The Grill (Philadelphia, PA)
A Grill to be Forgotten
When I make my restaurant week reservations, I always look for at least one restaurant that fits into the “always wanted to try but too expensive and not interested enough” category. The Grill at the Ritz was one such restaurant and the destination of my meal tonight. I met Rob and Lucca outside the restaurant, pausing just long enough to admire our jacketed attire (The Grill is jacket required although exceptions were made for restaurant week) and the gorgeous red Ferrari 360 Modena parked curbside on Broad Street before heading inside. As we entered the Ritz Carlton, I was impressed with its interior volume and lavish décor. We located the entrance to The Grill and approached the hostess who seated us near the entrance. I had mixed reactions to the dining room due in part to its odd layout. Part of the kitchen is visible from the dining room and the overall feeling is more lounge-like than the formal dining room we were all expected. Nonetheless we took our seats at our booth and began to examine the menus in front of us.
Being a wine fanatic, Lucca insisted on a $130 bottle of Chianti that neither Rob nor I were interested in (having already dined out six times this week, the prospect of a $100+ bottle of wine was not enticing). He chose to pick up the tab on the wine and resumed our menu reading. After making our choices, we got the attention of our waiter and placed our order for the wine and food. We all decided to start with the scallop ceviche appetizer. Rob ordered the pork loin entree, Lucca the grilled king salmon, and I chose the duck breast.
To our dismay, our diver scallop ceviche with radish and cucumber salad appetizers arrived long before our wine showed up. Furthermore, it took our waiter three tries to bring the correct bottle of wine to the table. The wine was fine but certainly not worth its steep price tag and the ceviche was bland but generously apportioned. Unfortunately, our waiter continued his lackluster performance throughout the evening. He constantly seemed aloof, inattentive, and generally disinterested with us. Such service was entirely unacceptable at a place of this supposed caliber despite the fact that it was restaurant week (the overall level of service that I received throughout this incarnation of restaurant week was noticeably less than normal across most of the restaurants).
After finishing our scallop ceviche, we each slowly sipped our Chianti while we waited for our entrees to arrive. Our dishes arrived soon afterward and we dug in. Lucca was thoroughly unimpressed with his grilled king salmon with fregola sarda, zucchini, summer squash, and tomato herb broth. He felt that the salmon was bland and that the preparation was uninspired. Rob enjoyed his mushroom crusted pork loin with swiss chard and manchego stuffing, fingerling potatoes, and lardoons. Both of their portions were reasonably large. The presentation of my pan seared duck breast with sweet potato baklava, haricot verts, and a sour cherry gastrique was reasonably well done but the dish suffered from the same blandness that most of our other dishes suffered from. The duck meat was fresh and well cooked but was devoid of any seasoning or flavor. I loved the sour cherry gastrique but the portion was so measly that it was vastly insufficient for the large, thick duck meat slices. With regard to the slicing of the meat, the dish would have benefited from more finely sliced, less slab like meat.
Having been dramatically under whelmed with the meal thus far, we hoped for something dramatic during the dessert course that could help save the meal. I ordered the coffee, which came with a truly unique presentation that I loved. Our waiter brought out tray with several small dishes of condiments that included fresh shaved coconut, whipped cream, and crystallized brown sugar on a stick. Such an assortment of condiments was an excellent surprise; the freshness of the coconut greatly added to the flavor of my coffee. This was the kind of unique touch that I had expected throughout our meal. Sadly, it took us three courses to finally see this level of creativity and the creativity was limited solely to the coffee presentation and not to our actual desserts. Rob and Lucca both enjoyed the vanilla crème brulee but it broke no new ground. My apple-rhubarb tart tatin was likewise boring.
Overall, I strongly do NOT recommend The Grill. The service was lackluster, the food was bland and unimaginative, and the décor was unimpressive. There are much better options (hotel and non hotel restaurants) throughout the city, many of which cost significantly less. Lacroix at the Rittenhouse, Swann Lounge and Fountain at the Four Seasons, and Prime Rib at the Radisson Plaza Warwick are all vastly superior hotel restaurants.
