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Wall Street may be in turmoil, but stylish Scottsdale -- never short on lux -- is spending money on itself like nobody’s business. The upgrade? A new $3.5 billion development project that’s given the city a royal flush of new eateries, bars, hotels and boutiques and spiffed up the surrounding area (not that it was ever unkempt) in ways the founding townsfolk of this former sheep-herding town would never have imagined.
Additions include a new W Hotel (with Sushi Roko and Bliss Spa), an extensive $325 million Spanish-themed Intercontinental Montelucia Hotel (still under construction), a new full moon holistic program at Boulders Resort’s Golden Door Spa and 13 new multi-million dollar private rentable villas run by Bella Palazzo. Big budgeted rehabs are in season too. An exhaustive $17.5 million rehab of the Four Seasons Troon North, a bright new bar/lounge (Edge) at the Sanctuary Camelback, a $50 million overhaul of Camelback Inn (including a new BLT Steak to come in recent months), and fancy new renovated suites at the Phoenician and Royal Palms have been added to the fray.
But the upgrades aren’t limited to places requiring checking in and out. Development has finally moved beyond the tourist path with the Southbridge and Scottsdale Waterfront development projects, two big budgeted concepts of note that have made the resort-stuffed town a bit more resident friendly. The latter project, costing $250 million, has brought women’s boutiques like Estilo, and a handful of higher-end chains stores (think Sur Le Table) to a formerly derelict stretch along the ancient Arizona irrigation canal. The $41 million Southbridge project, headed by developer Fred Unger, is located along the south bank of the canal, and marked by a slew of new chic casual eateries like Foodbar, Estate House, and Digestif (run by Peter Kasperski of Cowboy Ciao and Kazimierz World Wine Bar fame). Another newcomer, Canal, has added fashion shows to their weekend brunches, making them a guaranteed hit among the golfers’ daughters and wives.
I personally recommend dropping your bags off at the Four Seasons Troon North (like I did on a recent visit), on the outskirts of town in a pristine 4,000-acre desert preserve. Unlike some of the area’s theme-y resorts, the 210 refurbished casitas -- led by Dallas-based Paul Duesing Partners -- blend seamlessly into the desert.
Have the concierge arrange a guided hike with local guide partner Arizona Outback Adventures, run by Seth Heald, a dashing but soft-spoken herpetologist, and his equally charming team of guides, all eager to show you the beauty of the desert on a customized hike. Look for desert hares, sororo cacti and vermillion palo verde trees along your trek. The tranquil property has also recently added a lovely open-air restaurant, Talavara, where guests are offered spectacular views of the city while dining on Chef Mel Mecina’s soft pumpkin soufflés, juicy buffalo tenderloins and fresh heirloom tomatoes topped with Burrata cheese, all under a circling swirl of mysterious ghost-white nighthawks who nest in the cliffs nearby. And not to worry if the recent economic woes have hit you hard. Troon is one of the chain’s most affordable Four Seasons properties, at $349/night, plus a “third night free special” running through the autumn, which is cheap enough to put a smile on even the most forlorn Wall Street trader’s face.
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My Avianca flight to Bogotá from JFK was remarkably brief (5 hours) and like many short hauls these days, it was also remarkably bereft of a good meal.
Fortunately Bogotá -- the almost 2-mile high city with a population equal to New York City -- was eager to show off its chic new dining scene, reminiscent of its insouciant southern neighbor, Buenos Aires, but even more varied.
Unlike the stylish Poretños and their carne-forward parillas, Bogatanos embrace a sweeter cuisine, marked by the equatorial country's abundance of tropical fruits like the uber-fragrant lulo and the tangy tomate de árbol, both members of the nightshade family. Fried mainstays like arepas, empanadas, and chicken-based soups like sancocho, and ajiaco are ubiquitous on menus throughout Colombia and still favored over many international cuisines. But palates are changing in Bogotá as chefs and restaurateurs from all over Latin America swoop in to take advantage of the capital's affordable rents. This trend, paired with the city's 63% drop in crime over the last decade, has given birth to a generation of disposable incomes and adventurous palettes that mark Bogotá's stylish new dining class.
