#17 R2L

R2L to follow dinner at Sampan. I've been wanting to experience R2L, mostly for it's infamous views. I figured going here for just dessert and drinks would be a good way to end the night and a great way to not spend more than $50. R2L is located on the 37th floor of 2 Liberty Place. As we were walking there, we looked up to the top of the building and said "Is that where we're going?". It just looked amazing to be able to be up that high.

After 2 wrong door entrances into Liberty Place (after a year of living in the city I still feel like I never know where I am going), we finally made it to the elevator that had only two stops- the lobby & floor 37.

Once we entered the 37th floor we realized R2L was a pretty lavish place. The lighting was dimmed and everyone was dressed to the nines. We had made a reservation, but decided to sit in the lounge area to be able to get the best view of the city. The dining room was pretty empty (as to be expected at 9pm on a Tuesday), but the lounge was almost fully occupied. Consequently, we did not get a seat right by the window. We were facing a somewhat awkward group people who looked like they could have been on a blind group date.  Not exactly what I wanted to look at or listen to, but we made the most of it.

Our waiter brought us two glasses of champagne to start, which was pretty amazing. With all of the free food we were getting at Sampan, plus this, we were starting to feel kind of important. R2L had an extensive wine list, so I just chose a random glass of Pinot Noir. Typically, I go with the cheapest glass, but since we had $50 so spend on 2 drinks and dessert I chose a mid-priced glass. After much debate about the dessert, we decided to go with  the Toasted Cinnamon Crunch, which was donut ice cream with hazelnut and cinnamon crackers. It was one of the most beautiful desserts I had ever seen. I didn't know how to go about eating it a first, but we definitely figured it out. It wasn't a huge portion, but it was fine since we were pretty full from dinner. The dessert menu also suggests a drink to pair with the dessert. This is something that I wish we tried. If it wasn't a Tuesday quickly approaching my bed time, we probably would have.

Then the check came.. $36. In such a debacle. I texted all of my friends to see if it was appropriate to leave the tip on the gift card. Most of them said no. This annoyed me because $14.00 on a gift card at a place like R2L doesn't really entice me to come back. So the waiter processed our bill and came back and said "If you would like to leave the tip on the gift card, I will need the card back" I could've kissed him- problem solved. I didn't have to spend any extra money and the waiter got a pretty nice $14.00 tip.

R2L was the definition of a romantic and intimate restaurant with its ambiance, lighting, service, and spectacular views of the Philadelphia. We also enjoyed the chance to take selfies on the elevator ride...