Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
It was an interesting move for chef Lac-
roix to cede his stove to the young Ameri-
can maverick. But Lacroix, despite his
years of experience and his classical
French training, had already been playing
around with foam and a widening range of
spices from Asia and North Africa, and
Levin is happily heading even farther down
that road (he even sells a six-pack of spice
blends for diners to take home—Ras el
Hanout, Smoked Honey Powder, Salty
Apricot, Smokey Aromas, Chocolate Chi-
michurri, and Coconut Samsara).
Lacroix is still a hotel restaurant, with a
brisk business in power lunches and client
dinners; there's a conservative, tailored
elegance to its soft yellow and olive-green
decor, with big windows looking out over
the treetops of posh Rittenhouse Square,
and Levin's seasonally changing menu still
provides the classic butter-poached lob-
sters and jus -dripping veal chops that Lac-
roix's regulars expect. But he pushes the
envelope with other dishes, like his cauli-
flower tequila soup, the halibut in a warm
egg-yolk sauce, or the Muscovy duck
breast with parsnip-coconut. For those
interested in his more daring experiments,
he also offers a range of small-plate tast-
ing menus (three, four, or five courses, all
of them under $100—a bargain compared
to some of the molecular gastronomy
houses), which may feature things like
tiger prawns with pine, wheat beer, and
raspberry; Arctic char gussied up with
white chocolate, artichoke, passion fruit,
and udon noodles; or rabbit saddle with
barbecue-flavored lentils, corn, and grape-
fruit. The bar menu is also a little-known
secret, with several globally flavored mor-
sels served as snacks (to call them “tapas”
would be so yesterday), and regularly
scheduled wine-pairing events with their
own special tasting menus.
The ultimate tasting menu—which does
cost a good deal more—is available only
Mondays through Thursdays at the seven-
seat table right in the kitchen, where Levin
may set as many as 12 courses down in
front of you. In a similar vein, you can peri-
odically book a food shopping expedition
with Levin, followed by a cooking demon-
stration and three-course lunch—yet
another glimpse of a top chef at work
behind the scenes.
In the Rittenhouse Hotel, 210 W. Rit-
tenhouse Sq. ( & 215/790-2533; www.
lacroixrestaurant.com).
( Philadelphia International (9 2 / 3 miles/
15km).
L $$$ Rittenhouse 1715, 1715 Rit-
tenhouse Sq. ( & 877/791-6500 or 215/
546-6500; www.rittenhouse1715.com). $$
Penn's View Hotel, 14 N. Front St. ( & 800/
331-7634 or 215/922-7600; www.penns
viewhotel.com).
Chef's Tables
145
Minibar
Boy Wonder
Washington, D.C.
Like many star chefs these days, José
Andrés seems to be everywhere at once—
accepting awards, promoting his cook-
books and television shows, working to
feed the homeless, overseeing his seven
(count 'em, seven) restaurants in the Wash-
ington area. Considering that he's still only
in his thirties, it's pretty impressive. When
does he even find time to sleep?
But when all is said and done, Spanish-
born Andrés, like his mentor Ferran Adrià,
doesn't want to stray too far from the
stove. He may have stepped away from
day-to-day cooking at his first smash-hit of
Search WWH ::




Custom Search