Steps away from City Hall, 10 Arts Bistro and Lounge by Eric Ripert sprawls through the ground floor of the Ritz-Carlton hotel. From the moment a bellhop sweeps opens the door, the sense of luxury pervades your visit. Beneath a soaring marble dome and amid imposing Ionic columns, the bar and lounge area provides a place that’s equally appealing for guests of the hotel and locals thirsty for craft cocktails. Spice seekers will appreciate the fiery kick from the well-mixed jalapeno-spiked margarita. There’s a small bar menu available here. Try a plate of buttery, house-baked soft pretzels for an irresistible nod to Philly’s identity -- not to mention the perfect pairing for a cocktail. The 10 Arts dining room is adjacent to the lounge (the entire space is open, so you won’t miss out on the people watching or the live music in the bar) and feels just as opulent with crystal-like orbs dripping from the ceiling. The menu is more casual than what fans find at Eric Ripert’s New York City flagship La Bernardin, and less focused on seafood. What the restaurants share is devotion to high-quality locally-sourced ingredients, and precision cooking. You can expect fish, like the Pennsylvania brook trout, to be opalescent and flakey and the braised short rib to be tender enough to cut with your fork. The crispy gnocchi, served with bacon in a creamy sauce, are impossible to dislike. Another can’t-lose option? Light-as-air beignets, aka warm doughnut holes, that will bring out your inner child.  

Steps away from City Hall, 10 Arts Bistro and Lounge by Eric Ripert sprawls through the ground floor of the Ritz-Carlton hotel. From the moment a bellhop sweeps opens the door, the sense of luxury pervades your visit. Beneath a soaring marble dome and amid imposing Ionic columns, the bar and lounge area provides a place that’s equally appealing for guests of the hotel and locals thirsty for craft cocktails. Spice seekers will appreciate the fiery kick from the well-mixed jalapeno-spiked margarita. There’s a small bar menu available here. Try a plate of buttery, house-baked soft pretzels for an irresistible nod to Philly’s identity -- not to mention the perfect pairing for a cocktail. The 10 Arts dining room is adjacent to the lounge (the entire space is open, so you won’t miss out on the people watching or the live music in the bar) and feels just as opulent with crystal-like orbs dripping from the ceiling. The menu is more casual than what fans find at Eric Ripert’s New York City flagship La Bernardin, and less focused on seafood. What the restaurants share is devotion to high-quality locally-sourced ingredients, and precision cooking. You can expect fish, like the Pennsylvania brook trout, to be opalescent and flakey and the braised short rib to be tender enough to cut with your fork. The crispy gnocchi, served with bacon in a creamy sauce, are impossible to dislike. Another can’t-lose option? Light-as-air beignets, aka warm doughnut holes, that will bring out your inner child.