Renzell was created to revolutionize the restaurant industry by changing the way restaurants are rated! Renzell Members and restaurant enthusiasts complete surveys for fine dining restaurants across the country. To date, Renzell rates restaurants in 11 cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, DC. and now Philadelphia!
Founder Bo Peabody is a serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist. Some of his previous media ventures include Tripod.com (acquired by Lycos) and EverydayHealth (NYSE:EVDY). He is currently a Venture Partner and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Greycroft Partners and is a co-owner of Mezze Restaurant Group, which operates restaurants in The Berkshires in Massachusetts.
Renzell’s goal is to offer an alternative to the status quo of incomplete, subjective and oftentimes fraudulent restaurant ratings. They aim to provide the most accurate assessment of what your experience will be like at any Renzell Restaurant (for which we have issued an official rating) on any given night. Being picked as a restaurant for the Renzell list is as competitive as the ratings themselves. Restaurants must be at least a year old and are weighed on 31 different characteristics.
For ratings calculations, Renzell Members take a comprehensive survey which include questions giving a 360 look at the entire restaurant experience. Surveys consist of 70+ questions which can be answered after each time dining at a Renzell Restaurant. These comprehensive surveys assesses the experience of dining out through 8 categories: cocktails, design, hospitality, food, service, value, vibe, and wine/sake/beer.
The collected Renzell Survey results, totaling hundreds of thousands of data points, is weighted against member preferences through our proprietary algorithm to eliminate subjectivity and bias, and to produce the most accurate ratings. Renzell releases official ratings every September, and status checks in January and May. All restaurants receive an overall score (using a 1-100 point scale) as well as scores in each of the eight categories.
Members are rewarded with points that can be redeemed for private Renzell tastings held at restaurants all over Philadelphia. The first exclusive dinner was held at the beginning of March at aldine restaurant. George and Jennifer Sabatino allowed guests to enjoy their Sunday Supper 3 course prix fixe menu consisting of progessive American fare with wine pairing.
Everything on the menu at aldine is made from scratch. The restaurant is located on the 2nd floor at 19th and Chestnut Street. They also have a progressive bar program which utilizes a variety of local spirits and seasonal flavors. The menu includes various vegan and gluten-free dishes. For our Sunday Supper dinner, the first course consisted of:
- carrots: ginger yogurt, sprouted lentils, smoked almonds
- roasted garlic: garlic custard, raddish, potato chips, chili oil
- farm egg: savory oats, seared cauliflower, seed mix
We enjoyed the subtle and bright flavors of the vegetables in the carrot plate. The roasted garlic dish was a unique take on the adult version of potato chips with onion dip. The farm egg was most certainly the heartiest dish with warm oats.
The second course consisted of main dishes:
- skate wing: glazed cabbage, brown butter, hazelnut
- potato gnocchi: broccoli, mushrooms, ricotta
- beef neck: sunchoke, sourdough, horseradish
We only wish these plates had been larger! For the entree course we enjoyed the pillowy soft potato gnocchi, tender beef neck, and flaky skate wing. It was also a great personal touch that Executive Chef George Sabatino emerged from the kitchen to talk to us more about his motivation and vision for the dishes.
Finishing off the evening was the third course of dessert:
- panna cotta: baked apple, almond crumble
- olive oil cake: black raspberries, pistachio
The panna cotta was creamy and olive oil cake very moist. Both dishes appealed to our palette with subtle sweetness and texture. We will be sure to stop by the restaurant again soon and wish them the best of luck with their Renzell rating!
To become a Renzell member, shoot us an email at philmytummy1@gmail.com so we can send you an invitation. Once you start collecting points you can join us at the next private tasting dinner held Tuesday, June 6th at R2L on the 37th floor of the Liberty Place building with breathtaking views of Philadelphia during sunset.
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