Katz certainly makes his case in the "for two" portion of his bistro menu. He transforms a whole chicken into a platter of near poultry perfection, poaching the breasts sous-vide with foie gras and herbs, roasting the legs in duck fat, and distilling the carcasses down to an aromatic brown jus kissed with Madeira. With roasted shiitake caps and a crock of onion grits on the side, it's a hearty meal for two at $38. His $40 pork chop, meanwhile, a three-inch slab of heirloom Kurobuta pig slow-roasted on the bones beneath a crust of fennel and mustard seeds, is one of the most memorable chops in town.
Sharing is nothing new to lovers of raw shellfish; an entire evening can be spent roaming the icy tiers of a multilevel seafood plateau. It's even better, though, during the daily happy hour (5 to 7 p.m.) in the sexy bar at XIX atop the Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue.
The cocktails are half price and the 19th-floor views are particularly inspiring at pink sunset with one of the city's best raw bars in full-shuck mode. Settle into one of the plush leather seats beside the fireplace for a $20 platter of assorted seafood (raw oysters and clams, curried Tasmanian crab salad, mussels, shrimp, and a giant poached diver scallop), or gild it with a dozen different oysters ($28) ranging from local stars like Cape May Salts to less frequently seen Lucky Limes from Prince Edward Island or sweet Potters Moons from Rhode Island.
