My favorite restaurants with a view

View from XIX
A different city view awaits at XIX (Hyatt at the Bellevue, Broad and Walnut Streets, Philadelphia, PA. Tel: [phone]. www.nineteenrestaurant.com), named after its location on the 19th floor of the Hyatt at the Bellevue. The balcony is the place to be, as the entire city of Philadelphia spreads out beneath you and the river snakes off into the distance. Even from inside, though, the view’s spectacular, and the tasteful dining room, with its 19-foot chandelier and oversized strand of pearls cascading from the ceiling, wisely plays to the vista. Be sure to try “Free” Chicken a la King—invented by 19th-century chef William King at this very hotel. This is 2018, however, and you won’t find the tasteless creamed mass that name invokes. Here it’s a luscious and tender piece of chicken with local mushrooms, sherry cream sauce, and a red pepper purée—a sort of deconstructed chicken a la king that’s absolutely perfect, as are the Crab Normandie appetizer and the local trout with a sweetish stuffing spilling out. Dessert? The Bellevue apple dumpling is rich and sweet with pecans, caramel, and brown sugar. At lunch or brunch, you’ll be in the café, which is where I experience lunch with renowned Philadelphia actress Peggy Smith—though the lovely staff is equally solicitous with the non-celebrities on the balcony. For the full splendor, though, check out the main dining room in the evening, when the chandelier glows, the city outside twinkles, and what’s on your plate shines.

360 Restaurant
Across the border lie more cityscapes, and a Great Lake thrown in for your delectation. It doesn’t get more Canadian than 360 (301 Front St. W., Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Tel: [phone]. www.cntower.ca/en-ca/360-restaurant/overview), at the top of Toronto’s CN Tower and revolving to give you a series of constantly changing vistas of the city and Lake Ontario. The food is as Canadian as the view, with a concentration on ingredients from the country’s agricultural bounty from Newfoundland cod to Alberta beef and the Ontario sour cherries in their Black Forest Verrine, with a chef’s touch that’s at once creative and light-handed. As you eat, the restaurant rotates slowly, taking about an hour to go the complete 360 degrees that gave the restaurant its name. You hardly realize the restaurant is moving till you look up and your view of the lake and piers is gone, and you’re seeing the heart of the city, with cars tooling along like little ants below. Look up between main and dessert, and you’re seeing the lake again, the full moon now having risen, its soft light reflected in the water. You truly do get a 360-degree view, and the slow unfolding of the constantly changing panorama makes it even more exciting. Look carefully as you sip your Canadian wine, because nothing stays the same.

View from Festningen
The best place to dine with a fjord view is, of course, in Norway, specifically Oslo’s wonderful Festningen (Myntgata 9, Oslo, Norway. Tel: [phone]. www.festningenrestaurant.no). Set above the Oslo harbor, you’ll see it as you head like a good tourist to the medieval Akershus Palace. Just below the walls of the medieval fortress lies a tiny white building. Enter, and you’re in an atmosphere at once laid back and spectacular. That’s Festningen: comfortable, elegant, and with modern touches livening the timehonored building. The city of Oslo and its harbor appear beneath you, with Oslofjord stretching seemingly into eternity. The menu concentrates on seafood, and my mouthwateringly fresh cod sits atop swirls of langoustine and tarragon sauce, the fish crispy on top and tender inside, the sauce deep and rich. It is, in a word, perfection. There’s definitely attention given to Norwegian products, from the West Coast halibut to the lingonberries in their white chocolate/orange dessert, and it’s only fitting that a view so Norwegian is accompanied by cuisine demonstrating the freshness of the country’s bounty.

View from Motto Am Fluss
Adifferent approach is taken at Motto Am Fluss (Schwedenplatz 2, Vienna, Austria. Tel: [phone]. www.motto.at/mottoamfluss), where the food is as international as cosmopolitan Vienna. Most of the restaurants we’ve visited so far sit high up above their views. Motto Am Fluss sits right among it, a boat-shaped restaurant right on the banks of the Danube canal. LGBT visitors to Vienna have long loved the sister restaurant (named, simply, Motto) in the heart of town. This winning spot, which opened in 2010, carries the same great food and service, but with a stunning view of the canal and the city of Vienna rising beyond it, the urban lights reflected in this city waterway. The food spans the globe with the insouciance that is Vienna’s urbane trademark, from tuna maki to baked ricotta. Here, gnocchi with Bolognese sauce has the unexpected addition of cranberries, while pike perch (a local specialty) is livened by fermented garlic, and “bacon strudel” (how’s that for a new twist on an old dish?) accompanies the black lentil soup. Desserts show an equal creativity, such as a cheesecake made from Brie and served with pumpernickel and tomato jam. As you sit surrounded by one of Europe’s most exciting cities, you’ll enjoy food that’s equally forwardlooking and creative.
And that brings us to the end of our scenic gourmet tour. What strikes me about these restaurants is that each is somehow such a perfect mirror of the view outside the windows, with a cuisine that is notable on its own but also, in some way, reflects the vistas I gaze at while enjoying it. From a Pacific coast escape to an immersion in the glitter of the city, there’s something unique about each of these very different panoramas, as there’s something unique about the experience of each restaurant. Great food is great food wherever you enjoy it, but isn’t it that much nicer to have something beautiful to look at while you’re indulging?

Favorite Restaurant

DIALOGUE
In this lesson, your tutor will help you go over this topic: favorite restaurant. First, read the following dialogue out loud with your tutor, then switch roles and try again. 
Dorothy and Kevin are talking about eating at her favorite restaurant.