Inside the Newly Renovated Liberté at Sofitel in Center City | Eater Philly

"At Sofitel Philadelphia's Liberté Restaurant in Rittenhouse Square (120 S. 17th Street), I've found a newly renovated 108-seat dining room with new lighting, art, sculptures, marble-and-tile lobby floors and a redesigned front desk, now led by general manager Pierre Jotterand and executive chef Seth Fannin. The menu is French-forward yet Philly-centric—Fannin, who has worked in Paris, Bally’s and Wynn in Las Vegas as well as InterContinental and Millennium hotels, says he wanted to connect Philadelphia to our France—and features items such as the Philly Croque (a bold French take on the cheesesteak made with shaved ribeye, sharp provolone, and caramelized onions), Croque Monsieur influences, North Atlantic salmon, onion soup gratinée, a double smash burger, pasta verte, fromage, and a vegan peach mango cake, with vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options available. The full-service bar mixes classic cocktails with French spirits (Rinquinquin, Chartreuse, Suze, Calvados), offers signature tableside cocktails, partners with local brands (Philadelphia Craft Ice, Rittenhouse Rye, Four Walls Whiskey, KLYR Spirits), showcases a Nitro cocktails draft system (the only restaurant in the area doing so), and lists 26 wines by the glass including exclusive French selections. Liberté soft-launches this weekend at 12 pm (regular service Mon–Thurs 12–11 with happy hour 4–6, Fri–Sat 12–12, Sun 12–10), reservations are on OpenTable, and a grand opening ribbon cutting is planned later this month to help kickoff Sofitel’s Worldwide Diamond Jubilee." - Ernest Owens