Like other major metropolitan areas navigating constantly fluctuating Covid restrictions including indoor dining bans, Philadelphia’s hospitality community has come up with creative solutions for diners. But it can be just as fun to eat in your suite.
The Kimpton Hotel Monaco Philadelphia, a 268-room boutique property in the heart of Old City, has a romantic offering this winter perfect for couples who need some alone time. Dinner with a View includes a three-course meal for two in a private room for three hours, with cuisine from onsite dining concept Red Owl Tavern. The experience, which also comes with a bottle of wine (the restaurant even has a proprietary-labeled California Cabernet Sauvignon) and the choice of an in-room movie, costs $199 including gratuity and taxes.
Order dinner via the QR Code, or call down to the restaurant directly for a starter like tomato bisque or Caesar salad; entrees includes seared salmon topped with tomato, avocado, corn and a squeeze of Meyer lemon, or the chef’s daily cut of steak with rosemary fries and pan jus, and you can end on a sweet note with German chocolate cake with caramel sauce or red velvet cake.
And, because there is something to be said for checking into a hotel room and remaining there until check-out, with no pressure of seeing the sights or doing anything else but luxuriating in your bed, maybe taking a soak in your tub an lounging around in your robe, you can easily turn dinner into an overnight experience starting at an additional $99.
The most sought-after option is to book one of the hotel’s suites overlooking Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell; walking in the door already gets you in the mood for dinner à deux since the living room is pre-set with a white linen tablecloth-topped small round table, place settings, wine glasses and Champagne flutes.
As of press time, Red Owl Tavern is back to being open daily for all-day dining via reservation or walk-in, if you care to pop down for berry cobbler French toast, blueberry ricotta pancakes or chicken and waffles the next morning. Guests who dine on Monday or Tuesday, get half-off all bottles of wine with a food purchase; maybe some truffle parmesan fries or pitas and hummus with grains and seeds.
If you are so inclined to leave the luxury of your accommodation you can venture across the street to The Liberty Bell, which has reopened. Stand in a socially-distanced line for a chance to see the cracked national symbol up close, or just peek through the window. Other nearby attractions that are once again welcoming visitors including the Museum of the American Revolution, Philadelphia Museum of Art and The Barnes Foundation.
If you have driven all the way to Philly for dinner, you’ll probably also want to make a cheese steak pilgrimage before you head home. Forget about the usual suspects and make the 10-minute drive to Joe’s Steaks in Fishtown, one of its two locations. The restaurant has been a bastion on the city’s food scene for more than six decades; today you might be welcomed at the window or counter either by owner Joe Groh or his son Patrick. A cheesesteak with sauteed onions and mushrooms, an order of Old Bay fries and a black and white shake is just the fuel to make the drive back to the DMV.
Dinner with a View runs through winter 2021. For more information and booking, check the hotel’s website.
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