Business Dinner

[RLHarrington322]

Hello, fellow Chowhounds! I am trying to arrange a business dinner for 6-8 in Phildelphia next month. I'm in Washington, DC, so am unfamiliar with restaurants in Phildelphia and would greatly appreciate any recommendations you can throw my way. The restaurant needs to be on the upscale side, good food and very good wine. Looking more for American, French or Italian fare or a good steakhouse. Any input is welcome and thank you for your help!

[RLHarrington322]

Has anyone eaten at Butcher & Singer? It was a name tossed out but I haven't seen or heard much about it.

-----
Butcher & Singer
555 Lincoln Dr W, Marlton, NJ 08053

[Buckethead]

It's inferior to Barclay Prime, and though it's been a while since I've been there, they had problems cooking the steak to temperature.

[rocknroll52]

Yes I have. I thought it was outstanding. The atmosphere is 1940's. If your group likes steak, it would be a winner,

Other places I'd recommend for a busines dinner would be : Fountain at the Four Seasons and Davios (Italian/Steak). Both have excellent food, service and ambiance for a busines dinner.

[cwdonald]

The other place that deserves to be mentioned for both the food and the wine list is Vetri. Its prix fixe only with the option of wine pairing with the meal. They have a fantastic cellar, and are a great choice for those who really appreciate Italian wines.

[tzanghi]

Made a trip to Butcher & Singer recently. Great steak, and great atmosphere. Doesn't much praise, but I enjoyed it.

[cwdonald]

Any issues in getting steak to temperature? Last time I was there split a bone in ribeye if I remember correctly and it was more done than I would have preferred.

[tzanghi]

Take this with a grain of salt, as I am not a connoisseur of steak, but rather a novice to some degree. There were 3 of us, all got medium filets, and they were basically what I expected. To be honest, if anything, they were slightly less cooked than I would have expected, which is what the waitress told us they tend to do(they do this at all Starr places I think). They were mostly pink with a small amount of red towards the center, but slightly charred on the edges and tender overall.

If you're really keen on temperature, then it may not be the best place to get steak, but I'm just not sure because my experience is somewhat limited in ordering red meat to temperature. Regardless, it was tasty and juicy. Hope this helped!

Also had a great butternut squash soup that was very rich as an aside from the steak.

[Buckethead]

tzanghi's experience at B&S is much more recent than mine but I've had 3 steaks there and only one was cooked to the right temperature.

[tzanghi]

Seeing as how I'm the odd man out, I'd chalk this one up to my not-so-delicate palate and call it a wash. I would say it's more likely that B&S is not quite as good as I think given the more consistent inaccuracy in cooking.

[urbanfabric]

I would recommend Lacroix in the Rittenhouse Hotel. The food, atmosphere, and service are top notch.

Barclay Prime might also work, it's a modern steakhouse, and one of the few locally that are not part of a national steakhouse chain.

[RLHarrington322]

Thank you! I'll check them both out.

[DaisyM]

Lacroix has a private room within the dining room. It seats about 10.

[RLHarrington322]

Thanks!

[crazyspice]

+1 for Lacroix.

[RLHarrington322]

Thanks!