I started my grazing tour in Bogatá's Zona G (Gourmet Zone) at the mod and light-filled Rafael (pictured), popular with Bogotá's impeccably-tailored lunch set, and decorated with naughahyde banquettes, giant glass walls crisscrossed with frosted stripes, and rich wood wine-racks separating the dining room into distinct sections. In typical celeb-chef fashion, the dashing Peruvian Chef Rafael Osterling -- who owns a small chain of eponymous restaurants in Lima, China Beach, Peru, and Bogotá -- was absent during my visit due to the opening of another new Rafael in Buenos Aires. Still, his 25-deep kitchen staff expertly prepared dishes like Chilean salmon sashimi with avocado tartar sauce, crispy shrimp tempura atop a mango and Cajun spiced nut salad, roasted sea grouper in squid ink and Spanish ham broth, and tender lomo saltado with pisco and black-beer perfume. I followed it all with a banana and Nutella cheesecake.
My eating tour continued to the La Macarena neighborhood for a cozy dinner at Cocina y Cava (Calle 27B, No 6-75), largely considered the city's most exclusive restaurant and run with much love by Cartagena-born chef Leonor Espinosa, known for her coastal home-cooked dishes. Creations like sea bass wrapped in fragrant banana leaves with raisins, prawns in coconut milk, coriander and paprika and raw tuna encrusted with Santanderean ants (a Colombian specialty) brought unique flavors to traditional Colombian comfort foods, something Leonor takes great pride in. Other notable upscale newcomers include the French-influenced Criterion, run by brothers Jorge and Mark Rausch, the colorful Oia Med Bistro (Calle 70A # 5-67), housed in an elegant brick mansion, and 8o Sillas (Calle No. 118. 7-09), a flashy cevicheria painted with chalkboard walls listing out endless variations of raw fish and fruit.
It had been a remarkable rise to culinary distinction for Le Cinq when, in 2003, it captured its third Michelin star in just three years of operation. Under chef Philip Legendre, the restaurant, located in Paris's historic Four Seasons George V hotel, delivered impossibly refined, modern classics like the black Périgord truffle tart, and wood-smoked lobster with chestnuts.
Then, in February 2007, Le Cinq lost its third star. Fourteen months later, Legendre threw in his toque there too. Suddenly, the restaurant that had so quickly shot up the ranks was in need of fresh talent.
Enter new executive chef Eric Briffard, who may be the catalyst for Le Cinq's renaissance. Having earned two stars each at his last two engagements -- the Plaza Athénée's Régence and Hôtel Vernet's Elysées -- Briffard now faces the challenge of recovering Le Cinq's third star.
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of staying in Paris at the George V, and made a reservation for dinner to see Briffard in action. It was lucky timing. My Gourmet Tasting Menu (210 euros, not including drinks) straddled new and old, with Briffard debuts alongside Legendre standbys.
Cultivated under the peerless Joël Robuchon at Paris's Jamin, Briffard's technical prowess was no surprise. Take his answer to Legendre's lobster, served in two dishes side-by-side. The first was an exercise in restraint, with tender claw-meat in a delicately herbed broth of natural juices that resonated with deep, briny notes. The second, in contrast, was a more intricate pairing of lobster tail with brousse cheese gnocchi and vanilla-scented fennel. Other sophisticated combinations popped up elsewhere in the meal: seaweed flavored Breton butter, chilled sheep's milk yogurt brightened with olive oil.
Service was prompt, personal and genuinely warm -- a Four Seasons signature perfected here by the George V staff.
Briffard (pictured right) premieres his first full menu this fall, providing an exciting opportunity to witness his vision for a renewed Le Cinq. If waiting for Michelin's 2009 ratings has you drumming the table in anticipation, book a meal on your next Paris trip and judge for yourself whether Le Cinq's star is once again on the rise.
