 All of Philadelphia was abuzz in
the spring of 2001, when word spread that chef Jean-Marie Lacroix was leaving
the Fountain Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel. The residents’ alarm was
understandable. Since opening in 1983, the Four Seasons had become
Philadelphia’s undisputed palace of posh. Its location—a short walk from the
Museum of Art, Rodin Museum, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and Academy
of Natural Sciences—was unbeatable, and the views of the Benjamin Franklin
Parkway, Philadelphia’s Champs-Elysées, were superb. Still, the Four Seasons’
reputation among locals owed primarily to the Fountain and to the Swann Lounge,
which Gourmet magazine recently had named the country’s best bar. Even
among their peers from higher-profile cities, the venues set standards for
wining and dining in the Four Seasons chain.
What Philadelphians could not have predicted was that, with
native son and former chef de cuisine Martin Hamann at the helm, even greater
acclaim lay ahead for the Fountain. Today, the Four Seasons’ dining room is
Philadelphia’s finest, according to the 2006 Zagat Survey, and one of the top
two hotel restaurants in the United States, according to an April 2006 USA
Today/Zagat survey. The hotel’s staff wear their laurels lightly, though,
whether delivering room service at 2 am, administering a Philadelphia Freedom
hot-towel-infusion therapy in the spa, or offering a raspberry lemonade and a
towel to a guest returning to the lobby after a jog.
 Vault-like and sheathed in marble, the Four Seasons’ lobby is a
contrast to the Federal-era comforts and rich colors in the guest rooms and
suites, as well as to the warmth of the adjacent Swann Lounge. Among
Philadelphia’s doyennes, no visit to the nearby museums is complete without high
tea and the Swann’s handmade pastries. At cocktail time, the bar takes on a
decidedly club-like atmosphere; tunes tinkle from the baby grand in the corner,
while waiters in dark suits and bright ties carry drinks to patrons ensconced in
sofas set around a fireplace. The bar is invariably packed with the city’s power
brokers, who sip martinis and munch such tantalizing Hamann creations as
cheesesteak spring rolls.
Just beyond the lounge lies the dining room that local critics
have anointed "the best" for popping the question, for closing a deal, for
celebrating an anniversary, ad infinitum. Here, the wood paneling, beveled
glass, and lush floral arrangements convey a sense of understated
sophistication. Tables by the window look out to the landmark for which the
restaurant and lounge are named, Alexander Stirling Calder’s Swann Fountain, and
the cuisine—Muscovy duck breast, rabbit tenderloin, carpaccio of venison—is
nothing short of Lucullan. LOCATION
On Logan Square, within walking distance of Philadelphia’s finest
museums. ACCOMMODATIONS
Federal-style furnishings in the 268 guest rooms and
96 suites. FACILITIES
A spa, fitness center, and pool, plus ballrooms, terraces, and
meeting rooms for business functions and special events. DINING
One of the country’s best restaurants (Fountain) and bars
(Swann Lounge), plus the Swann Café for more casual dining. CONCIERGE RECOMMENDS
A visit to the rare books collection at the
Philadelphia Free Library, which is visible beyond the Swann Fountain. The
collection includes incunabula, cuneiform tablets, and illustrated
manuscripts that predate movable type, and is housed in a room that once served
as the private library of
Philadelphia gentleman William McIntyre
Elkins. RATES
Standard rooms begin at $355; the two-room presidential suite at
$3,200.
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