For Dinner and a Show, Leo’s Got the Dinner Part Covered

1. Pre-theater dining is the move here.

Leo is located inside the Kimmel Center on Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts, which runs along South Broad Street from City Hall to Washington Avenue, a stretch of the city that is the heart of Philadelphia’s performing arts ecosystem. Within walking distance, there’s the Kimmel Center, Academy of Music, Miller Theater, Wilma Theater, Suzanne Roberts Theater, Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts, Prince Theater, Drake Theatre, and more. Ensemble Arts alone hosts 2,000 events and a million visitors a year at its three venues (the Kimmel, the Academy, and the Miller).

Along with the à la carte dining, the new restaurant also has a special three-course prix-fixe menu for $50 (sans dessert is $45) available from 5 to 7 p.m. It’s an elegant meal that’ll have diners in-and-out in about 90 minutes — though the chef suggests budgeting at least two hours for a more relaxed experience.

With 118 seats total and available seating held for walk-ins, there’s also a table that can accommodate 12 guests for those seeing a show with a group. (Pro tip: book this early for those holiday concerts when you bring the whole family.)

Take note, if your evening doesn’t include watching a show, you may find it easier to snag a table after 7:30 p.m. when the theatergoing rush is done. Leo is also easy to access from the Broad Street Line, the Market-Frankford line, Rittenhouse Square, and the Gayborhood.

2. The menu is all about seasonal, coastal cuisine.

Chef Chris Cryer’s menu leans coastal with Mediterranean influences and seasonal, local ingredients. This summer, for example, you’ll find morels, leeks, peaches, asparagus, strawberries, and spring beans mixed into dishes like foie gras over caramelized toast, yellowfin tuna with madeira sauce, and ricotta dumplings with rainbow chard.

Cryer, who grew up in southern Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay region, has been working in kitchens since he was 14 and eventually landed in New York City, where he became executive chef at the seafood-focused restaurant group, Seamore’s, and eventually got involved in the James Beard Foundation’s Smart Catch program, which promotes responsible seafood sourcing practices. His expert seafood techniques are showcased throughout the menu, especially in dishes like the coriander-cured hiramasa and roasted shrimp with coconut kosho.

As a fresh pasta aficionado, his favorite dish is the clam campanelle with aged ham from North Carolina and both razor and Manilla clams. “I love the pairing of pork & shellfish,” he says. “It goes great with the slow cooked tomato and smoked chile.” He also recommends the heritage carrots, roasted pork shoulder, and lamb merguez dumplings with fried black pasta and ranch yogurt. For dessert, he’s most excited about the citrus custard with coconut rice, Bhumi citrus, and lemon verbena. It hits all of the “simple, yet bright flavors” that he looks for after a meal.

3. The bar offers a seasonal, flexible menu.

Leo’s goal is to offer cocktails that often have themes tied to the shows and events in Ensemble Arts’ theaters. Wine, sparkling wines, and beer are also available. And for those seeking zero-proof options, it should be noted that most of the cocktails can be served without alcohol, and you’ll also find a non-alcohol beer on the menu. As with the dinner menu, seasonal ingredients — like cherries, basil, and rhubarb this spring – will also find their way into Leo’s drinks.

While glassware isn’t allowed inside the halls, all of the Kimmel Center’s bars offer spill-safe plastic cups ideal for taking with you to your theater seat. “As much as we love the sound of clinking, we prefer it comes from the percussion section,” jokes Crystal Brewe, the executive vice president, chief marketing and audience experience officer at Ensemble Arts Philly.

4. Leo comes from a seasoned team of hospitality vets.

The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts, the duo that runs the Kimmel Center, partnered with Rhubarb Hospitality Collection, which operates restaurants in New York, London, and Berlin, including those located inside London’s Royal Albert Hall. Cryer most recently worked at one of the group’s restaurants in New York: Peak at Hudson Yards. Rhubarb also oversees the all-day cafe and lounge, Curtain Call, which opened in January. Curtain Call is located just across the plaza from Leo, where you’ll find coffee, happy hour, pre-show meals, and post-show drinks.

When it came to making Leo a reality, The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts reached out to Make Collective and Estudio Guada, both out of New York City, to lead a light renovation of the space to open the layout a bit and add textured green tones throughout, including handmade Sogni Di Cristallo chandeliers from Venice.

5. There’s a deep track Disney connection here.

If you’ve ever seen the Disney film, “Fantasia,” you might remember a scene in which a conductor chats with Mickey Mouse, and shakes his hand.

That conductor was Leopold Stokowski, the iconic music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra from 1912 to 1941, and the person for whom Leo is named. In fact, Stokowski and the Fabulous Philadelphians performed the majority of the animated film’s soundtrack and recorded it at Philadelphia’s Academy of Music, the gorgeous opera house block from the Kimmel on Broad Street.

While the British American conductor will likely be associated most with, arguably, the most famous mouse in the world, it’s his revolutionary talent that has made him the namesake of the Kimmel Center’s new restaurant. Stokowski laid the groundwork for the “Philadelphia Sound” — that our internationally celebrated orchestra is known for — by testing out new techniques and encouraging musicians to personalize their style.

“Like Stokowski, this place is all about bold expression, unexpected flair, and making magic,” says Brewe. She likens how Stokowski reimagined and personalized the “recipes” of Bach and other great composers with how Cryer is artistically approaching the Leo menu. “We’ve got our own culinary maestro in chef Cryer, who I’ve seen turn humble roasted carrots into poetry on a plate,” she adds, calling his cooking intense, intuitive, and just a little bit magical.

Leo is open for dinner Wednesday to Sunday from 5 to 11 p.m.

Sarah Maiellano is a Philly-based food and travel writer. Follow her on Instagram. Follow Resy, too.