In The Valley (itv Philly)

Pros: the food was quite good. Cons: Very small portions, 22% tip added automatically in addition to one dollar per person of some other charge. Summary: pretty good food, but we felt it was overpriced.

Tl;dr FRIZWIT REVIEW this recent phenom of cheesesteak showcases stellar flavors but suffers from its limp roll and a slightly skimpy portion of meat During COVID, Musi head chef/owner Ari Miller doubled down on his chic spin on the Philly cheesesteak. Features local distributors such as Primal Supply steak and Merzbacher 's rolls, this pivotal sandwich turned heads and even earned a shoutout in Food Wine 's The Best Dishes We Ate in 2020. Frizwits were a daily offering during the pandemic, but now they are limited to a monthly Musi affair. Musi itself is a small, quaint BYOB, decorated like a country family 's dining room. Offwhite walls are decorated with offbeat adornments, from ornate mirrors to mismatched picture frames. The windows are cluttered with houseplants and repurposed wooden milk crates, letting in the light but maintaining pleasant privacy. Antique teal chairs are upholstered with gaudy flower seat cushions. Glass vases, filled with flowers and dandelions, deck the varnished wooden tables. The low ceilings are outfitted with noise proof paneling, and country music plays unobtrusively throughout the space. Pennsport is certainly a hike from my Rittenhouse apartment, but during this past Frizwit popup, fair weather made for a pleasant bike ride. I arrived just after 5pm to a short queue. I gave my name, was awarded my meal, grabbed a table, and popped open my brew. It was time to sink my teeth into the fabled Frizwit. True to Philly, the sandwich was overwhelmingly greasy: I blew through a napkin even just opening up the foil wrapper. Tragically, however, this translated into a limp, soggy roll, even though I chowed down in house. The long roll was heavily loaded with well seasoned, thickly chopped caramelized onion, but felt light on the unevenly sliced meat. The highlight was Musi 's homemade Boursin style cheese sauce: this truffley embodiment of umami incorporated Abundantly Good cheddar and Two Locals Prolific Hazy IPA. The kitchen was humming even at 5pm, but I enjoyed a friendly chat with the staff in between the waves of customers. At $15 dollars per sammy (before tax and tip), the Frizwit must rank among the most expensive cheesesteak in the city. While a darn satisfying sandwich, I don 't believe that the Frizwit claims the throne of the best cheesesteak I 've ever eaten. Nonetheless, I admire Miller 's commitment to upscale cheesesteaks, and I hope to try Musi for sit down dining in the near future and maybe even snag a bottle of that cheese sauce to go.

Wrote this review almost 4 years ago now. Such a shame to see them go: Remarkably chill and visible kitchen, great service, pretty darn exciting food but really it 's the attitude of the chef and his insistence on a relationship to the ingredients that makes Musi such a special addition to Philly. It helps that the 7ish course dinner is simultaneously homey , masterfully flavored and inspried. My taste buds left happy, and each person seemed incredibly content. Thanks for making my partner 's birthday a success.

This review is for Musi at dinner. This one is simple. 4 of the 5 dishes were very good. In the 4.5-5 star type of review range. Bread and butter, halloumi, gnocchi, and the tortellini were delicious. The falafel was mediocre. But the main point is the portions were incredible small for the price. They were barely a step above a 9-10 course tasting menu size (minus the tortellini dish) and cost the price of a full size portion. Secondly, there was a 22% automatic gratuity added without any mention of it on the menu. I am all for livable wages and support items to get to that point BUT i believe if something is automatically added it needs to be on the menu so customers are aware.

My first time there and it was really really good. I will definitely go back.