The Facts
Name: The Grill
Address:
10 S. Broad St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone: (215) 523-8000
Cuisine: New American
Website: The Grill
Cost: 3-course restaurant week prix fixe $30
When I make my restaurant week reservations, I always look for at least one restaurant that fits into the “always wanted to try but too expensive and not interested enough” category. The Grill at the Ritz was one such restaurant and the destination of my meal tonight. I met Rob and Lucca outside the restaurant, pausing just long enough to admire our jacketed attire (The Grill is jacket required although exceptions were made for restaurant week) and the gorgeous red Ferrari 360 Modena parked curbside on Broad Street before heading inside. As we entered the Ritz Carlton, I was impressed with its interior volume and lavish décor. We located the entrance to The Grill and approached the hostess who seated us near the entrance. I had mixed reactions to the dining room due in part to its odd layout. Part of the kitchen is visible from the dining room and the overall feeling is more lounge-like than the formal dining room we were all expected. Nonetheless we took our seats at our booth and began to examine the menus in front of us.
Being a wine fanatic, Lucca insisted on a $130 bottle of Chianti that neither Rob nor I were interested in (having already dined out six times this week, the prospect of a $100+ bottle of wine was not enticing). He chose to pick up the tab on the wine and resumed our menu reading. After making our choices, we got the attention of our waiter and placed our order for the wine and food. We all decided to start with the scallop ceviche appetizer. Rob ordered the pork loin entree, Lucca the grilled king salmon, and I chose the duck breast.
To our dismay, our diver scallop ceviche with radish and cucumber salad appetizers arrived long before our wine showed up. Furthermore, it took our waiter three tries to bring the correct bottle of wine to the table. The wine was fine but certainly not worth its steep price tag and the ceviche was bland but generously apportioned. Unfortunately, our waiter continued his lackluster performance throughout the evening. He constantly seemed aloof, inattentive, and generally disinterested with us. Such service was entirely unacceptable at a place of this supposed caliber despite the fact that it was restaurant week (the overall level of service that I received throughout this incarnation of restaurant week was noticeably less than normal across most of the restaurants).
After finishing our scallop ceviche, we each slowly sipped our Chianti while we waited for our entrees to arrive. Our dishes arrived soon afterward and we dug in. Lucca was thoroughly unimpressed with his grilled king salmon with fregola sarda, zucchini, summer squash, and tomato herb broth. He felt that the salmon was bland and that the preparation was uninspired. Rob enjoyed his mushroom crusted pork loin with swiss chard and manchego stuffing, fingerling potatoes, and lardoons. Both of their portions were reasonably large. The presentation of my pan seared duck breast with sweet potato baklava, haricot verts, and a sour cherry gastrique was reasonably well done but the dish suffered from the same blandness that most of our other dishes suffered from. The duck meat was fresh and well cooked but was devoid of any seasoning or flavor. I loved the sour cherry gastrique but the portion was so measly that it was vastly insufficient for the large, thick duck meat slices. With regard to the slicing of the meat, the dish would have benefited from more finely sliced, less slab like meat.
Having been dramatically under whelmed with the meal thus far, we hoped for something dramatic during the dessert course that could help save the meal. I ordered the coffee, which came with a truly unique presentation that I loved. Our waiter brought out tray with several small dishes of condiments that included fresh shaved coconut, whipped cream, and crystallized brown sugar on a stick. Such an assortment of condiments was an excellent surprise; the freshness of the coconut greatly added to the flavor of my coffee. This was the kind of unique touch that I had expected throughout our meal. Sadly, it took us three courses to finally see this level of creativity and the creativity was limited solely to the coffee presentation and not to our actual desserts. Rob and Lucca both enjoyed the vanilla crème brulee but it broke no new ground. My apple-rhubarb tart tatin was likewise boring.
Overall, I strongly do NOT recommend The Grill. The service was lackluster, the food was bland and unimaginative, and the décor was unimpressive. There are much better options (hotel and non hotel restaurants) throughout the city, many of which cost significantly less. Lacroix at the Rittenhouse, Swann Lounge and Fountain at the Four Seasons, and Prime Rib at the Radisson Plaza Warwick are all vastly superior hotel restaurants.The Facts
Name: The Grill
Address:
10 S. Broad St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Phone: (215) 523-8000
Cuisine: New American
Website: The Grill
Cost: 3-course restaurant week prix fixe $30
posted by Mike at
7:00 PM
