 St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort Today, hotels often get celebrity chefs and designer concepts ready-made. Witness the arrival of New York's Jean-Georges Vongerichten at the luxurious new St. Regis this winter. Vongerichten, the genius behind Spice Market, JoJo and a dozen New York favorites, epitomizes the modern Florida hotel menu in many ways. He is a chef of longstanding fame; he is from New York; and his specialty, increasingly, is meat and potatoes (or at least winter vegetables) like Niman Ranch short ribs and brussels sprouts (with pecans and balsamic, of course). In Bal Harbour, Vongerichten brings J&G Grill, a meaty concept already in place at the ski-happy St. Regis in Park City, Utah. |
The hotel chef always commanded great resources, brigades of sous chefs, sauciers and line cooks, a bakery and several restaurants (six or more in some Miami and Orlando resorts), yet he was often as much banquet manager as creative talent. Occasionally, a chef could become a star, as Michelle Bernstein did at Azul in the Mandarin Oriental in 2001.
In the years since, more hotels have embraced the notion of creating signature dining destinations. The most regular pairing at modern hotels is 21st-century glitz around hearty and homespun farmhouse eats, seasoned with retro, a little sushi, seafood and bold ethnic spice.
It's striking that resort hotels long on poolside sunshine and $400-a-night rooms brag on hand-made cheese fritters, pork belly tacos, local potatoes and braised greens. From boutique farms to Ritz-y tables, sustainability can now sell as a luxury.
Jean-Georges Vongerichten at St. Regis Bal Harbour joins a long list of celebrity shingles hanging on Florida hotels, albeit with trusted subordinates running the show. Melissa Kelly, Norman Van Aken, Todd English and Emeril Lagasse are all over Orlando. Daniel Boulud is in Palm Beach. The hotel boom on Miami's Brickell Avenue has brought both Michael Psilakis, leader of the Greek renaissance, to the Epic, and Boulud to set up the chic-sleek db Bistro Moderne at the JW Marriott Marquis.
The W Hotel in South Beach got a branch of The Dutch from SoHo. What chef Andrew Carmellini calls "an American joint" serves Miami fashionistas more seafood and Florida avocados as well as salad of country ham, peanuts and cheddar, pork chops, grandma's ravioli and a $48 New York strip. |
» Raleigh Hotel: Homegrown star Michael Schwartz of Michael's Genuine and its chili chicken wings, local calabaza squash and sweet-and-spicy pork belly will open in the Raleigh in the Art Deco District. He has already expanded to Grand Cayman and the Royal Caribbean cruise line.
» Dream: Geoffrey Zakarian, who opened the high-style Blue Door at the Delano 15 years ago and went on to star on the Food Network and a The Lambs Club and other hot New York restaurants, is back in Miami. At the Dream hotel, he's opened a "beach cafe" version of his New York Tudor House, with lamb belly, English peas and an "ugly burger" with bread and butter pickles.
» Fontainebleau: The Fontainebleau in Miami Beach is home to New York's Gotham Steak from Alfred Portale, Scarpetta by Scott Conant and London's haute Chinese Hakkasan. The long-term guest might also get around to Fresh, Solo, Blades, Vida and La Cote.
» Delano: This winter the Blue Door fish restaurant became the Italian Bianca at Delano in Miami Beach, lighter yet earthier and committed to organic produce and the Slow Food movement.
» Gansevoort: The Gansevoort in Miami Beach fired up New York's STK.
» Betsy: In 2010, Laurent Tourondel opened a branch of BLT Steak at the Betsy in Miami.
» SLS: For a more exotic turn, Spanish superstar Jose Andres from Washington, D.C., will open at the new SLS in Miami Beach.
» Hilton Bentley: Local hero Douglas Rodriguez has de Rodriguez Cuba on Ocean serving oxtail and a half-dozen ceviches at the Hilton Bentley.
  Eden RocHell's Kitchen's Gordon Ramsay-approved Paula DaSilva (at right) runs 1500 Degrees at the Miami Beach hotel. |