Dressing down can be a tricky affair, especially for famous French chefs and fancy hotels. When it doesn't go smoothly, it can be as awkward as watching a rich uncle step out in tube socks and loafers.
So I was intrigued to visit 10 Arts and discover what brand of casual chic would emerge from the collaboration between Philadelphia's Ritz-Carlton, the marble-columned temple of classic stuffy, and the modern French perfection of super chef Eric Ripert from New York's Le Bernardin.
The Ritz, reliably upscale but lacking culinary personality, could use some star-power pizzazz. And it has brought a color-splashed face-lift to the monochrome of its domed lobby for the occasion, with prism glass arches, rose-colored windows, and cushy pink and purple furniture.
I was especially primed for Ripert's Philly debut after a stunning lunch at posh Le Bernardin this summer that was among the most elegant contemporary seafood meals I've tasted: warm crab wrapped in papery shavings of cauliflower that looked like tiny trees; geoduck clam seviche scattered with the sweet crunch of freeze-dried corn. There were genuine impressionist paintings on the wall, world-class wines in the glass, and enough servers to dab every errant drip of coffee.
Don't expect such refinements on Broad Street. Ripert has no desire to re-create the gourmet acrobatics of Le Bernardin.
"This is 'Ripert in jeans,'" the chef says. "We want to be a casual neighborhood restaurant."
It's an admirable notion in this era of anti-fuss dining - but a bit of an odd fit for one of the city's grandest spaces.
There are certainly some wonderful bistro flavors to be had, including two impressive burgers - a dry-aged prime sirloin cheeseburger that's already a contender for the city's best, and an aioli-dabbed "fish burger" of minced striped bass that tastes like bouillabaisse on a bun. There's a most delicate paillard of schnitzel-like rabbit layered between poufs of salad. There are simple-yet-expertly-cooked fish, like trout glazed in a froth of hazelnut brown butter. And there are indulgent Franco comforts like creamy mac and cheese flecked with Parisian ham, and tiny puff-pastry turnovers filled with pâté.
