Restaurant

Benoit New York, the highly acclaimed French bistro that is part of the Alain Ducasse restaurant empire, is offering fresh black Périgord truffles throughout the month of February. The truffles can be shaved over any dish offered on the menu that features classic French bistro cuisine for a supplemental cost of $9 for 5 grams, which is the actual cost to the restaurant. The truffle pairing will be available through the end of February.

Benoit Executive Chef Philippe Bertineau suggests enjoying the truffle garnish atop a selection of dishes. In addition to the Maine Lobster Salad and Tarte Flambée, the truffle shavings work well with the Filet Mignon and Hand-chopped Beef Tartare.

"One of the dishes I recommended serving with truffles is our Seasonal Local Vegetable Cookpot," says Chef Philippe Bertineau told Luxist. "The Cookpot is an oven-to-table porcelain dish that Alain Ducasse created with designer Pierre Tachon specifically for cooking and serving vegetables. It's a modern adaptation of the traditional cooking pot used in France's rural regions, and all of Chef Ducasse's restaurants around the world offer a seasonal vegetable Cookpot dish that's composed of local vegetables."

"For the Cookpot at Benoit, we wanted to create a vegetarian dish using root vegetables---our version includes parsnips, carrots, potatoes, sunchokes, rutabaga, celery root, butternut squash and chestnuts layered over a mushroom duxelles and finished with fresh black truffle," adds Chef Bertineau, the former Executive Chef of Balthazar who joined Benoit in October. "All of the vegetables are cooked together and served in the Cookpot, and it's a wonderful dish for the wintertime."

Hilton Hotels & Resorts has opened a floating hotel in Pattaya, Thailand. Called Hilton Pattaya, the sleek and modern property offers a fresh, luxe beachfront experience to the heart of the international beach resort of Pattaya, which overlooks the Gulf of Thailand and is about 90 minutes southeast of Bangkok. Pattaya is a once-sleepy fishing village that first captivated Americans as a R&R destination during the Vietnam War era.

The cosmopolitan, full-service hotel rises above the new "Central Festival at Pattaya Beach" complex that is Southeast Asia's largest beachfront shopping and entertainment facility with more than 200 shops and restaurants, a 10-screen cinema and a 16-lane bowling alley. Guests will have direct access through an exclusive ground floor entrance, but the hotel's main lobby is on the 16th level.

Hilton Pattaya enhances its prime location on Pattaya Beach with 302 stylish, Zen-inspired guest rooms and suites located between levels 19 and 33 that offer panoramic ocean views from private balconies. Rooms are light and relaxing with elegant, modern furnishings done in whites, beiges and light woods, while spacious bathrooms come with separate a rain shower and deep soaking tub. Each room is also equipped with a Serenity Bed Experience, LCD TVs and high-speed internet service. Suites offer floor-to-ceiling windows and separate living and dining areas, while many feature outdoor bathtubs on private balconies. The hotel's infinity-edge pool, which is set amid lush, landscaped gardens, offers sweeping sea views from the 16th floor.

Elaine Kaufman, the legendary restaurateur and owner of her namesake restaurant on the Upper East Side of Manhattan died today. Kaufman, 81, died from complications due to emphysema.

Elaine's was a gathering place popular among journalists, writers, and other artistic types, and where you would regularly spot such luminaries as Woody Allen. I had dinner there only a few weeks ago with two artist friends. Elaine was sitting in one of her usual spots, not far from the front door. She was firmly planted in a seat, surrounded by half a dozen admirers. I noticed how each patron would stop by her table to pay tribute as they came in to the restaurant or on their way out. She really seemed to be in her element.

Valentino's on the Green, the Bayside, New York (Queens) home of Rudolph Valentino, the legendary silent film star, will celebrate Thanksgiving with a special prix fixe menu on November 25th.

The three-course prix fix menu will include a choice of appetizer (such as pumpkin and butternut squash soup) and a choice of entree (ranging from traditional turkey and sausage stuffing to stuffed loin of pork, sliced fliet mignon and homemade ravioli). Dessert choices include a pumpkin-ricotta cheesecake and New York state apple and cranberry crisp. The cost is $44.50 per person. The Italian restaurant will also offer a children's menu that includes dessert and a choice of entrees ranging from penne pasta to turkey with mashed potatoes and chicken fingers. The children's menu is priced at $19.50.

The mansion, which is located in Bayside, Queens, has undergone a multi-million dollar, interior and exterior restoration. With a golf course view, flanked by an elegant patio, garden, and pond, the 170-seat ground floor a la carte restaurant features the Fiorello Room a dining room tribute to another former resident, the late New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. The restaurant's Valentino Room is a red velvet and mahogany-rich hideaway, which includes a bar and grand fireplace. A wine wall with the restaurant's world-class selection gracefully separates the two larger ground level spaces. The second floor of the mansion features a 230-seat banquet space with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Throgs Neck Bridge and Little Neck Bay and offers a behind-the-scenes bridal suite that was once the bedroom of Valentino himself.

