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R2L


50 S. 16th St.
Two Liberty Place, 37th floor
Philadelphia , PA 19103
215-564-5337
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square Restaurant Week lunch menu
Restaurant Week dinner menu
Parking: Valet parking Thursday through Saturday at 16th Street entrance, $19.
Handicap access: Wheelchair accessible.
Related reviews:
R2L
The site, atop Two Liberty, and the chef, Daniel Stern, are prime. But many dishes fall short, and service can be disorganized.
By Craig LaBan, Inquirer Restaurant Critic
Craig LaBan: The site, atop Two Liberty, and the chef, Daniel Stern, are prime. But many dishes fall short, and service can be disorganized. » Read more
More Craig LaBan
 
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Cuisine type: American
Meals Served:   Brunch - Sun.   Lunch - Mon. thru Fri.   Dinner - Mon. thru Sun.   Late Night - Fri., Sat., Sun.
Style: Expect a soaring city view from your perch at Daniel Stern's swank restaurant and lounge atop Liberty Two. The fine-dining experience, though, has been shaky in its opening months as the inventive New American menu, drawing partially on past hits from Rae and Gayle, has been inconsistent for the lofty prices. Service is especially frazzled, leading to major errors that should make everyone double-check the bill.
Specialties: Beet salad; asparagus salad; "bacon-wrapped scallop" pot stickers; striped bass "fish and chips"; cocktail Reubens; rabbit tacquitos; salmon with barley; spring "surf and turf"; veal; sorbet; white miso panna cotta; chocolate and chicory; apple pie.
Alcohol: A substantial and smart selection of 180 international bottles, all of which (except the sparklings) can be decanted by the half bottle. However, there are hardly any good choices at $50 or less, and the already steep triple markups rise egregiously for half bottles. The bar also serves deft upgrades to classic cocktails, a few worthy craft beers, and a comprehensive list of whiskeys and after-dinner drinks.
Weekend noise: A roaring 88-plus-decibel din and long tables at half-moon booths add up to ear-pinching conversations. (Ideal is 75 decibels or less.)
Hours: Lunch Monday-Friday, 11:30am - 2pm Brunch Sunday, 11am - 2pm Dinner Monday-Thursday, 5pm - 10pm Friday & Saturday, 5pm - 11pm Sunday, 4pm - 9pm
Reservations: Recommended
Open Table
Prices: $$$$
17 User reviews | Post a review
Reviews
01:43 PM, 05/09/2010
hahaha!!
Incredible but I agree with Craig LaBan about the most of the review. The only thing is that how could such dessert as "miso panna cotta with sweet soy ice cream" be a highlight of the meal. Come on, Craig. That dessert wasn't any better than any other of the dishes I had. This just gives me the feeling that you are not subjective at what you do. Perhaps prior encounters or experiences with "Chef Daniel Stern" have build up something in you against him, but if you come to his place and write a review about his place and his team, I don't think is a good thing to spotlight or give publicity to some other dude ( nothing personal with the pastry chef, I didn't even heard of him before). Perhaps you should come to R2L and have a pastry tasting menu and have a whole column for this guy.
Posted by santoss
10:17 AM, 05/10/2010
Talented...Prime?
This chef was "talented" when he was under the direction of George Perrier. It is a disservice to your readers and the chef to continue to refer to him as "talented". Now with 2 failed and 2 failing restaurants it is time to stop hoping that something he opens will succeed. He has taken on Mahoney to run his operations and that obviously is not working and now the announcement Bryan Sikora as culinary director after Alex Urena bailed on opening night. How many other professionals could fail time and time and time and time again and still be labeled talented? The sad part of all of this is how many of those young people that served you, prepared your meals or managed service on those evenings that you dined are now going to lose their jobs but you still consider the chef talented? Those poor individuals who didn't recieve enough training and leadership will now pay the price for your lopsided review.
Posted by phlfoodie
11:01 PM, 05/10/2010
Review
Tell me Craig, how can one read your review and have confidence in it's accuracy when the photo of the gentleman pouring wine is inaccurate. The person is clearly NOT Chef Daniel Stern. It seems to me that one should have his facts in order prior to having them printed for the public to see the in adequacies of the review. You should be ashamed of yourself. To Santoss...get a grip! The desserts are awesome at R2L, as is the food. When did life become so regimented that we get so upset over what plate to remove from the table first? It isn't a perfect world so let's take a little bit of confusion and accept it. Life is too short...perhaps one should eat dessert first!
