Great Hotel Restaurants 2009
Beautiful rooms, unparalleled views, the freshest ingredients and impeccable service define the best hotel restaurants across the globe.
By Derek Gale, Senior Editor -- Hotels, 7/31/2009 11:00:00 PM
Each year, 10 great hotel restaurants are selected by a distinguished panel of judges made up of well-traveled hospitality professionals from all over the world. Winners receive a porcelain brule parfum from HOTELS magazine and sponsor Villeroy & Boch.
Lung King Heen Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong
Meals served: Open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner
Seats: 128; private dining for 14
Average check: US$100
Chef/culinary team: Executive Chef Chan Yan Tak and Lung King Heen Chef Ma Kwai Ming
Menu: Authentic, traditional Cantonese cuisine updated with a contemporary approach and local and seasonal ingredients for a fresh and light twist on Chinese classics; emphasis on dim sum and seafood; nine-course chef's menu available
Sample menu items: Braised goose liver in abalone sauce and fish maw; wok-fried prawns with dried chili and shallots
Standout features: Décor incorporates an Italian silver leaf ceiling and silver and glass features to replicate the glitter of the dramatic skyline of Hong Kong; central design feature is a custom, hand-embroidered 7-foot (2.1-m) silk-and-glass screen by a Hong Kong-based artist
What makes it great: Lung King Heen incorporates the freshest of local and seasonal produce into its traditional Cantonese foods
Other recognition: Recognized for the "Top Food in Hong Kong" in the 2008 Zagat guide; only restaurant in Hong Kong to receive 3-star award in inaugural edition of the Michelin Guide to Hong Kong/Macau 2009
Blue Duck Tavern Park Hyatt Washington D.C.
Meals served: Lunch and dinner daily, weekend brunch
Seats: 106 inside, 40 outside (seasonal), 10 for semi-private dining and 16 at the chef's table
Average check: Unknown
Chef/culinary team: Executive Chef Brian McBride, Chef de Cuisine Michael Santoro
Menu: Showcases the best of the season and region through simple, traditional cooking methods
Sample menu items: Roasted tavern steak with cherry mustard marmalade from Snake River Farms, Idaho; Muscovy duck breast with braised leg, black olive and licorice from Four Story Hill, Pennsylvania
Standout features: Open kitchen and pastry pantry; handmade Windsor benches, one measuring 29 ft. (9 m) and incorporating more than 200 hand-tooled spindles
What makes it great: Menu notes farm where every dish is raised before its journey to the table
Other recognition: Named one of the "Best 95 New Restaurants in the World" by Condé Nast Traveler in 2007 and one of the "Most Outstanding Restaurants in 40 Cities Around the World" by Food & Wine in the same year
Fearing's The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas
Meals served: Breakfast, lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch
Seats: 379: Dean's Kitchen (64), Gallery (52), Sendero (54) and Ocaso (50), plus private dining spaces and bars
Average check: Unknown
Chef/culinary team: Chef/Partner Dean Fearing, Chef de Cuisine Eric Dreyer
Menu: Elevated American cuisine—"Bold Flavors, No Borders," and a focus on Texas' local ingredients
Sample menu items: Tortilla soup; barbecued shrimp taco; maple-black peppercorn-soaked buffalo tenderloin; and pan-roasted BBQ-spiced filet and chicken-fried Maine lobster
Standout features: High ceilings, detailed millwork, Jerusalem limestone, giant live oak trees with outdoor fireplace, extensive waterworks and 6,000 bottles of boutique and rare-vintage wines in the wine cellar
What makes it great: "Last meal-worthy" cuisine; seven indoor/outdoor dining settings, including Rattlesnake Bar (serving premium tequilas), Live Oak Bar (with outdoor fireplace), The Gallery (formal), The Sendero (glass pavilion with removable walls), Ocaso patio (walled-in garden) the Wine Cellar (private dining), Dean's Kitchen (dining room built around kitchen)
Other recognition: Named America's "Restaurant of the Year" by Esquire magazine in 2007; Named No. 1 in hotel dining by Zagat's 2009 U.S. Hotels, Resorts and Spas Survey
The Loggia Villa San Michele, Florence
Meals served: Lunch and dinner
Seats: 80
Average check: Unknown
Chef/culinary team: Chef Attilio di Fabrizio
Menu: Typical Tuscan cuisine of the region
Sample menu items: Potato and spinach gnocchi dumplings served with buffalo mozzarella, fresh tomato and basil sauce; Tyrrhenian fresh catch of the day in salt crust, perfumed with wild fennel
Standout features: The views over Florence
What makes it great: "A fabulous space with fabulous views that preceded the restaurant," says Michael Whiteman, a New York-based restaurant consultant
Hélène Darroze The Connaught, London
Meals served: Lunch and dinner Monday to Friday
Seats: 62
Average check: £115
Chef/culinary team: Hélène Darroze
Menu: Regularly changing daily set lunch, seven-course tasting and à la carte lunch and dinner menus reflect Darroze's signature style of cuisine—a combination of traditional produce from her native Landes (in Southwest France), coupled with some of the finest ingredients from the British Isles
Sample menu items: Signature dishes such as Gillardeau oyster tartare with caviar d'Aquitaine jelly or black and creamy Acquarello rice with squid, chorizo, confit tomatoes and a Reggiano parmesan foam
Standout features: Guests are greeted on arrival by large presentation cubes displaying Darroze's freshly made breads, cheese selected by master fromager Bernard Anthony, pots of wild herbs and reels of freshly churned butter
