The (Second) End Of An Era: Le Bec Fin Closes Forever Tonight

“To my taste, Le Bec Fin represents one of the chief glories of French cooking not only in Philadelphia but in all of America as well. The food is served in a setting of unpretentious elegance, a feast for the eyes and the mind. Massive chandeliers with gleaming leaded-glass ornaments reflect in mirrored glass panels. The walls are covered with Scalamandre damask. The china is of an 18th-century Limoges pattern called Singapour, the silver is by Cristoffle and the chairs are chestnut. The staff is deft, courteous and well informed.”

~Craig Claiborne, 1985

Critics Choices, Personal Favorites [NY Times]