Lacroix is the signature restaurant of the wonderful Rittenhouse Hotel, but it is as far from a “hotel” restaurant as you can get.

There’s so much to like here. Let’s start with Bar 210, sophisticated lounge perched above the dining level that offers an amazing list of hand crafted cocktails like a Blackberry Bourbon: Maker’s Mark bourbon with muddled blackberries, Thai basil, lemon and a splash of ginger ale. Excellent list of craft beers, cognacs, single malts and more. The small plate menu is ideal for a snack or a lite meal.

The elegant dining room with marble columns, plants, flickering candles and glistening tableware has wonderful views out onto Rittenhouse Square. Executive Restaurant Chef Jon Cichon, a French native, has created a wonderful “fusion” menu drawing on past experiences with Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, Japanese, and American cuisines.

Some highlights include: escargot with red kuri squash and curry, Scottish salmon with medjool date, beet, brown butter-miso tapioca, beef short rib with potato-horseradish terrine, pearl onion and cranberry. For dessert, try the maple bacon souffle with pumpkin Anglaise, cinnamon cream and white chocolate or the “pumpkin martini”, warm pumpkin bread pudding, croissant chips, pumpkin seed marshmallow and whiskey-pecan ice cream.

The wine list is a wine lover’s treasure and Lacroix has assembled a list that is both interesting and fun. Lacroix is a recipient of Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence with more than 650 selections from all over the world. The best part: 220 vintages are available for under $60.

WHAT OTHERS SAY…
AAA Four Diamond
Forbes Four Star
Wine Spectator Award

“Superlatives” flow for the Rittenhouse Hotel’s “elegant” Eclectic whose “lovely”cuisine, “over-the-top” (but “not stifling”) service and “amazing views” of the Square create the “memory of a lifetime” – especially during “magnificent” Sunday brunches when you tour the kitchen to select your main course; it’s predictably “pricey”, but most agree it’s “worth every penny.” ZAGAT