Tale of the Tape: R2L
Posted by Foobooz on January 20th, 2010
Daniel Stern’s R2L opens to the public tomorrow on the 37th floor of Two Liberty Place.We’ve got the rundown on the panoramic views, menu and more.
The Space
- 37th Floor
- 500 feet above ground level
- Highest public restaurant in Philadelphia
- Accessible via single elevator on 16th Street side
- Views to the south, west and east
- Designed by CCS Architecture
- Art Deco design
- Zebra print booths
- Fork, knives and spoons sculpture breaks up the room
- Restaurant broken into following sections:
- The Liberty Bar and Lounge: Bar menu and cocktails
- The Dining Salon: Flights of food and drink
- Three boardrooms and The Pinnacle Room provide private dining
The Food
- Defined as the cuisine of a cocktail party translated into a dining experience
- Some past favorites from Gayle and Rae make the menu
- The menu includes snacks ($6-12), soups ($6), salads ($6-9), entrees ($20-30)
- Highlights:
- Cocktail Reubens, homemade corned beef and rye
- Rabbit Nachos, jalapeno mousse, homemade tortilla chips
- Surf and Turf, griddled half lobster and braised short ribs served with lobster sauce, beef jus, roasted potatoes and leeks
- Veal Stew, veal meatloaf, sweetbreads, tongue, brisket, trotter and crisp dumpling, served with roasted potatoes, cippolini onions and finished with a rich veal reduction scented with horseradish
- Full Menu (PDF) starts February 2nd
- Restaurant Week Menu, served through January, 29th
The Drink
- Beverage Director Ryan Davis
- Champagne and Martini Trolley offers guests martinis and glasses of Champagne upon seating
- Wine locker service offers diners storage and access to limited varietals at special rates
- Wine by the glass ranges from $8 to $23
- Large piece of ice displayed behind the back bar, bartenders “harvest” the ice for different cocktails
- Cocktails ($10-12) feature:
- Luxardo
- Carpano Antica
- Noilly Prat
- Top-shelf gins and ryes
- Exotic bitters
- Shaken Sours
- Beer Highlights:
- Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale
- Samuel Smith Taddy Porter
- Brooklyn Local One
R2L
Two Liberty Place, Philadelphia, PA
37th Floor
215-564-5337
More on R2L
R2L in Pictures [Meal Ticket]
Daniel Stern’s R2L Reaches for the Stars and Succeeds [Philly Chit Chat]
R2L Dining High in the Sky [Sips Bites and Sites]
A Look Inside R2L, Opening January 21 [Grub Street]
R2L
Two Liberty Place, Philadelphia, PA
Related Tags: Center-City-West, New-American, R2L, Tale of the Tape

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January 20th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
new chef??
January 20th, 2010 at 8:23 pm
So it says this is the highest “public” restaurant in Philly. Is there another non-public restaurant higher?
January 20th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
Ah, figured it out, comcast building cafeteria
January 21st, 2010 at 7:34 am
There is also the private Pyramid Club at the top of the Mellon Center.
January 21st, 2010 at 10:03 am
Zebra booths. Sooo lame. Another restaurant that will barely last a year