And so we come to Phillytown's elusive White Whale, the Moroccan Marvel of Market Street: Tangerine. For the first few months of Tangerine's existence, novelty was attracting a line of trendy twentysomethings 50 bodies deep! But here it is, the weekend before Memorial Day 2000 and there is absolutely no line at Tangerine on a Saturday night? Yikes! Let's hope that this bar's 15 minutes of fame isn't up yet.

You enter Tangerine through a candlelit corridor that opens up into a bar area. Further into the building, past a hostess station, is the dining area which is actually quite large, occupying the second half of the building. If you're planning on going to Tangerine to experience their food, the bar patrons will not pose a distraction since the two areas are divided by a wall that does a decent job of corralling smoke and small talk.

Tangerine adopts a theme that is a blend of the Mediterranean and Morocco. But this reviewer can't help but wonder how many North African dishes the average Philadelphian can name off the top of their heads? I don't mean to knock Tangerine for its choice of theme, but it just seems as though the upscale eating/drinking establishments in this town look for a cultural or ethnic theme that hasn't be exploited in the past 24 months and has "a go at it." And who is really going to know the difference?

Enjoying the splendors of this citrus fruit does not come cheap. Bottled beers are $5, mixed drinks will cost you $7. There are no beers on tap; my guess is that there aren't enough North African brews available to fit in with the theme. Similarly, some of the main courses and even appetizers served in the dining room run upwards of $50 a plate.

But hey, look on the bright side, your cash is going to support Tangerine's  decor. The interior of Tangerine is sparsely illuminated by overhead lights and candles. Although torches would have been more adventurous (and probably more realistic for a Moroccan watering hole - damn the fire codes), candles are placed everywhere. They're mounted to the two faux granite columns, on the walls, on the coffee tables and on the walkway into Tangerine. Track lighting fills in the really dark spots. Other interesting lighting effects include the bar's countertop that is backlit in a green glow and behind the bar on the wall, a green light shines through a "confession booth" style mesh that runs the width of the bar. A blue glow emanates from the perimeter of the whole mesh structure.

There is a lounge adjacent to the bar where about 20 drinking patrons can sit and kibitz about the weather. Here, blue light emanates through circular holes in the ceiling with hanging lanterns actually providing the illumination for this area. The windows in this room are the same windows that are fogged up and visible from Market Street - providing no natural light.

Using the "facilities" can be an adventure . It's like a maze getting to the bathroom with no signs to boot. In case you were wondering the path to the bathroom is: travel through the dining room to the back, make a left and then make a right. The Cosmopolitan drinking public really should have a bathroom closer to the front of the building so they don't disturb the diners.

Another odd thing about Tangerine are the 3 analog clocks mounted behind the hostess station. When we inquired about their significance, the hostess said the clocks didn't work - they're just for "show." Our response: Lame. It would have been interesting to have the clocks read the time in Philly, Morocco and maybe Greenwich Mean Time.

If you go to Tangerine, you don't want to be wearing anything too bright or you'll stick out like a firefly at a marshmallow roast. Since this haunt attracts many beautiful people, you're advised to bring your "A-game." Sure there's no dancing here, but that will just give you an excuse to wear that tight little Calvin Klein number that you've been dying to take out for a test drive. 

A side shot of Tangerine - Just look at those fogged up windows.

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