Classy new Bar 210, slipped inside the serene Square-side dining room at Lacroix at the Rittenhouse, is a nod to our recent flirtation with serious cocktails. Here, elaborate and sometimes overwrought specialty drinks — the cool factor of strawberry-flavored orbs bubbling in your sparkling wine is offset by the difficulty of actually drinking them — meet seemingly familiar dinner options. But this is chef Matt Levin’s kitchen, so fresh potato chips come with quivering house-made ranch foam, and tempura-ed mushrooms are paired with a soy sauce/Coca-Cola combo. The miso mustard is undeniably delicious, but the playful chicken “nugget” it accompanies, it must be admitted, is too familiar, with the same mysterious texture as the original.
The Philadelphia Wine Festival is back for its 9th year! This premier tasting event boasts nearly 200 fine wineries from around the world. May 8. Philadelphia Marriott Downtown.