What makes it great: Darroze's passion for the finest, simplest ingredients—particularly produce; the Armagnac trolley, a signature feature from Darroze's restaurant in Paris, with more than 44 vintages from 1904 to 1994
Other recognition: Hélène Darroze has earned two Michelin stars at her Paris restaurant
Faventia Four Seasons Terre Blanche, Provence, France
Meals served: Open April to October for breakfast daily and dinner Tuesday through Saturday
Seats: 60 inside, 60 outside
Average check: €165 (including taxes) per person
Chef/culinary team: Executive Chef Philippe Jourdin leads an eight-person culinary team
Menu: Contemporary Mediterranean cuisine with Provençal influences and a focus on fresh, local ingredients; two tasting menus—Saveur Du Terroir and Balade Provencale
Sample menu items: Roasted turbot fillet glazed with golden jus, capers and lemon; roasted veal fillet served with girolle mushrooms and zucchini with fresh almonds
Standout features: Hilltop vantage point with sweeping views over nearby villages of Callian and Montauroux; modern art from French artists adorns local stonework walls, balanced by dark wooden floor and high ceiling
What makes it great: Chef allows ingredients to speak for themselves; elegant yet unintrusive service
Other recognition: Awarded two stars this year by Michelin
Restaurant Mathias Dahlgren InterContinental Stockholm
Meals served: The food bar (Matbaren) is open for lunch and dinner; the dining room (Matsalen) is open for dinner only
Seats: 50 in the food bar; 38 in the dining room
Average check: SEK 1,000 (US$129) in the food bar; SEK 2,800 (US$363) in the dining room
Chef/culinary team: Mathias Dahlgren
Menu: Specializes in natural cuisine, based on fresh produce and natural taste, featuring local Swedish ingredients as well as global ingredients and influences; tasting menus available in both food bar and dining room
Sample menu items: Tartar of beef & oyster; baked wild chocolate
Standout features: Warm, intimate dining room designed with a mix of classic Swedish and contemporary international influences, featuring original chairs rescued from the Grand Hotel
What makes it great: Long sittings with time to savor cuisine, wine and company are encouraged
Other recognition: Named on the 2009 list of San Pellegrino's World's 100 Best Restaurants; Dining room and food bar both received Michelin stars
Reflets par Pierre GagnaireInterContinental Dubai Festival City
Meals served: Lunch and dinner
Seats: 50, plus a private dining room for up to 10 guests
Average check: AED750 (US$204)
Chef/culinary team: Head Chef Olivier Biles, Assistant Outlet Chef Anthony Garlando, Pastry Chef Sébastien Vauxion, Head Sommelier Julien Coron
Menu: A seasonal reflection of the best ingredients available in the French markets, with dishes changing daily; three-course set lunch menu
Sample menu items: Roasted duck aiguillette with sour cherries and green cabbage fondue served with duck confit-stuffed red pepper and Iberico dressing; butter-poached John Dory with espelette pepper, cockles, and virgin sauce, served with grilled shiitake mushrooms, foie gras puree and veloute blanc, plus spinach tart with niora chilies and abalone
Standout features: Rich color and sparkle of interior
What makes it great: Service is discreet and personable, with little surprises to delight guests; feedback is taken very seriously
Other recognition: The only Middle East restaurant on the 2009 list of San Pellegrino's World's 100 Best Restaurants
La Bourgogne Alvear Palace, Buenos Aires
Meals served: Lunch (Monday through Friday) and dinner (Monday through Saturday)
Seats: 70
Average check: US$70
Chef/culinary team: Executive Chef Jean Paul Bondoux plus a team of 15 cooks
Menu: Traditional French incorporating Argentine products; featuring an executive lunch menu, an à la carte dinner menu and tasting menus for both services, with items changing regularly
Sample menu items: Chateaubriand béarnaise; lamb with parsley and garlic sauce
Standout features: Private dining in wine cellar for up to 40
What makes it great: Table-side service showcases a range of cutting, carving and flambé of meat, poultry and fish
Other recognition: The only Relais & Gourmand establishment in Argentina
Rive Gauche Hotel Baur au Lac, Zurich
Meals served: Lunch and dinnerMonday through Saturday
Seats: 60
Average check: CHF122 (US$114)
Chef/culinary team: Chef Olivier Rais
Menu: A modern Mediterranean-inspired grill with seasonal ingredients and international influences such as exotic spices
Sample menu items: Grilled steak of tuna with herbal marinade; monkfish wrapped in Pata Negra with green asparagus; "gentlemen's" and "ladies'" cuts for tenderloins
Standout features: New terrace; martinis at Rive Gauche Bar
What makes it great: The idea that an exquisite culinary experience comes from passion not protocol; creative names for menu items
Selection Committee:
Manos Angelakis, managing editor, LuxuryWeb, Hackensack, New Jersey; Elizabeth Blau, restaurant consultant, Las Vegas; Fred Ferreti, food writer/restaurant consultant, Montclair, New Jersey; Kurt Fischer, president, International Food & Beverage Forum, Mendocino, California; Mary Gostelow, editor in chief, WOWtravel, London; Eileen Yin-Fei Lo, cookbook author/teacher/consultant, Montclair, New Jersey; Ernesto Marino, founder and president, BSH International, São Paulo; David McMillan, president, Axis Hospitality International, Montreal
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way to go team Fearings .....Gun Barrel
john thogerson - 2009-4-8 17:07:00 PDT
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