The Fountain

Nation's Restaurant News, May 20, 1996 by Amy Zuber

With a collection of more than 50 different patterns of china, the Fountain Restaurant in Philadelphia's Four Seasons Hotel takes attention to detail to new heights.

And whether it is choosing the perfect plate for a particular menu item or displaying more than 25 varieties of fresh cheeses on a cart in the dining room, the 60-person staff has been well-trained to focus on the minutiae of the restaurant.

At the same time, the Fountain, which has 110 seats, strives to anticipate its customers' needs, according to Jean-Marie Lacroix, who has been the hotel's executive chef since it opened in 1983.

"If a regular customer likes a certain wine, we make sure we have it before he arrives," Lacroix says. "Then we try to bring it to him before he asks for it."

When it comes to accommodating customers' needs, Lacroix notes the staff is trained to provide friendly, easy-going service. "I have good people who have been working for me for a long time," he says.

One waiter, who has worked at the restaurant since it opened, prepares cappuccinos with the foam in the shape of a heart for his female customers. And on New Year's Eve, an extremely busy evening for the Fountain, the staff even attempts to fill customer requests for items not on the pre-set menu.

"My first priority is to satisfy our customers," the chef says. "We focus on taste, but we are always listening to our customers and adapting our menu according to their requests."

The Fountain's menu is French based, with specials that change daily. The restaurant is also known for its Sunday brunch buffet, which features specialties like calf's tongue in parsley caper vinaigrette and chicken liver pate with apples and onions.

Lacroix sets the daily menus according to the availability of local ingredients, including fresh fruits, vegetables, cheeses, fish and meats. He prefers to establish close relationships with small purveyors so he can have more quality control over the foods he orders.

"Chef Lacroix is passionate and fanatical about ingredients in a way many chefs claim to be but really are not," says Janet Bukovinsky Teacher, the restaurant reviewer for Philadelphia Magazine.

Open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the Fountain, which is a AAA Five-Diamond fine-dining operation, serves about 250 customers a day. The hotel's staff reserves tables for out-of-town guests because a majority of the restaurant's business, especially on weekends, comes from customers who live in the Philadelphia area, according to Lacroix.

The restaurant and adjoining hotel are located in Logan Circle, near the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The dining room -- with fresh flowers, dark wood, beveled mirrors and intricate chandeliers -- offers a view of the Swann Memorial Fountain.

But if Lacroix could have it his way, every customer would enter the restaurant through his kitchen. "Being in the dining room is like being in the theater," he explains. "You have to act. But in the kitchen, everybody is much more relaxed, even the guests."

That is why Lacroix enjoys directing the Friday afternoon private tasting events in his kitchen, during which 20 to 25 restaurant guests are invited to watch the Fountain's staff as they prepare dinner.

"I encourage the guests to ask questions about the food and the recipes," Lacroix explains. "It is very relaxed. It is not a class. It is just a matter of having fun. It gives them a different sense of the restaurant as well as the chef."

A native of France, Lacroix trained at Thonon les Bains on Lake Geneva. He gained experience from cooking at restaurants and hotels in France, Switzerland, England, Scotland, and then from opening his own restaurant in Canada.

Lacroix has become known for mentoring young chefs who have limited experience and then encouraging them to express their own cooking styles. "Even if someone makes a mistake, we learn from that," he says.

Chef de restaurant Martin Hamann began cooking at the Fountain as an apprentice a few months after it opened and worked his way up to his current position. He had just graduated from the Philadelphia Restaurant School when he convinced Lacroix to hire him.

"One of the first things I learned here was to focus on taste," Hamann says. "It has to taste good and then presentation will take its course. We make things simple, fresh and tasty."

Four of Lacroix's former young talents -- Bruce Lim, Francesco Martorella, Jean-Francois Taquet and Tony Clark -- went on to cook at other top-rated restaurants in the area. But after they left the hotel, they kept on good terms with Lacroix, reuniting a few years ago to cook a $200-ticket fundraising dinner in Lacroix's honor for Share Our Strength, calling the event "Papa's Feast."

"My staff keeps me going," Lacroix says. "We all learn from each other. Having young people around who want to do their best at the end of the day is very rewarding."

Although the restaurant is housed inside one of the city's most luxurious hotels, Lacroix wants the Fountain to have its own identity. "The best compliment I ever got was that we are not a hotel restaurant, but a restaurant with rooms on top," the chef says.