Posted by gaijinnana
08:42 PM, 05/11/2010
Revenge of the Intellect
It has been said that interpretation is the revenge of the intellect on art, in this case dining. In many ways, to interpret is to impoverish the world of substance, genuine hard work and risk-taking (I cite R2L), to diminish the world’s opportunity for innovation in order to establish an alternative shadow world of meaning. I respect that Mr. LaBan has a job to do; he gets paid. He obviously enjoys what he does in his role (too much?) of entertainer, instigator and picaro play acting as the kingmaker in his fiefdom. Subject/object relationships are very complex, certainly not as simple as what Mr. LaBan's job requires of him. Anyway, I hope that this city will support innovative endeavors such as R2L and read Mr. Laban’s review in the spirit that I think it is intended: entertainment like morning radio talkshows, something to pass the time, something to stimulate the conversation. Can two visits to a new restaurant substantiate a comprehensive portrait of an eatery’s potential? I am not apologizing for his experience, but I suspect Mr. Laban relied on past experiences with chef Stern to provide context for this op/ed and that does not help validate the present review. In the end, I enjoyed his review very much and I also wish R2L the best in its future as I have enjoyed my time there very much.
Posted by foodview
08:15 AM, 05/14/2010
You Do the Math
There are 15 entree prices listed on R2L's menu, exactly 4 are "hovering at high $30's or above". You give mr? loban too much credit fv, otherwise, enjoyed your review. Miss you Elaine...
Posted by podunko
05:59 AM, 05/22/2010
Laban is right on the money... even too kind!
Craig Laban is almost too kind in his review. Given the plethora of delicious food available in Philadelphia at reasonable prices, why anyone would go to R2L is beyond me. I was a big fan of Rae, despite the prices. While the concept of each dish is commendable, at R2L the execution simply is so poor that the offering are often tasteless. Add to that the deplorable service, comical is exactly the right word, and you have to do a double take when you see the name Daniel Stern. It almost seems like some of the staff is too tired and overworked to care. Pomp cannot replace quality.
Posted by julesrod
02:28 PM, 05/24/2010
loved it!
Craig Laban was overly critical of R2L. I loved the food, vibe, service, and wine list. The views were incredible. Last time I ate there, I ate in the bar area and thought that was wonderful as well. Loved the new menu-great Salmon with the seasonal touch.
Posted by ART LOVER
06:46 PM, 06/08/2010
Great view
That sums up experience at R2L,food was below par and service was disappointing from the start of seating!
Posted by chillin1
08:07 PM, 07/12/2010
a joke
Having previously worked for Stern at R2L and opening the restaurant Mr Laban is spot on. Generally the food is underseasoned or just plain bland. If you look on Open Table reviews everyone talks about the view with food being second. Should it not be the reverse outstanding food with an equally impressive view? Stern cant cook, and his management team is a bore. I'm not a disgruntled ex employee just speaking the truth. Don't waste your money here friends.
Posted by thegreatmick
08:07 PM, 07/12/2010
a joke
Having previously worked for Stern at R2L and opening the restaurant Mr Laban is spot on. Generally the food is underseasoned or just plain bland. If you look on Open Table reviews everyone talks about the view with food being second. Should it not be the reverse outstanding food with an equally impressive view? Stern cant cook, and his management team is a bore. I'm not a disgruntled ex employee just speaking the truth. Don't waste your money here friends.
Posted by thegreatmick
11:26 PM, 07/14/2010
We just don't get it.
Are we existing in a parallel universe to Craig Laban and others who are panning R2L? We three foodies have eaten there twice, and both times LOVED the food and service. They were uniformly exquisite. We're so happy with this addition to the Philly food scene. It's a class act!
Posted by oliver1630
11:26 PM, 07/14/2010
We just don't get it.
Are we existing in a parallel universe to Craig Laban and others who are panning R2L? We three foodies have eaten there twice, and both times LOVED the food and service. They were uniformly exquisite. We're so happy with this addition to the Philly food scene. It's a class act!
Posted by oliver1630
11:26 PM, 07/14/2010
We just don't get it.
