Le Bec-Fin

Frommer's Review

For those who love jewel-box surroundings and multicourse, formal meals, Le Bec-Fin is a destination dining spot that has been ruled for almost 4 decades by owner/chef Georges Perrier. The chef, who is a celebrity in Philadelphia, hails from Lyon, France's gastronomic capital, and is a favorite of critics such as Esquire's John Mariani. Perrier is frequently seen in the dining room, on which he spent a fortune in 2002, transforming it into an elegant turn-of-the-20th-century Parisian salon setting.

All dishes are exquisite and change seasonally, with recent offerings including a first course of cassolette d'escargots, with champagne-hazelnut-garlic sauce; the signature galette de crabe; and rabbit saddle with spinach and mushrooms. The dessert cart is a grand vehicle for more than a dozen beautiful options, including opera cake topped with 24-karat gold leaf.

The three-course $45 lunch is a wonderful way to experience the restaurant (and dessert cart), or you can visit the tiny, lower-level Le Bar Lyonnais, with more affordable but very rich dishes from the same kitchen. Expect to spend about $18 a nibble and $11 for a glass of house wine. The later it gets, the more likely dishes from upstairs are to arrive -- and M. Perrier himself, for that matter.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

Back to Top