dish, a pronouncement we soon found was well-deserved.
A $12 order of Gnocchi Parisienne was worth every penny. Mounded on an earthy bed of pancetta, pesto made from rooftop herbs and fresh zucchini, the gnocchi were toasted golden brown on one side and pillowy-soft throughout. Grilled Spanish octopus with prosciutto ($14), the other most expensive appetizer, was more exotic and just as exceptional. Padròn peppers lent the dish both sweetness and heat. Both dishes were colorful, flavorful, and creative.
Signs of the kitchen staff’s exhaustion were only apparent in the entrees. A hanger steak ($25) was perfectly cooked — charred on the outside, pink and juicy on the inside — but its accompanying “caramelized” shallots could have used a lot more roasting time to deserve the name, and the cut of meat was good but not great. The “flavor profile” of the halibut dish ($28) helped it shine; bright colors and tastes danced on the plate. Roasted black mission figs oozed a sultry smooth coating that blanketed the velvety fish and feather-light zucchini ribbons made everything pop. A side dish of saffron chickpea stew ($6) soared with exotic Moroccan flavors, including plump raisins.
We were willing to forgive any kitchen lapses when the desserts showed us once again how revelatory Noble can be. Pistachio semifreddo ($8) was a nougaty, marshmallowy, melt-in-your-mouth delight hiding a dark chocolate bed underneath. The accompanying pistachio gelato provided an icy shock of concentrated pistachio flavor and juicy blackberries were crowned with fresh mint from the garden. The color and flavor palettes were both a sensory delight.
Silky vanilla panacotta ($7) also had beautiful textural interplay, crowned with vibrant raspberry sorbet. Innocent-looking raspberries burst with a surprise filling of rich, marjoram and elderflower ganache. The result was spectacular.
Dining at Noble is an elevated experience that will make you feel as classy as the food. With destination-worthy cocktails and entrees just under $30, Noble deserves to be on Penn students’ special occasion radar.
NOBLE AMERICAN COOKERY 2025 Sansom Street (215) 568-7000
Skip This: Hanger Steak Don’t Miss: Everything else $$$$
