10 ARTS LOUNGE

10 ARTS BISTRO & LOUNGE

The Ritz-Carlton

10 Avenue of the Arts

Philadelphia, PA 19102

(215) 523-8273

This rainy December afternoon Bro and I decided to make 10 Arts our rest stop while shopping in Philadelphia. Located inside of the Ritz-Carlton lobby, in what used to be an old bank, the 10 Arts is like drinking in a Roman temple. Perhaps to Bacchus? Anyway, it embodies everything that hotel bars are supposed to embody. It's fancy and expensive and the drinks come second.

Eric Ripert, who was on an ex-girlfriend's I'd-cheat-on-you-with-this-guy-list (right behind Anthony Bourdain) is the brain behind the menu. Bro and I ordered some bites (the French Fries with a rosemary spice dusting and some Mini Burgers in a tangy mayo) and they were very good. As for our liquor, well, I ordered a Negroni and a Sazerac, both classic drinks, both made wrong but drinkable. Bro ordered a Godfather.

Of course, the point of a place like 10 Arts is entirely to feel important and wealthy. Doormen open the door for you and warmly say hello as though you live there. It's marble and granite from floor to ceiling and that ceiling is fifty feet high. The seats are plush and the liquor is top-shelf. Eric Ripert made the bar food. Sure, there's a guy drinking Miller Lite watching a muted ESPN on a flat screen next to you, and some businessmen from Cincinnati doing shots of tequila, but you barely notice them. You're too busy relaxing away from the grind of the city outside. You're too busy trying not to smile at the cute tourist girls. You're too busy letting go of the day. You're too busy not being busy, eating a mini-burger.

Expect to shell out $14 per cocktail and $5 per mini-burger.

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