Checking Out Cafes: At a hotel restaurant, local diners can savor the romance
of travel without the trip.
By Lise Funderburg
New Jersey Commuter
May 1992
With so many restaurants in Philadelphia and New York, it's easy to forget that
hotels in these cities have more to offer than a pillow for the peripatetic head.
By having lunch in a hotel restaurant, day-trippers can enjoy the mood of a classy
New York or Philadelphia hostelry without paying the steep room rates. These
two cafes will satisfy your hunger for mood as well as your appetite.
Cafe 1701
The Warwick Hotel
1701 Locust Street
(215-545-4655)
At Cafe 1701, diners have their choice of two dramatically different settings
for their meal. For an intimate lunch, the warm mahogony paneling and tasteful,
post-fern bar, brass detailing of the restaurant proper is just the ticket. But
if you're in a more expansive mood, ask for a table in the Warwick's majestic,
chandeliered lobby where you can enjoy the 22-foot ceiling, the Palladian windows,
and the elegant Italian marble floors.
Cafe 1701 took up residence in this 63-year-old hotel three years ago. In the
heart of Center City and just a stone's throw from PATCO's High Speed Line stop
at 16th and Locust streets, its clientele is an even mix of hotel guests and
dining-only patrons. The menu's direction is contemporary American, according
to manager Mike Vahey. What does that mean? Judging from my experience, the chef
borrows from established cuisines, uses his imagination, and keeps his feet on
solid ground.
The chef also caters to the health-conscious. The menu includes a number of items
flagged with a small heart indicating that the dish has been certified by a local
hospital to be low in fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Among the heart-flagged options
are a garden salad ($4.25); the grilled portobello mushroom sandwich, served
with or without melted fontina cheese ($6.95); and the omelette of the day, made
with or without egg yolks ($6.95).
The day I stopped in for a late lunch, the soup du jour was shrimp chowder. I
told the waiter that my guest and I wanted to share, and he generously brought
us each a full portion. Too bad we were disappointed by the tiny, chewy shrimp;
it would have been better as a vegetable chowder.
We also ordered garden salads -- large plates of crispy greens tossed in a zesty
mustard tarragon dressing. We had heard good things about their lump crabcake,
which is only offered as a sandwich ($8.95) or a platter ($9.50). We ordered
a platter as an appetizer to find out what the fuss was about. It was something
special. More crab than breading, the cake was moist and fresh, complemented
by a dollop of achiote mayonnaise.
The portobello sandwich was hearty and delicate at the same time. The giant mushroom
arrived open-faced on a fresh bun, topped with grilled leeks and melted fontina.
Unfortunately, leeks, while aromatic, can be stringy and tough to bite through,
and these were no exception.
Cafe 1701, started by a popular local chef, Derek Davis, is not afraid to offer
the standards. You can get a Caesar salad ($5.50), a grilled cheese sandwich
with bacon and tomato ($4.95), individual pizzas ($6.95 to $7.95), huge burgers
($6.95 to $7.95), or a BL T ($4.95). For a heartier meal, London broil is served
au jus with sautéed onions, mushrooms, and peppers ($10.95). There are
also a few pastas featured, including wild mushroom ravioli served in a brandy-cream
sauce ($10.25).
We concluded our meal with coffee and herbal tea, feeling quite satisfied, particularly
with the service. It was perfect: helpful, friendly, but not overbearing. Cafe
1701 has gotten raves in the past, but that was before chef Davis left. While
his understudy, Dave Bennett, has done a respectable job here, Davis's toque
is a tall one to fill.
Cuisine: Contemporary American. Price: Appetizers $2.95 to $11.95; entrees $4.95
to $10.95. Reservations: Not necessary. Credit Cards: AMEX, DC, MC, VISA. Hours:
Daily,
6:30AM-10PM.WheelchairAccess: Manageable.
Restaurant 44
The Royalton Hotel
44 West 44th Street
(212-944-8844)
The Royalton seems to be the height of pretense, right from its easy-to-miss
sign out front: "Royalton" is subtly carved in stone ten feet above
eye level. No "Hotel," no brass plaques, no red carpet rolled out to
the curb. Doormen hide inside the front doors, peering out at would-be patrons
like me, who walk right past the entrance.
Once inside, you face the challenge of finding the restaurant amid the anarchic
design scheme; Phillipe Starck -- the hip architect who overhauled the hotel
for its grand reopening four years ago -- has a great sense of humor.
At Restaurant 44, your fellow diners are there to be seen, so be sure to gawk.
Celebrity sightings on a recent Friday included comedienne Sandra Bernhard, designer
Isaac Mizrahi, and several fabulous, just-in-from-the-Coast types.
Restaurant 44's menu changes twice a year, although manager Stephanie Simons
says that the genre always remains American with French influences.
On this visit, the appetizers and light meals included crispy calamari with remoulade
sauce ($11), grilled seasonal vegetables with a light curry vinaigrette ($9.75),
and a traditional turkey club with Applewood smoked bacon ($12.50).
But the food has a tough time competing with the atmosphere. My companion and
I found the dishes quite uneven and, at times, much too fussy. The Caesar Salad "44" ($9.25),
drowning in its dressing, paled next to an anise-cured salmon with pear wasabi
essence appetizer ($10.25). The salmon was butter soft, delicately flavored,
and served with slices of warm, rough-textured cornbread.
For my good fortune with the salmon, I repaid the kitchen gods by ordering the
special: risotto with sweet garlic and escargots (offered on the current menu
as an appetizer at $8. 75). The escargots were tender, and the risotto's consistency
was perfect-between pudding and rice -- but the dish had a disturbing fishiness.
On the other hand, a mixed seafood grill with roasted escarole and citronette
sauce ($20.00) was a pleasure.
If I hadn't been seduced by the risotto, I might have chosen the semolina pasta
and prawns grilled with fresh basil ($16.75) as an entree, or pan-seared Muscovy
duck breast ($16.50). Also among the 11 entree choices were a crispy filet of
salmon flavored with cucumber and dates ($19.00) and wood-grilled rib-eye steak
with tempura shallots and lemon escarole ($24).
I feared the desserts would be uneven, too, but they were heavenly. I had a powerhouse
golden lemon tart with caramel lime sauce (all desserts are $7.50, except the
aged and domestic cheeses, which are $9.75). A dreamy, incredibly sour and sweet
custard spilled over the edges of a buttery crust, all under a drizzle of caramel.
Three sections of peeled, fresh lime decorated the plate, though not for long.
My companion's choice was a warm apple Charlotte with Glensfoot double cream.
It was a masterpiece, a little house of caramelized pastry sitting in a pool
of cream, hiding a lightly spiced apple filling. Not everything on the dessert
menu is this rich; sorbets and fresh fruit are also offered.
Despite the erratic quality of the entrees and the leisurely service, Restaurant
44 makes a favorable impression. Everything here is big -- big stars, big bucks,
big food, big attitude. And, in a city where snootiness lurks behind the humblest
deli counters, what a treat that 44's staffers were unfailingly polite. If you're
up for a place with a heady atmosphere, the Royalton is big fun.
Cuisine: French-influenced American. Price: Appetizers $7.50 to $13.75; entrees
$11.25 to $27.00. Reservations: Recommended for both lunch and dinner. Hours:
Daily, breakfast: 7-11 AM; lunch: 11:30 AM-2:30 PM; dinner: 6 PM-midnight. Credit
Cards: AMEX, DC, MC, VISA. Wheelchair Access: Moderately difficult.