The 2010 Forbes Travel Guide (formerly Mobil Travel Guide) as awarded the Fountain at the Four Seasons 5-stars. It’s one of just 21 restaurants in the United States and Canada to receive the prestigious honor. The last Philadelphia restaurant to hold 5-stars was Georges Perrier’s Le Bec-Fin but he relinquished the shiny stars last year as he went a la carte.

Inqlings: Fountain gushing with 5 [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Fountain Restaurant [Official Site]

We were involved in a conversation over the weekend regarding Craig LaBan’s ratings where we were asked what restaurants have four bells. As we rattled them off, it dawned on us that not everyone is so dorky to have them memorized. So here are Craig LaBan’s four bell reviews with links right to the reviews.

• Fountain
• Lacroix
• Le Bec-Fin
• Vetri

Update: Craig LaBan rattled these four off in his online chat today. He also said that if he could have eaten more than one meal at Talula’s Table in 6-months it would have been “in that league” and “Jose Garces is bound to land 4 one of these days – his food is there, but there’s always something that holds me back.”

 

Despite changes in the kitchen, Craig LaBan finds the the Fountain inside the Four Seasons is still worthy of 4-bells. In fact he finds the restaurant so good he goes out of his way to mention just about everyone by name.

No doubt dinner here is still a gold-plated indulgence. But compared with the astronomic fees people now eagerly pay for grilled slabs of beef, this is a fair price for a genuine expression of culinary art. And this kitchen’s amazing consistency is, more than anything, a tribute to the longevity of its talented kitchen stalwarts – night chef David Jansen; chef tournant William DiStefano; day chef Ralph Costobile; banquet chef Joe Drago; and pastry chef Eddy Hales – who have more than a century of Fountain experience among them.

Unlike some kitchens, though, that august experience has never translated into stale cooking. Quite the contrary: The Fountain remains one of the most vital, worldly and witty kitchens in town. “Steak and eggs,” for example, will never be the same for me after the Fountain’s rendition, a rosette of beef carpaccio topped with crispy rails of Pont Neuf potatoes and a comet-shaped orb of tempura-fried egg yolk, whose exquisitely delicate micro-crust released a brilliant yellow gush at the tap of a fork.

 Four Bells – Superior

Fountain Restaurant [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Fountain Restaurant [Four Seasons]

The Illadelph reports that the Philadelphia Four Seasons hotel composts 3,000 pounds of food waste a week.

Nicely done.

Four Seasons Philadelphia Has Composted More Than 360,000 lbs Of Food Waste Since 2007 [The Illadelph]
Four Seasons Philadelphia [Official Site]

The Fountain Restaurant at the Four Seasons has installed a new 48″ flat screen in one of its private dining rooms so diners can get a behind the scenes look at what’s going on in the kitchen.

So what do you think, would you like to watch your dinner be prepared via closed-circuit television?

At Fountain, TV shows diners a taste of what’s to come [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Our friends at Dancing Meatballs gave us a couple good suggestions for family friendly restaurants that don’t have a giant mouse for a mascot. Their first suggestion is the Pop Shop in Collingswood “which has an extensive kids menu, ’school nights’, kids events like Saturday morning pajama party, stroller accessibility, diaper changing stations, and wait staff who deal well with kids.” Even at the top end there is room for kids. “The Fountain at Four Seasons has the most kid friendly wait staff I have ever met. A tired and grouchy kid can be offered everything from free balloons, coloring books and crayons, to a visit to the kitchen and a room to rest in.”

So where else is there where the sight of a child in a stroller doesn’t prompt eye rolling by the staff and the amenities to keep a child occupied extend beyond a set of broken crayons.

Leave your suggestions in the comments.

The Pop Shop [Official Site]
Fountain Room [Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia]

Hot Chocolate has gone through a renaissance, transforming itself from a kids drink to a rich,sensual, decidedly adult experience.

“While no one was looking, hot chocolate went from Nestle’s Quik to a rich, sensual pleasure,” says Tom Block, who started Naked Chocolate Cafe, a boutique and dessert lounge on Walnut Street offering a thick and luscious chocolate drink that’s like a melted chocolate bar in a cup. The shop opened in August and already has a loyal following.

Classy chocolate is hot [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Photo by stellabella via Flickr.

The 2007 Zagat Survey is out this week and Philadelphia is still the best tipping city in the country, averaging 19.4%, above the 18.8% national average.

The Fountain Restaurant at the Four Seasons scored a hat trick in this year’s guide, getting first place in Top Service, Top Decor, Top Food.

Buddakan was the most popular restaurant and Amada scored as the best newcomer.

More statistics, we told you we loved statistics, after the jump.

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