The Bedford Post Inn, actor Richard Gere's perfectly restored eighteenth-century country inn (above) located an hour outside New York City near the actor's Westchester estate, has a new chef and some special offers to welcome the fall season. Situated on 14 acres, the bucolic property is home to an exquisite eight-room luxury inn featuring marble baths, fireplaces and Frette linens, two restaurants and a yoga studio. Gere and wife Carey Lowell recently hired Jeremy MacMillan, formerly of A Voce Columbus and A Voce Madison in Manhattan, as the new chef at the Inn, where he will emphasize high-quality seasonal local ingredients at both its restaurants.

MacMillan will offer classic seasonal country cuisine at The Barn, the more casual of the Inn's two eateries, and hearty Mediterranean-influenced American fare at The Farmhouse. To celebrate the season the Inn is offering a number of different packages combining overnight stays with various dining options and yoga instruction, with rates ranging from $295 per night for a basic bed and breakfast experience to $630 per night for the Inn's King Deluxe room with a terrace, breakfast at The Barn, the Chef's Tasting Menu at the Farmhouse and a yoga class for two guests.


[via JustLuxe]

Famed French chef Daniel Boulud, most well known for his influence and restaurants in New York City (including his flagship named simply 'Daniel'), has opened his first restaurant on his home continent. Called Bar Boulud it opened in the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London just a few weeks ago on May 6th. The bistro seats 169 guests and features a retro and wine theme (including stylized wine-barrel light fixtures and black and white photos from his hometown of Lyon, France) and a charcuterie-heavy menu cooked up by a dozen chefs in an open kitchen. Guests have their choice of traditional 'in season' French dishes or Yankee styled burger and fries. The Bar Boulud in London is an outpost of the original Bar Boulud that opened in New York in 2008.

In June, legendary French chef Pierre Koffmann, whose name has been synonymous with some of the finest French food in the world for the past 35 years, will open Koffmann's in The Berkeley hotel in Knightsbridge, London.

Encouraged by his rave reviews and enthusiastic welcome back into the London culinary scene with his Selfridges pop-up restaurant in October 2009, Koffmann, a Michelin star-winning chef, is excited to embark on this next stage in his distinguished career.

"I have been searching for the perfect new restaurant site for several years," says Koffmann. "I am thrilled to be returning to a place I know and love."

This new venture will see Koffmann move away from his much applauded haute cuisine menu, and into a more relaxed, informal style while still embracing his classic, provincial, French culinary roots. His greatest passion is to be behind the stove, cooking the dishes he loves, many inspired by his maternal grandmother Camille, and this new restaurant will give him the freedom to express this vision.

Architect David Rockwell has constructed an 80-ft. tall "treehouse" inside Crystals at Las Vegas' $8.5 billion CityCenter to house a dramatic new eatery called Mastro's Ocean Club. Guests enter the restaurant through an elegant portal of wood-lined lowered ceilings and meandering walls into a dining room featuring curved white leather booths and banquettes accenting hand-crafted mahogany beams and sapele wood. On the dining terrace, Mastro's offers views of the angular shapes, towering ceilings and the unique artistic elements of Crystals. The signature grand bar and piano provide a livelier, energetic dining atmosphere with live entertainment seven days a week. Crystals is the nucleus of CityCenter, located on 67 acres between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo resorts on the Las Vegas Strip, features several hotels, entertainment venues and luxury boutiques.

I guess everyone has to eat, even in a recession. When the light appears at the end of the tunnel, though, appetites get bigger ... and more discriminating. In London, upscale eateries are seeing the investment banking crowd come back, and the wine is once again flowing. The cities top chefs are still worried about what will happen after Christmas, but for now, they're happy to see their creations gobbled up by the city's financial sector.

Marcus Wareing has had what he calls "a fabulous year." The waiting list keeps getting longer, and he says, "There's a good vibe." Tristan Welch's Launceston Place is seeing more wine flow, and demand is picking up. Pearl's Jun Tanaka remains cautious, "We'll really know in the first quarter 2010 if business has returned ... I don't know if it's a trend or a hiccup."

Across the city, there's a mix of optimism and trepidation. Le Gavroche, Wahaca and Le Café Anglais, for example, offer some variation of "Business is good" or "Business is booming, and Gordon Ramsay tells Bloomberg News, "There's an increasing air of confidence, which has been particularly apparent since the beginning of September." Michelle McGuire of The Palm said the restaurant had its busiest week three weeks ago since its opening in May, "with record takings." Sam Hart, of Fino, Barrafino and Quo Vadis, on the other hand, calls the improvement "fragile."

Nonetheless, this is a far cry from the angst that characterized the fine dining world a year ago. When people start to eat well, you know that things are turning for the better.

