Fountain Restaurant

There are still plenty of classic indulgences, though they're framed with a breath of seasonality. A butter-soft veal tenderloin, pinned by herbs atop an earthy farro grain cake, is ringed with the springtime sirens of morels and fiddlehead ferns. There was a silvery ribbon of gristle in our prime sirloin steak: the only major flaw in my meals. But the dry-aged meat itself was sublime, and its presentation – topped with a bundle of baby carrots tied with ramps and a sheer flower made from crisped potato petals – was an edible still-life.

The lobster duo, with a buttery plume of tail and huge sauteed shrimp ringing a large ravioli filled with lobster, potato and leeks, is perhaps the city's most elegant lobster splurge.

There were delights on every plate: a surprisingly earthy lamb minestrone, poured tableside over a mound of ditalini pasta, tiny lamb meatballs, and mint pesto; roasted monkfish atop white beans studded with crawfish and anise-flavored pork belly; seared tuna with creamy oyster and fava bean chowder; plum-vinegar-slicked duck stacked atop a crispy pastry envelope stuffed with Asian black-bean puree.

There were pitch-perfect desserts from Hale, including the potent cocoa power of the city's purest chocolate souffle, a banana tarte tatin, exquisite petit-fours, and the hot-cold buzz of a deep-fried bar of cream cheese ice cream.

Sommelier Scott Turnbull uncorked some lesser-known jewels from the 400-label wine list for stellar pairings, including a spectacular Rhone-style white from California (L'Avion, $70) and a plucky red Spanish moristel that, at $38, may be the first genuine "bargain" wine I've ever tasted here.

It was, all around, another magnificent performance from one of Philly's most enduring havens of luxury. There was, however, one uncharacteristic service flaw: a shrimp cocktail that - gasp! - had not been delivered.

May you only be blessed with such a goof. Because no restaurant knows how to apologize with the decadent penance of the Fountain, which lavished our table with treasures from the cheese trolley, a neatly packed cooler of shrimp on ice for "take-out," and packages of fresh palmier pastries as we glided out the door.

The fuss of such formality may be fading quickly in the rest of our dining world. But thank goodness it's still alive and vital at the Fountain. Hand me my blazer.

Next Sunday, restaurant critic Craig LaBan reviews Seasons 52 at the Cherry Hill Mall. Contact him at 215-854-2682 or claban@phillynews.com.