Frommer's best bets for dining in Philadelphia

updated 2:36 p.m. ET Aug. 28, 2006

Best Spot for a Romantic Dinner: The appropriately named Pasion!, 211 S. 15th St. (tel. 215/875-9895), recently doubled in size but kept its intimate, glowing ambience, along with its terrific South American fusion cuisine. Warm and exotic.

Best Spot for a Business Lunch: Lacroix at the Rittenhouse Hotel, 210 W. Rittenhouse Sq. (tel. 215/546-9000), offers a three-course, $26 prix-fixe lunch that is stunningly good in its ethereal but unstuffy dining room. Your dining partners will be the city's power brokers, and the menu of the day might include ragout of lobster and white asparagus or a delightful spring lamb shank with parsley and lemon.

Best Spot for a Celebration: If you have a special occasion to celebrate -- even if it's just being in Philadelphia -- the newly redecorated Le Bec-Fin, 1523 Walnut St. (tel. 215/567-1000), is the proper choice if you crave a lavish setting. Georges Perrier's prix-fixe menu has an international reputation, and those dessert carts are unforgettable. Advance reservations are a must.

Best Decor: Chic, elegant and modern, there is no more beautiful dining space in Philly than Striped Bass at 1500 Walnut St. (tel. 215/732-4444), the new American restaurant in a turn-of-the-20th-century brokerage house. Its triple-height ceiling, marble columns, velvet banquettes, retro-glittery light fixtures, and intimate bar define good style in Philadelphia.

Best View: Sitting on the deck of the Moshulu, 411 S. Columbus Blvd. (tel. 215/923-2500), a 1904 "tall ship" that's been converted into a roomy, luxe French-Asian restaurant, might sound touristy, but in reality, it's utterly delightful. Even in the winter, the ship's indoor dining rooms offer lovely Delaware River and Society Hill views. And in summer, the breeze is as cooling as one of its 20 wines by the glass.

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Best Wine List: Two restaurants owned by the Sena family offer impressive wine selections: La Famiglia, 8 S. Front St. (tel. 215/922-2803), has one of the finest cellars in the world according to Wine Spectator magazine. One block north, the Ristorante Panorama (tel. 215/922-7800),, in the Penn's View Inn at Front and Market streets (tel. 215/922-7800),, is a charming Italian trattoria that has the largest single wine-dispensing and -preserving machine in the world, with 120 different bottles available by the glass, or as a 3-oz. "taste." Order a "flight" -- five glasses grouped around a theme. Flights fall in the $14 to $50 range.

Best Value: Dining at the mod-Deco bar at Brasserie Perrier at 1619 Walnut St. (tel. 215/568-3000), with its $16 steak frites or incomparable roasted chicken (also $16), means you're savoring cuisine overseen by the city's most famous chef, Georges Perrier of Le Bec-Fin. The restaurant behind this colorful lounge offers haute-bistro food at higher prices, with entrees in the $35 range.

Best Value, Fixed-Price Meal: There's nothing like Le Bec-Fin's $45 lunch at 1523 Walnut St. (tel. 215/567-1000), for classic French..

Best for Kids: Kids love the burgers, grilled cheeses, soups, and other classic American fare at Marathon Grill, 1839 Spruce St. (tel. 215/731-0800), a former diner turned into a stylish modern space that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner (plus snacks all afternoon). Parents also love the casual, romping-permitted vibe of the place, plus the full bar and upscale side of the menu, with its grilled fish and savory pastas.

Best Date Restaurant: For a classy bistro with contemporary fare in Old City, reserve a deuce at Fork, 306 Market St. (tel. 215/625-9425). Friday Saturday Sunday, 261 S. 21st St. (tel. 215/546-4232), has been a classic, intimate date spot since the 1970s, and boasts consistent fare, glowing lighting, and great value.

Best American Cuisine: Using local ingredients from Amish and Bucks Country boutique farmers, incorporating elements of new American cuisine without the annoying flourishes, Fork at 306 Market St. (tel. 215/625-9425) is as popular for brunch as it is for a late-night snack. In this warm, sophisticated dining room in a former warehouse, dine on pan-seared salmon or spicy hanger steak.

Best Chinese Cuisine: A reserved former librarian, born in inner Mongolia and raised in northern China and Taiwan, Susanna Foo quietly built up a national reputation with her eponymous Susanna Foo, 1512 Walnut St. (tel. 215/545-2666). Her innovative mix of East and West relies on reductions rather than on dashes of soy sauce and ginger, and skillets and saucepans rather than a wok. The dim sum -- appetizer-size portions -- is a city favorite.

For a complete listing of Frommer's-reviewed restaurants, visit our online dining index.

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