Le Cinq
Four Seasons Hotel George V
31 Avenue George V
75008 Paris, France
+33 (0) 1 49 52 70 00
Trump International Hotel & Tower New York invited Town & Country Travel to the kitchen of its famed Jean Georges restaurant last week for a preview of the ultimate experience in cooking courses: a $9,000 private master class with Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
While showing us how to whip up dishes of charred-corn ravioli and lobster scented with mace (see the video below), Vongerichten -- who was in a fine mood following the four-star review of his new noodle restaurant, Matsugen, in the Daily News -- explained that the class was a response to ongoing requests from guests. Diners have been clamoring for more face time with the chef, and advice on recreating the dishes available at his restaurants, which include the Michelin three-star Jean Georges, JoJo, Vong, Spice Market and Perry Street.
The Jean Georges Master Class, designed for two to four people, takes participants behind the culinary curtain to learn the techniques and secrets of Vongerichten's vibrant cuisine, which favors the intense flavors and textures created from vegetable juices and fruit essences over the traditional use of meat stocks.
Along with the demonstration, guests receive Thursday through Sunday accommodations in an executive park view suite, daily breakfasts for two at Nougatine, dinner and Champagne at Jean Georges, and finally, a signed copy of the multi-faceted master's newest cookbook, Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges (Broadway Books; $40). For more information on booking a class, visit trumpintl.com.
In the Fall 2008 Issue of Town & Country TRAVEL (on newsstands Aug. 5), the delightful Clotilde Dusoulier, creator of the beloved food blog Chocolate & Zucchini and author of two books, Chocolate & Zucchini and Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris (pictured, right), chronicled a recent meal at Le Jules Verne, the landmark restaurant in the Eiffel Tower.
A
native Parisienne, Clotilde recalled her childhood fantasies of what it
would be like to eat in this most famous of places. She discovers that,
since the kitchen was taken over by Alain Ducasse, its acclaim is much
deserved. As interested as we were by Clotilde's insights into Le Jules
Verne, we were equally as eager to discover what foodie spots she would
single out as her own personal "landmarks."
Her answers are perhaps a small taste of what one can expect from her new book, which she describes as "a window onto my Paris, this delicious stomping ground for the food enthusiast."
"It
is the companion I wish I had for every city I visit, pointing me to
the edible highlights and giving me the lowdown on the dining scene,
the best food-shopping haunts, and the locals favorites," Dusoulier
says.
Her top picks in Paris, as told to T&C, after the jump:
The Plaza, arguably New York's most storied hotel, has come to life once again. In bits and pieces this past spring and summer, the wraps have been taken off the renovated property, which is being operated as a small hotel within what is now a white-glove luxury condo building.
If you'd like an excuse to drop in to see the transformation, I suggest you treat yourself to the hotel's afternoon tea. (Image, right, by Ellen Easton.) Fans of this civilized ritual (whatever you do, do not call it high tea, which will immediately brand you as a rube) will be thrilled by the diverse selection of loose-leaf varieties to sample from Kenya, Malawi, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Japan, among other nations.
Presented in the hotel's heart -- the opulent, domed Palm Court -- the tea is poured from gorgeous teapots as you sit back in one of the room's comfortable and conducive-to-privacy high-back chairs. There are two ordering options from which to choose: $60 for a plentiful menu of sandwiches (like English cucumber with diced mint and peekytoe crab salad), savories and pastries and sweets, or $80 for the same menu, but with sevruga caviar. Champagne and sherry also are available.
The light from the translucent ceiling above is artificial, but you'd be forgiven for not realizing it. The hue changes during the day to reflect the appropriate color of sunshine outside. By the time you've finished your treats (and the attentive staff will be sure to send you home with anything you can't finish), you'll be bathed in a pinkish glow -- the Plaza's homage to a New York sunset. Fortunately, there's no reason to expect the sun to go down on this glorious tea ritual anytime soon. Served from two in the afternoon to five o'clock.
