Closing Dinner in Philadelphia

[benito417]

Im planning to have a closing dinner in Philadelphia to celebrate a recent finance related deal. I was wondering your thoughts on where to have the dinner. We will likely want a private room that seats approximately 15 people. Price is not an issue. I think it should be somewhere appropriate for some fairly conservative types, but not overly stuffy. For example, Id rather do something more interesting and exciting than Fountain, LaCroix etc. One suggestion that has been thrown out is Morimoto or Buddakan. I have been to both and while they are good (particularly Morimoto) I would be interested in hearing other options.

Thanks!

[rabidog]

conservative but interesting is a tough thing! i would say italian is a good bet, more interesting than a steakhouse but it won't put the meat-n-potatoers into total shock. la famiglia is certainly a nice place with a beautiful private room down in the wine cellar... problem is because of the room's location it's a little chilly. there's also a private room upstairs, but that's MUCH larger, more for like 75 - 100. i took a group here a couple months ago and they absolutely doted on us. happy spending, wherever you go!

[idia]

Estia. It's perfect!

[bi11me]

Le Bec Fin has a private dining room that will fit 15 with ease, but don't expect to get out for less than $150 - $200 a head, and possibly WAY more if you like fine wine. James would be a good choice if the guests are more progresive foodie types.

[crazyspice]

We had a very nice experience and private dining at Susanna Foo's. It is a good thing price isn't an issue, as we paid a VERY big price for our dinner. We didn't care about the tab either for the event. We were a party of 20. Food was excellent.

[Bigley9]

Susanna Foo also has a private room

[benito417]

Thanks everyone, very helpful. I had been thinking about Barclay Prime. Looked at the website and wasnt sure how much I liked the decor, looked a little tacky. Has anyone had positive experiences with it? particularly the private room?

I think my ideal would be striped bass (which is out because its all fish) or Vetri, which is out because its too cozy and small for this scenario.

[Buckethead]

Even if you do want fish, Striped Bass is not good.

[benito417]

Point taken, I bring it up more as an example of good atmosphere. If Susanna Foo's is a little more refined and if the food is better than Buddakan, that may be the right call.

[DaisyM]

I've been to a private party at Barclay Prime. The service is very good and the decor is in good taste...not tacky!

[nns]

I'm with you on the decor, benito, but the food at Barclay is top-notch. I think it would work well, since the menu is good for boring people (this is a closing dinner, right?) -- ie, steak -- as well as people who want more excitement -- ie, Kobe beef sliders and cute dessert concepts. I've never done the private room thing there, though.

I'd agree with everyone that Buddakan is too loud for a closing dinner. Morimoto or Osteria might be interesting, though.

[urbanfabric]

I know that James has a private room, but I'm unsure how many it seats. You may consider Osteria as well.

[DaisyM]

Morimoto has private dining rooms. I love Buddakan, but it is very noisy there...is it too noisy for a business dinner? You might also consider Barclay Prime which has a private dining room that will probably work for you. If it is a conservative group you really can't miss with steak.

[mschow]

Agree about Buddakan; it's still very noisy upstairs, and you can barely hear the person next to you without shouting. Barclay Prime is a good suggestion. Estia would be a good choice, though I don't know if they have any non-fish items (this is a great fish restaurant).

[Cruz]

I've had parties in the upstairs room at Buddakan twice and I didn't find the noise a problem. It's certainly much quieter than downstairs. However, my parties had about 40 people. I doubt that they'll give you the entire room with only 15 people.

[lawgirl3278]

Estia has a very nice private room.

[bluehensfan]

I think that at Buddakan you can rent the upstairs while Morimoto has the Omikaze room that can be rented out (and I seem to remember one other room downstairs?). Another idea that may appeal to people is Estia.