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]

It’s another edition of He Said, She Said, where Foobooz co-conspirators Kirsten Henri and Arthur Etchells wage IM war about a topic.

Today it’s about proper attire at the swanky Four Seasons. Should the way you’re dressed matter anymore? Is dressing up doomed or will Barney’s Co-Op save us all?

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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]