It’s no secret how much we love XIX at the Bellevue. We take all of our dates there and they always know what’s coming. It’s a juggernaut of animal magnetism/penache at the top of a Philly landmark. More than anything else, they should get props for this: Hotel Dining Is Now Full Of Awesomeness. Forget the stuffiness of The Fountain, the half-ass effort at 10Arts, or any of the 348 steakhouses attached to a chain hotel. What used to be an absolute no-no is now secretly cool. Get on it before Philly Mag tells the ‘burbies. Expect a bar with no available spots in short order.
But what we didn’t expect from a lengthy dine at the former Library Lounge space was the final financial tally: $82 for the following: Raw Bar Platter (that included oysters, Little Neck clams, white water mussel ceviche, hand-divided scallops, prawns, and sweet crab salad), a huge portion of Grilled Baby Octopus with truffle viniagrette and potato and leek salad, Bison Tenderloin with lobster mushrooms and wilted mustard greens, and Striped Bass with Pork Belly and a celery root puree. The number mentioned above didn’t include tip for the excellent service we received, but a $41 per person price point with a 3-Bell reputation is astounding.
The mastermind behind the new menu is none other than Marc Plessis, the sexiest/most talented chef that you’ve never heard of. He’s been at XIX since it’s inception, previously opening The Victor Hotel on South Beach before arriving on Broad Street. Behind those steely blue eyes and French lilt was a brilliant idea: knock a couple ounces off the plates and drop the cost. We still walked with doggie-bags.
He wants to see you in his dining room, no jacket required.
‘I find the people in Philadelphia to be extremely passionate about so many things, including sports, restaurants, and everything else. They are well educated when it comes to wine and food and they care about things like ingredients and where things come from. It’s an audience with high expectations and when it comes to food, these are people who know what it’s all about.’, says Plessis in a recent interview.
We love you too, Chef.Â
Pics after the jump.
the real secret about XIX is their happy hour… 19th floor views of the city, ALL of their specialty cocktails for $6 (including my favorite, the hendrick’s/lime/cucumber gimlet), $4 sliders (pork, cheeseburger, crabcake), and addictive wasabi peanuts. oh, and a working fireplace. get there now before Center City Sips starts up again, making the place overpopulated with people you don’t want to canoodle with or near.
I agree with the vdawg, above, that the gimlet is great. I hooked up an awesome threesome under it’s powerful influence and even briefly wondered if i’d been rufi-ed?! but no, it’s just a strong drink served in a sexy atmosphere of sophisticated debauchery. I’ll be back.
Anyone think myrtletree using a blogs comment section to publish his/her sexual “memoirs” kinda a Dennis Reynolds move?
I hope this review is spot on, because historically the service here has been as slow and witless as a meeting at the Northern Liberties Neighborhood Association.
So, good on ‘em. But the pearl necklace decoration? Come now. Let’s not be so literal about our aspirations for an evening, shall we?