When I was a mere tot, I remember my parents as a hip, attractive couple who seemed the epitome of sophistication. Both of them were New Yorkers, who found themselves relocated to the gastronomical wasteland that was then Philadelphia. In New York, my father was a member of several classic dining clubs and I vaguely remember tales of them before they met: my mother having lunch with Cary Grant when she worked at 20th Century Fox and my father getting into a fight with a guy who was pestering his friend Lauren Bacall. I myself, had a drink named after me at the Russian Tea Room. (I was severely underage, not yet attending kindergarten, so it was a Shirley Temple made with Coke instead of 7-Up and they called it a Suzi-Q.) Then we moved to the suburbs of Philadelphia, where I was teased my first day of school for wearing what I thought was a very mod outfit. Never mind them; Laurie Partridge would have been proud of me. I think my parents were equally disappointed at the lack of sophistication in Philadelphia at the time, but there were a few bright lights. I remember the name Georges Perrier being bandied about as they dressed for a night out in Philly. Their steps seemed to be a bit lighter and the smiles a little brighter as they headed into town to the place that made them feel special again, Le Bec-Fin.
Since those days, Philadelphia has blossomed into a town rife with fine dining and innovative new hot spots popping up like daffodils, but the name Le Bec-Fin, 1523 Walnut St., still makes people stop and sigh.
I had a chance to visit recently and was pleased to see that the classic charm was still there, bolstered by just a bit of a facelift and a new attitude. I’ve mentioned in previous columns how much I enjoy a good accent — I think I almost proposed to one waitress just based on her reading of the dessert menu — but I digress. Even though they were men, I was still infatuated by the pleasant descriptions of our choices by our French-speaking waiters. We also had a number of well-spoken American waiters when the accent got a little too quick to decipher.
We started off with the complimentary amuse-bouche, which is French for “amuse the mouth.” And who can argue with that? The bouche pleaser at Le Bec was a cucumber jelly that brought to mind thoughts of spring. It was refreshingly light with a hint of oysters.
My dining companion went with the new à la carte menu, where I went with the Degustation de Provence, the prix-fixe chef’s tasting menu. For $150, it includes five courses along with sorbet and ice cream and selections from Le Bec-Fin’s legendary dessert cart.
My first course was the Coach Farms fresh goat cheese, served with a zucchini terrine and boquerones (a white anchovy) and lavender vinaigrette. I loved the goat cheese and shared my anchovies with my dining companion. She was happy to accommodate me, though, being more cultured than I, she may have muttered “Philistine!” under her breath.
She started with the steak tartar ($15), a generous helping of steak that was nicely complimented by Gaufrette potatoes.
My second course was the pan-seared diver sea scallops with grilled white asparagus and Gribisch, a housemade, mayonnaise-based sauce tossed with capers, shallots and cornichons. The scallops were perfectly seared, not too soft, not too dry, and the cornichons gave the sauce a nice contrast in textures.
My dining companion has two weaknesses, caviar and foie gras, so we were hopefully optimistic this would be up to par. It vastly surpassed her expectations: She was nearly floating, it was so good. The pan-seared Hudson Valley foie gras ($17) is served over an apricot and armagnac purée with sauce Rouennaise, Chef Perrier’s signature sauce, a combination of red wine, duck jus and foie gras. It was paired with a lovely Chateau de Casa Nova wine that had a rich apricot and dried-fig flavor. My companion declared the foie gras “cooked to perfection, pan-seared expertly with a silky center that melted in your mouth.” Additionally, it was nestled on a delicate piece of French-toast brioche, a culinary surprise to be accompanying the foie gras. The hints of cinnamon on the French toast surprisingly worked with the foie gras.
Next on my course was the roasted Mediterranean rouget, or red mullet, a fish renowned in the Mediterranean for its delicate flavor. Perrier served his over a thyme-scented tomato concasse, with caramelized fennel and black niçoise olives in a bouillabaisse broth.
For her main entrée, my dining companion ordered the Elysian lamb de Provence ($42), a roasted loin with kalamata-olive caramel in natural jus with tomato preserves over quinoa, a type of grain from South America. The lamb, which is brought in from a farm outside of Pittsburg known for its excellence, was strong and flavorful, enhanced rather than overpowered by the ingredients.
Last on my menu (before dessert) was the dry-aged prime strip loin. Dusted with kalamata olive powder and dressed with saffron-stained cippolini onions, it was served with dandelion, argan oil and a natural bordelaise sauce. The sirloin was like butter and perfectly complemented by the bordelaise sauce — a nice way to end the heavier portion of the tasting menu.
From there we went to the artisan cheeses, an amazing assortment from around the globe served with a variety of freshly baked breads. We sampled everything from a Valencay from central France, which comes packed in the ash from Chablis casks, to a Sardinian sheep’s milk cheese packed in olive oil.
Before wrapping things up, we were given a choice of ice creams and sorbets. I chose the cassis sorbet, which was sublime, slightly tart, slightly sweet and all together savory. My dining companion ordered the white peach ice cream, which was creamy and subtle compared to my sorbet.
For dessert, we chose two from the aforementioned renowned patisserie cart. My dining companion ordered the gâteau Le Bec-Fin, the restaurant’s signature cake, which features layers of chocolate genoise soaked in rum and chocolate mousse, topped with a display of chocolate fans. I ordered the pistache, a pistachio-butter cream surrounding a cherry-studded blondie. (Yes, I know pistachios are supposed to be taboo these days, but this cake was so good it was worth the risk. Plus, my waiter assured me these weren’t on the recall list … )
By the way, for you business types or just those who like a good bargain, Le Bec-Fin is now serving several lunch offerings: a $15.23 express lunch featuring your choice of soup or field-green salad followed by the new signature burger Lyonnais, reputed to be one of the best burgers in town; a $35 prix-fixe lunch offering a choice of any appetizer, entrée and a dessert from the à la carte lunch menu; and an ultimate five-course lunch experience for $55.
There’s also a $35 three-course dinner meal if you get there between 5:30-6:30 p.m. or 9-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, as well as a special BYOB on Monday nights with no corking fee.
Before we left, we went on a little tour of Le Bec-Fin, from the private room upstairs where an earlier group had been obviously enjoying themselves to the wonderful Le Bar Lyonnais downstairs. Described as one of Philadelphia’s best-kept secrets, the bar features the elegance of Le Bec-Fin with a slightly more casual atmosphere. Our server, son of Daisy Martinez, of “Daisy Cooks!” on PBS, told us we must come back for happy hour, which features a huge selection of $5 drinks including martinis and specially chosen wines along with free hors d’oeuvres, Monday through Friday from 5-7 p.m.
I know I’ll be returning. Maybe I can even talk them into naming a drink after me. Now that I’m a little older, maybe we can put a little vodka in it …