Water's Edge, the iconic eatery on New York's East River with incredible panoramic views of Manhattan, recently reopened after a $1 million renovation with a brand new menu. Established in 1981 in Long Island City, with the recent revamp the restaurant is entering its third decade in real style. For patrons from Manhattan the Water's Edge dining experience begins with a cruise across the East River on the restaurant's private ferry departing from the East 23rd Street Pier/Skyport Marina. In addition to the elegant main dining room and bar, the restaurant offers riverside outdoor seating, a plush lounge with a fireplace, floor-to-ceiling windows and a private balcony with breathtaking views of the Manhattan skyline and the Queensboro Bridge.

There's also a private event space as well as a 90-ft. luxury yacht docked in front of the restaurant available for cocktail parties and private functions. Highlights of the Eclectic American cuisine include Panko Crusted Oysters with Guacamole and a Red Pepper Reduction; Baby Artichoke Crusted Salmon with Baby Turnips, Spaghetti Squash and Saffron Broth; and Mushroom-Miso Crusted Rack of Lamb with Braised Bok Choy and Whipped Potatoes. The bar features signature drinks such as the Water's Edge Sunset Cocktail, made with Grey Goose vodka, Grand Marnier and fruit juice. In addition they host regular wine tastings and wine pairing dinners.

Red-haired chef Mario Batali recently closed his seafood restaurant, The John Dory, but the bills linger on. The NY Daily News reports that Batali and his business partner Joe Bastianich (son of TV chef Lidia Bastianich) are on the hook for nearly $75,000. A lawsuit says that they owe $45,000 in rent as well as other expenses including $15,000 for chilled water. The John Dory was located next to Batali's NYC restaurant Del Posto but it closed on August 29 after only being in business for nine months. Bastianich has said that the bills will be paid soon. This appears to be an isolated episode and not an indication of cracks in the Batali empire which includes Babbo and other restaurants in New York City as well as outposts in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

One of London's most expensive restaurants has closed its doors in the fallout from the recession. Tatsuso served high-end sushi and was famous for its exorbitant prices. Wealth Bulletin says that the restaurant went into liquidation in May with liabilities of more than £338,000. The restaurant was located in the Broadgate development and catered to London's financial types. Mehmet Arkin, the appointed liquidator, blamed the restaurant's woes on the collapse in corporate expense accounts and noted that several London institutions had closed their credit accounts with the restaurant at the start of this year. Arkin said the restaurant is not planning to reopen.

Famous chef Heston Blumenthal will be opening his first London restaurant in 2010. Blumenthal, who runs the three Michelin-starred The Fat Duck and a gastropub, The Hind's Head, both in Bray, England, will be opening a new restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge. Blumenthal's new restaurant will explore his passion for the history of British gastronomy, and the restaurant will be three times the size of The Fat Duck. While it's great to see Blumenthal moving into a more central location we hope he doesn't spread himself too thin a la Gordon Ramsay.

Diners in New York City's Greenwich Village got a surprise Saturday night when the President and First Lady joined them for dinner. The First Couple ate at the Blue Hill restaurant before seeing a Broadway show "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" at the Belasco Theater. The NY Daily News reports that when the couple left the restaurant the other diners stood up and applauded them. Diners were searched before going into the restaurant and the entire block was closed off.

The menu at Blue Hill New York focuses on local food sourced mostly from Blue Hill Farm in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. Guests can choose from the regular menu or opt for the "Farmer's Feast," a five-course tasting menu. Entrees including Hudson Valley chicken pot au feu and Berkshire pig stew are in the $30-$40 range. The President and First Lady have expressed an interest in gardening, farming and healthy food options so this restaurant, which showcases fresh fruit and vegetables and simple preparations was a natural choice.

The weather is getting warmer, and restaurants in cities across the United States are stretching out onto sidewalks. Why not bring a touch of Europe across the Atlantic and enjoy the fresh air? Well, for some, fresh air is what's at issue. Smokers, after spending a winter enduring the elements, are happy to enjoy a bit of comfort. With most cities passing smoking bans, outside has become the last option for a lot of us, and outdoor dining almost always leads to ill will.

I was out on my front stoop a few nights ago, cigar in hand – as I've done for the past two years at this location. Customers at Bistro Cassis, a few doors down, complained loudly and in shrill voices, "You can't do that! It's blowing right at us!" Well, I reminded her, it's a public place, and I can do what I want. I continued to enjoy my cigar, though I moved back a little bit, so the building would provide some cover. Routinely, staff at the restaurant has been unnecessarily rude, perhaps in an attempt to show some advocacy for guests. Routinely, the staff fails.

Had she asked nicely, of course, I would have gladly relocated to the benches on Central Park West, a block away. Most cigar smokers seem to share this attitude. Ask nicely, and we'll accommodate the best we can. Demands and rude tones tend not to yield the desired results.

Smoking bans are an easy target for cigar smokers (and, for that matter cigarette smokers), and I admit, our community gripes about them a bit too much. We're past the point of being productive, and dwelling on the injustice feels like a waste of time. The fight for outdoor spaces, however, is a very real outcome of the prohibition on indoor smoking. Without locations where we can partake of our chosen luxury, we're forced outside. Though the laws vary, most do not prohibit smoking on sidewalks. So, that's where we go, disrupting dining experiences as a result.