Whisk Around the World
Julie Mautner
Posted: November 1, 2011
France Anne de Ravel is the chef at the new Château Les Carrasses, a 19th century wine domain in the Languedoc region of the South of France. The property has been extensively restored and converted to a boutique winery and luxury hotel estate. It opened in late July. De Ravel was formerly a food and entertaining consultant for the New York Times Magazine (1984 to 1992) and a producer at Food Network (1992 to 1999). She returned to her native France in 2007 to open a cooking school, Saveur Languedoc, which she still operates. At Château Les Carrasses, de Ravel serves classic Mediterranean dishes and tapas. The property has eight acres of gardens, a pool, tennis court, orchard, and vegetable garden. The 28 apartments and villas (€200 [$273] and up, high season) were fashioned from original 19th century buildings. All have kitchens; many have barbecue grills and private heated pools. The gm is Philippe Berry, who worked in France, the Caribbean, and New York, most recently at the Chequit Inn (Shelter Island, NY). The developer/owner is Karl O’Hanlon, a former banker/finance expert who launched his company, Domaine & Demeure, in 2009. This is his first project. O’Hanlon has begun producing several Les Carrasses cuvées and also offers hands-on winemaking courses.
London Alexander Baillieu is the chef in charge of Dorsia, the new club that opened in September in South Kensington. Baillieu previously worked at Firehouse in Kensington. His menu is modern European. Located in a classic Georgian town house, Dorsia houses three distinct areas: a private club, a private bar, and a stand-alone 45 seat restaurant open to the public. Owners Nick Andreen and Fraser Carruthers worked together at Boujis, a private London club, before striking out on their own.
The Moscow-based Novikov Restaurant Group is making its debut on the international restaurant scene with the opening this month of Novikov Restaurant and Bar. Founded by Arkady Novikov in 1992, the company owns more than 40 fine dining restaurants and five fast-food chains in and around Moscow, employing more than 14,000 people. The new 19,000-square-foot Berkley Street site houses a Far Eastern–themed bar and two restaurants: one, with 130 seats, featuring Asian seafood; the other, a 150 seater serving Italian fare.
In June, The May Fair, a 406 room luxury hotel, opened a 90 seat lunch-and-dinner restaurant called Quince, with chef Silvena Rowe at the helm. Rowe is a well-known U.K. TV chef with a diverse culinary background, including a stint as a food columnist for the Guardian. The cuisine at Quince is Eastern Mediterranean and Ottoman Empire inspired. On the opening menu, the Ottoman spiced lamb cutlets with tahini and black truffle sauce pays homage to her grandfather, who cooked the dish for her father. The salmon shawarma is a healthful modern alternative to traditional meat shawarma and is cooked on a vertical grill. The recipe for orange and orange blossom baklava dates to the late 1400s. The cocktail menu was developed based on the subtleties of the herbs, spices, and fruit used in the kitchen. The signature Lebanese Taxi, with rose liqueur and lavender sugar, takes its name from the all-female pink taxi service in Lebanon.
Germany 25hours Hotel HafenCity, the first hotel in the up-and-coming HafenCity waterfront area of Hamburg, opened July 1. The “budget deluxe” property offers “a modern take on a sailor’s club” and is the newest launch for the Hamburg-based 25hours Hotel Company. The concept plays off 25 stories collected from sailors interviewed in a local seamen’s club. The hotel has 170 cabin-style suites, a rooftop sauna, a restaurant featuring large dishes to share, a bar, a kiosk (souvenirs, magazines, bike accessories), a gallery, a business center (with iMacs and two Skype booths) and meeting spaces, including one housed in a repurposed shipping container. Bands can practice free in the Gibson Music Room, in exchange for performing in the hotel. Guests have free use of bikes and three MINIs (four hours max). The exec chef, Frank Droste, came over from the Radisson BLU Airport (Hamburg). F&B director Michael Jäger, a 10 year industry vet, graduated this year from the Lausanne Hotel School. GM Henning Weiss was with 25hours Hotels in Frankfurt. 25hours Hotel Hafencity (rates from €105 [$143]) is the fifth property in the company’s portfolio. The sixth is under construction in Zurich and will open in autumn 2012.
Mexico In mid-September, Westin opened its 10th hotel in Latin America: the 221 room Westin Guadalajara. It’s located downtown, in the Rinconada del Bosque area of Mexico’s second largest city. The restaurant Casa de las Rosas features modern Mexican and traditional Guadalajaran dishes as well as a SuperfoodsRX menu of nutrient- and antioxidant-rich dishes. The chef, Eduardo Osuna, came from W Mexico City, where he was exec chef for almost five years. The hotel’s exec chef is Francisco de la Parra, formerly at Dulce Patria (Mexico City). The f&b manager is Jan Vanhaelewyn, who came over from Le Méridien Ra Beach Hotel & Spa (El Vendrell, Spain), while gm Walter Harbich had been at The Haciendas, part of The Luxury Collection, in Campeche and the Yucatán.
India Sirio Maccioni has partnered with The Leela Palaces, Hotels, and Resorts to create a branch of his legendary Le Cirque at the 260 room Leela Palace in New Delhi. The hotel opened in April 2011, and the restaurant followed in August. The new 144 seat Le Cirque is led by exec chef Mickey Bhoite, who was previously at the New York City flagship. Signature dishes include lobster risotto, Sirio’s pasta primavera, Mamma Egi’s ravioli, and crème brûlée. In keeping with local preferences, many vegetarian dishes are also offered. The hotel’s exec chef is Glenn Eastman, the f&b director is Rajesh Namby, and the gm is Tamir Kobrin. Along with his sons Mauro, Marco, and Mario, Maccioni operates Le Cirque and Osteria del Circo (NYC) restaurants in Las Vegas and the Dominican Republic, and “An Evening at Le Cirque” in the Pinnacle Grill restaurants on all 15 Holland America ships.
Edited by Julie Mautner. Send your f&b news to her at WhiskNews@aol.com.
