Mexico and South America
The owners of La Panga Antigua in San Jose del Cabo (Baja California, Mexico) opened BC there in March. The 200 seat spot features regional seafood and traditional Mexican dishes. The chefs, Jacobo Turquie and Casiano Reyes, both came from Las Ventanas al Paraiso, a Rosewood resort in Cabo. The owners, the Mi Casa Group, have retained the original facade of the building, which was the city’s first guest house. Inside, a private dining room is surrounded by a 1,000-bottle wine display. There’s also a walk-in humidor, a Cognac bar, Tequila tasting room, three private dining areas, and a lawn for parties of up to 250. The Mi Casa Group also owns Mi Casa, Mi Casa de Mariscos, and Peacock’s, all in Los Cabos.
Grupo Anderson’s, Mexico’s largest restaurant company, continues its U.S. expansion with the opening of Señor Frog’s, a party spot serving a wide range of Mexican food and Tequila drinks, in Honolulu next month, followed by Las Vegas in the fall. The company made its U.S. debut in June 2005 with Señor Frog’s in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, which reached $2.2 million in sales within its first seven months. The company hopes U.S. outlets will mirror the success of stores in Mexico and the Caribbean, which enjoy average sales of $5 million per unit. (The company’s other concepts include Carlos’n Charlie’s, El Shrimp Bucket, and Glazz, a high-end Asian restaurant in Cancún.) The company plans a total of 10 Señor Frog’s in the U.S.—all in high-volume tourist-driven markets—along with a taqueria and Mexican seafood concept.
In Argentina, the 165 room Palacio Duhau—Park Hyatt Buenos Aires is set to open in June. The property consists of the Palace building (a restored palace) and the Posadas (new construction), linked by an underground art gallery and garden. At the Palace, the f&b manager is German Broggi, from the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Exec chef for the overall property is Cyril Cheype, from the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome. Director of operations for the new hotel is Antonio Alvarez.
France
The members of Relais & Châteaux have elected Jaume Tàpies, an Andorran, as their first non-French president in their 52 year history. Tàpies will replace outgoing president Régis Bulot after an 18 year tenure. Tàpies owns El Castell de Ciutat in La Seu d’Urgell, Spain, a Michelin-rated property, and has spent 12 years on the Relais & Châteaux board of directors.
London
Conran Restaurants has opened a classic French restaurant called Sauterelle (French for “grasshopper”) at The Royal Exchange building. Open for lunch and dinner, it counts 70 seats. The Royal Exchange, built in 1565, is surrounded by the Bank of England and Merchant Taylors Hall. Today it houses retail shops and another Conran spot called the Grande Cafe and Bar (light meals and seafood), as well as two mezzanine bars (cocktails and snacks) and two private dining rooms. The head chef overseeing all elements at The Royal Exchange is Stuart Smith. Sauterelle’s restaurant manager, Alessandro Piombino, migrated from The Lanesborough Hotel. Conran’s next opening will be in Copen hagen later this year.
Morocco
The international restaurant group Blue Ele phant will open a 140 seat freestanding restaurant in Marrakech in June, followed by a 150 seater in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) in Sep tem ber and another 150 seater in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) in October, bringing the total to 17. The last opening was in Moscow, in Sep tem ber 2005. Blue Elephant serves Thai cuisine composed of fresh ingredients, most of them flown in from Thai land.
Turkey
At the new Radisson SAS Bosphorus Hotel Istan bul, the exec chef is Ibrahim Tunuslu, who came over from the Radis son SAS Hotel Ankara. Danish f&b service manager Christian Haig Selchau has worked in Turkey 13 years, most recently as a consultant for the Servus International hotel development and management company.
Asia and Polynesia
Four Seasons opened the all-inclusive Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle in Thailand in mid-January. Accessible only by riverboat, it’s nestled in the jungle above the Ruak River in the Golden Triangle where Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar (Burma) converge. The 15 air-conditioned tents have king-size beds, recycled teak floors, outdoor showers, sundecks, massage beds, and oversized copper tubs. Exec chef Pichit Hong thong came over from the JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok. Assistant camp manager Gindo Sianturi, late of Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor in Siem Reap, Cambodia, is in charge of f&b.
At the new 296 room Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa on Denarau Island, the exec chef is Jean-Marc Perrignon. He was previously at the 700 room Novotel Xin Qiao. Perrignon’s sous chef, Brendon Coffey, was formerly exec chef at the Heritage Auckland. F&B director Grant Thompson joined the Sofitel from Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort.
Send your international restaurant and hotel f&b news to Julie Mautner at WhiskNews@aol.com