The Plaza Hotel
Fifth Avenue and Central Park South
New York, NY 10019
212-759-3000
Like many San Francisco visitors, I often find myself climbing the
city's fog-mantled streets in search of new flavors. My latest
discovery, which also happens to be the town's hottest reservation, is Spruce (right: image by Frankie Frankeny), a new, elegant and already grown-up feeling restaurant tucked away on
Sacramento Street in the lesser-known Presidio Heights neighborhood.
After being seated at a prominent dining table in the rear, I took stock of Spruce's elegant details: Christofle silverware, amaretto leather chairs fastened with brass tacks, Baccarat crystal chandeliers, and German Rosenthal époque china are merely the set pieces to rakish Chef Mark Sullivan's
cuisine. Our server Jennifer brought out an amuse bouche plate of
savory cheese puffs called compte gougers, and proceeded to answer all
my difficult questions with aplomb, including what types of grapes were
in the Beerenauslese and the roasting method of the peony tea.
Apparently, each server must complete a two-week course before working
here, and I'm betting Jennifer came out at the top her class.
She
also informed me that 80% of the restaurant's produce comes from its
own private farm (SMIP Ranch) just south of the city in the hills of
Woodside. Dish after ornate dish that she brought abounded with flavor...
A few weeks ago I was invited to come try out the new menu at Brasserie. I had just eaten a meal at Benoit during its opening week, at Florent during its closing week, and had found myself sharing a bottle of Sancerre one night at Pastis with friends after seeing Olafur Eliasson's Waterfalls exhibit. I was suffering a bit of bistro fatigue. All the polished brass and tromp l'oleil were turning into a blur, and how many frites can one person eat, anyway?
Thankfully, I was in for a change. Despite its traditional name and its 1959 opening date, Brasserie's decor (pictured, left) -- redesigned in 2000 by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the same visionaries responsible for New York's High Line project -- evokes Battlestar Galactica more than Brasserie Bofinger. Definitely a nice change from frescoed angels and gilt.
The menu, on the other hand, didn't seem at first glance to stray much from classic French offerings. But Luc Dimnet (pictured below right) -- who returned to the restaurant in March as executive chef, having held the same position from 2000-2005 -- translates the restaurant's modern sensibilities onto the plate in the form of inventive twists on traditional dishes. 
Kumamoto and Beau Soleis oysters were served with a sprightly, frozen mignonette. Foie gras beignets -- small, molten pockets of rich liver -- were countered with a tart, pleasantly viscious balsasmic gastrique. Order these at the futuristic bar if you don't have time for dinner.
The whole grilled durade was light and aromatic. For something more substantial, tuck into the lobster thermidor (which half the patrons seemed to be eating), from the seasonal Lobster Celebration menu. The tarragon hollandaise was not too heavy, and the aged parmesan delivered the right amount of bite. We were somewhat wary of the addition of the (seemingly omnipresent) truffle oil to creamed spinach, but found that with a light touch, it worked perfectly. The unobtrusive and uber-professional wait staff at Brasserie -- which received two stars from William Grimes in the New York Times -- was adept at picking the perfect wine for each course; we happily left our choices in their hands. Pastry chef Kenneth Larson offered up a juicy and buttery seasonal plum tart; if you visit during the winter, the cheesecake is what you should order. Our only gripes: the leather on some of the dining chairs would benefit from a buffing, and a place to set a handbag in the sleek ladies' room would be a nice touch.
As for the frites? I found they were good enough that a person can, in fact, eat many more.
Brasserie
100 E. 53rd St.
New York, NY 10022
(212) 751-4840
We recently wrote about some of the notable boutiques, restaurants and shops cropping up over on Smith Street in Brooklyn - a young, laid-back place to visit if you're planning a trip to New York and want to escape the constant bustle of Manhattan. Now, there's a cocktail lounge that merits a stop if you're feeling thirsty after shopping.