Are we existing in a parallel universe to Craig Laban and others who are panning R2L? We three foodies have eaten there twice, and both times LOVED the food and service. They were uniformly exquisite. We're so happy with this addition to the Philly food scene. It's a class act!
Posted by oliver1630
04:04 PM, 07/26/2010
The view was the worst part
Like so many of my friends, I put off trying R2L because of the diverse reviews. I am so sorry I waited this long because every part of our meal was outstanding. I love a good French onion soup, and the one at R2L was perfect. When my striped bass arrived, I thought it wouldn't fill me up, and I was totally wrong. The fish was fresh, filling, and served with a perfectly carmelized scallop and tasty piece of bacon- different but delicious. For dessert, my wife and I were surpised with a mixed coconut dessert and some type of chocolate marshmalow which we loved. Every part of the meal kept getting better. The attention to detail in the service was also excellent- from walking my wife to the bathroom, to subtly deliving a birthday candle with my dessert. The meal wasn't cheap, but worth definately worth it- probably the only reason I can't give it 5 stars (we did have 6 drinks, though). Also, the bathrooms were rather far from our table. Regardless, my wife and are looking forward to returning soon.
Posted by thepickydiner
10:00 PM, 08/01/2010
Wonderful experiences X4
We ate at R2L three times and my father ate there once. We were in total agreement that R2L truly makes a concerted effort to make you feel special and make the experience memorable. Seems to me that Craig Laban hones in one one service glitch and cannot overcome it. One otherreview above is clearly sour grapes for being fired from the restaurant. The icing on the cake for us was having our Rehearsal Dinner at R2L which was nothing short of amazing. Melissa Darpino did everything possible to accommodate us. The food and presentations equally paralleled the best view in Philadelphia. We had a Mediterranean platter followed by both Rabbit nachos and crunchy risotto appetizer combo, and either salmon or a beef/shortribs combo and the unparalleled warm vanilla cake for dessert. The servers were cordial and very clearly were filling only empty glasses after acting...something that made for a reasonable liquor bill. Overall, what separates this restaurant from others is that Dan Stern is willing to do whatever possible and necessary to make this among the premier dining experiences in Philadelphia with the best view as the icing on the cake. I suspect Craig Laban's second visit later this year will reflect this. Anyone wanting a special venue for a lecture, meeting, birthday, anniversary or just a fun night out should check out the 37th floor of Two Liberty Place! We made it the intro to our Wedding weekend and smile whenever we think about how great it was!!!
Posted by Criticaleater
01:16 PM, 01/03/2011
$155 SCAM FOR 2011...!
On the one hand - we should have known better (to expect anything special when prepaying for a NYE packaged party)on the other, we didn't 'expect' to be lied to and flat out robbed either. We were told that 1. There would be plenty of 'outstanding' food available. 2. There would be an open 'Premium' bar. 3. There would be a live band and a separate DJ'd dance area. Well, there was popcorn, cotton candy, lame party favors, and, I'll admit, two food stands serving modest appetizers... And that's where this joke of a party ends. The 'premium' bar had Sky vodka as their top shelf and lousy, cheap wine. The band? There was no band. It was just a lie - plain and simple. For $155.00 you'd think they could have at least given me a Kettle One Martini, a plate of decent food, and something to dance to other than Prince's 1999. It was torture - like being held captive at a night mare Bar Mitzvah.
Posted by MaxMan
05:31 PM, 01/24/2011
Celebration of the Senses!
From my first visit to R2l’s website and it indicated what time the sunset was, my expectations were set…and they were exceeded!!! The ambiance is like nothing I have experienced before, from the minute you walked into the building to sitting at the bar overlooking Philadelphia’s skyline, every detail was taken into account. The service was very knowledgeable and courteous, but the actual food is what I can’t get out of my mind….the wine was paired perfectly and my palate was excited all night long. The presentation was impeccable. From one course to the next I anticipated as to what I was going to be served next. The portions were PERFECT!! I was able to enjoy my whole meal without any guilt! Everything was delicious, light and flavorful. The whole night I felt like a princess looking out at my kingdom (the view of Philly)! This is a perfect place for a romantic dinner for two or a group of friends. No matter which one you choose, do it! The total experience is unforgettable!
Posted by atalaine
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