By Dave Zuchowski
Some words should be reserved for only a few, top-tier restaurants.
That would include such accolades as “superb,” “impeccable food,” “attentive,” “professional service” and “elegant, artful surroundings.”
Each, though, is most appropriate for Le Bec Fin, thought by some to be America’s finest French restaurant and the leading light in Philadelphia’s “Restaurant Revolution.”
Chef Georges Perrier’s palace of fine dining has been at the top of my must-do list ever since I first heard of it 25 years ago. A recent visit to the Philadelphia Flower Show finally gave me the chance to see if the exalted eatery lived up to its Mobil Travel Guide’s five-star status. It is the only Philadelphia restaurant to receive this rating for 23 straight years.
Just after the doors opened for dinner around 5:30 p.m., I entered the lobby and set into motion an experience that would turn out to be one of the pre-eminent dining adventures of my life. Somewhat smaller than I had imagined, Le Bec Fin has the elegance of a 19th century Parisian salon with three huge crystal chandeliers, gilt molding, woven gold silk panels and antique mirrors.
Perrier, who received the French government’s Legion of Honor award in January, also was named “Best Mid-Atlantic Chef” in 1998 by the James Beard Foundation. In 1989, he received the prestigious Silver Toque Trophy from the Maitres Cuisiniers de France, the premier international society of French chefs.
After having a difficult time choosing from a trio of breads (a baguette, a sourdough and a sun-dried tomato), my amuse bouche arrived. The small, complementary palate starter, a duck consume farci served with a soy gelee, proved a worthy start to a three-course meal. It included an appetizer of the very best sweetbreads I’ve ever had, an entree of salmon poached in olive oil and sauce served over grilled asparagus and a trio of choices from a lavish dessert cart.
I was guided through my meal with helpful hints from my waiter, a young chap with the envious experience of having dined in a slew of great Parisian restaurants during his many trips to the French capital.
Curious about the restaurant’s name, I asked him about the meaning of Le Bec Fin. He explained the words translate literally into English as “the last beak” — as in bird’s beak — but is really an idiomatic expression for someone with an exceptionally fine palate.
As might be imagined, Le Bec Fin also has an exceptional wine list, but I was surprised to learn from my waiter that on Mondays, patrons are permitted to bring their own favorites to match with Perrier’s haute cuisine.
The meal’s climax was an amazing array of sweet concoctions displayed on a dessert cart several tiers high. As my waiter ran through the list of possible selections, the words iles flotants (floating isles) stuck in my mind. I’d had these light meringue confections twice before, and they’ve become one of my favorite meal-enders.
Le Bec Fin’s version is light, velvety and frothy and swims in a bath of coffee cream anglais. I also sampled the baba au rhum (wonderful again) and a slice of Gateau Le Bec Fin, three layers of chocolate cake soaked in dark Meyer’s Rum and iced with a dark chocolate butter cream.
Unlike several other highly regarded restaurants that I felt didn’t live up to their hype, Le Bec Fin proved worthy of its acclaim. I highly recommend it as an exceptional experience when visiting “the City of Brotherly Love.”
Pricey, yes, but a culinary adventure that’s hard to forget.