Whether it's a julep, swizzle or collins you crave, Brooklyn's newest cocktail lounge, Clover Club, offers clever old-school libations for aperitif aficionados and those of us who simply enjoy a cocktail with a little punch (or sour or fizz). The brainchild of Julie Reiner (co-owner of Manhattan's swanky Flatiron Lounge), the Clover Club opened in June and derives its name from the gin-based cocktail, as well as the a group of Philadelphia intellectuals who convened each month to dispel their cares over drinks and good conversation. The atmosphere is cozy and chic: a dimly lit space, with an intricate mahogany bar, pressed-tin ceilings, plush couches and oriental rugs calls on decades past, while a tucked-away stereo plays Billie Holiday.
Patrons will appreciate the comprehensive - and explanatory -- menu that differentiates a cocktail from a cobbler. I was taken with the Southside Fizz (a concoction of gin, lime, cucumber and mint), and the Improved Whiskey Cocktail, with rye, maraschino, absinthe and bitters. When hunger inevitably strikes, go for the deviled eggs topped with bacon croutons and the lamb burger with goat cheese.
Click here for a look at the full drinks menu (via New York Magazine).
Clover Club, 210 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY (718) 855-7939
Coinciding with the official start of summer, New York's restaurant Daniel, on East 65th Street, has unveiled a strawberry margarita served with a side dish of "caviar." If you're a vegan, fear not. No sturgeon was harmed in the harvesting of these beautiful beads. In fact, through the magic of molecular gastronomy, they are created from the liqueur Cointreau - right before your eyes. Daniel's head bartender, Xavier Herit, concocted the cocktail and its sidecar after much experimentation, making Daniel Boulud's signature restaurant the first eatery in Manhattan to unveil a drink using Cointreau baubles.
T&CT TIP: If you're in a celebratory mood, request that Herit start you off with a glass of Champagne dappled with red droplets of Cointreau. But be sure to get to the bar before late August, when Daniel will close down for a month-long renovation.
Daniel
60 E. 65th St.
212-288-0033
Through four mayors, financial boom times and downturns, Seinfeld, Sex and the City and Gossip Girl, the classic Italian fine-dining spot San Domenico, located on New York's Central Park South, has endured.
But all good things must come to an end. (Especially when landlord negotiations get ugly.) Thus, San Domenico is shuttering its location in midtown and moving to Madison Square, turf presently dominated by restaurant impresario Danny Meyer. Plans call for San Domenico to reemerge at 19 East 26th Street next spring. The new space, promises SD owner Tony May, will be significantly larger, and with a much more contemporary décor than its predecessor. The way New Yorkers dine out has changed much in the past twenty years, becoming more casual, says May, and the time has come for San Domenico to hew to that evolution.
A favorite stop for midtowners in need of an after-work cocktail or a plate graced with the restaurant's famed raviolo (filled with soft egg yolk), San Domenico succeeded thanks to the warm Italian welcome extended by Tony and his always-charming daughter, Marisa. The Mays also had a nose for talent in the kitchen, hiring a series of chefs who would go on to make their names elsewhere, including Benny Bartolotta (presently at Osteria del Circo), Andrew Carmellini (now of A Voce), Scott Conant (of Scarpetta), Theo Schoenegger (of The Patina Group) and Marc Bianchini (who has since staked his claim with three restaurants in Milwaukee). And of course, current executive chef, Odette Fada.
We wish Tony, Marisa and Odette well as they embark on this new chapter in San Domenico's history. But we will most certainly miss having them a stone's throw from the Hearst Tower, home of Town & Country and Town & Country Travel.
(Pictured left: Odette Fada, Tony May, Marisa May and Marc Bianchini. Pictured right: San Domenico's entrance near Central Park South. Photos by Thomas P. Farley.)
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Heidi Mitchell is editor-in-chief of Town & Country Travel and Town & Country Weddings, and features and travel editor of Town & Country.
Adam H. Graham is a contributing writer for this blog; his work also frequently appears in Town & Country Travel, both in the magazine and online.
