It’s July 14, and ten days after celebrating the red, white and blue, we cheer the blue, white and red. Where to go if you’re feeling French today and can’t make it to the President’s garden party at the Palais de Elysee?
Sofitel New York seems an obvious choice (the world knows about its French connections). And it doesn’t disappoint. At Gaby, the hotel’s French-inflected restaurant named for one Gabrielle Chanel, live music by a French Canadian band plays from 5 pm to 9 pm. The chef has prepared a special amuse bouche featuring cheeses and prociutto. And Ricard, the anise flavored liquor that’s a French national drink, flows, if not freely, then at a special price — $5 straight, $7 Ricard cocktails. (Created in 1932 in Marseille by Paul Ricard, it’s blended from Chinese star anise, Syrian licorice and herbs from Provence.)
The Carlton isn’t as obviously French as the Sofitel, but it’s home to Millesime, the Frenchest hotel brasserie in town. In a salute to Bastille Day, a jazz band plays in the hotel lobby from 5 pm to 7 pm. From 7 pm on, the music moves to the Millesime salon, a stylish wood-paneled lounge where guests can sip champagne or down a French-inspired libation like the $16 Gige (Plymouth gin, St Germain elderflower liquor, lemon and lime juice, simple syrup, soda and fresh grapes) and Parisian Punch (house-made orange spice brandy, Haymans gin, apple cider, pineapple, cranberry and lemon juice) served in cut-glass cups for two or more ($42).
And when darkness falls, glance up at the Empire State Building. No fireworks, but it’s lighted in blue, white and red.
Ricard Cocktails and Parisian Punch: Two NYC Hotels Celebrating Bastille Day Sip By Sip
/in Hotel Food and Drink, Hotels and Holidays/by Terry TruccoIt’s July 14, and ten days after celebrating the red, white and blue, we cheer the blue, white and red. Where to go if you’re feeling French today and can’t make it to the President’s garden party at the Palais de Elysee?
Sofitel New York seems an obvious choice (the world knows about its French connections). And it doesn’t disappoint. At Gaby, the hotel’s French-inflected restaurant named for one Gabrielle Chanel, live music by a French Canadian band plays from 5 pm to 9 pm. The chef has prepared a special amuse bouche featuring cheeses and prociutto. And Ricard, the anise flavored liquor that’s a French national drink, flows, if not freely, then at a special price — $5 straight, $7 Ricard cocktails. (Created in 1932 in Marseille by Paul Ricard, it’s blended from Chinese star anise, Syrian licorice and herbs from Provence.)
The Carlton isn’t as obviously French as the Sofitel, but it’s home to Millesime, the Frenchest hotel brasserie in town. In a salute to Bastille Day, a jazz band plays in the hotel lobby from 5 pm to 7 pm. From 7 pm on, the music moves to the Millesime salon, a stylish wood-paneled lounge where guests can sip champagne or down a French-inspired libation like the $16 Gige (Plymouth gin, St Germain elderflower liquor, lemon and lime juice, simple syrup, soda and fresh grapes) and Parisian Punch (house-made orange spice brandy, Haymans gin, apple cider, pineapple, cranberry and lemon juice) served in cut-glass cups for two or more ($42).
And when darkness falls, glance up at the Empire State Building. No fireworks, but it’s lighted in blue, white and red.
Is The Hotel Check-in Desk Dead — And Does It Matter?
/in Hotel Renovations, Hotels in the News/by Terry TruccoThe massive, inquisition-style check-in desk, once as basic to hotels as beds, pillows and running water, occupies a spot high on the endangered amenity list. But so, in some cases, do check-in staff members. Read more
Sidecars, Cosmos and Harvey Wallbangers: Drinking Up Eight Decades of Cocktails at The Barclay
/in Hotel Food and Drink/by Terry TruccoThis summer the bar at the Barclay Intercontinental New York is serving up a Decades Cocktail Hour, weekdays from 5 pm to 8 pm.
Mondays celebrate the 1920s (Sidecar) and 1930s (French 75). Tuesdays relive the 1940s (Bellini) and 1950s (Harvey Wallbanger). Wednesday, the 1960s, is Vodka Martini night. Thursdays salute the 1970s with Caiparinhas. Fridays usher in the 1980s (Tequila Sunrise) and the 1990s (Cosmopolitan). At $8 a drink, pricing is retro, too, at least for a New York hotel bar. Read more
Fresh Flowers — The Ultimate Hotel Freebie For All — At The Plaza
/in Hotels in the News/by Terry TruccoI love hotel freebies, the kind you get when you walk through the door. A great looking lobby generously appointed with sofas and chairs? Check. Read more
On the Road: Sipping a Highlands Margarita at the Highlands Inn in Carmel, California
/in Hotel Food and Drink/by Terry TruccoIt sounds like a mixed metaphor, but no, we’re talking mixed drinks – one of the coolest drinks I’ve had this summer. Read more
A First Look At The Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers’ Renovated Rooms
/in Hotel Renovations/by Terry TruccoSome renovations are the hospitality equivalent of an out-patient procedure – new bed dressings, curtains, carpeting and TVs. Others are tantamount to a quadruple bypass — deep-dish metamorphoses that entail messy stuff, like ripping out showers, furnishings and climate systems. Read more
Millesime — A Restaurant That Captures the Mood of Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris”
/in Hotel Food and Drink/by Terry TruccoAn evocative movie, play, even art exhibition can make you hungry. Read more
A Big Win for Rory McIlroy, Jumeirah Hotels — and New York’s Essex House — at the 2011 US Open
/in Hotels Pets & Sports/by Terry TruccoFor anyone who follows golf, June 19, 2011 will be remembered as Rory McIlroy Day, thanks to the charming, unaffected 22-year-old golfer from Northern Ireland who won the US Open with a spectacular 16-under-par 268. Read more
Sipping a Vieux Carre at the Royalton’s Forty-Four Bar
/in Hotel Food and Drink/by Terry TruccoWe’re in the early stages of summer roof bar season, but no one would call most of New York’s recent nights balmy or sweet. So this week we offer a weather haven, a hotel bar where you can order a drink with a dash of glam and forget the gloom swirling around outdoors. Read more
A Big Dog and a Big Boy: The New York Palace and The Standard Roll Out Sculpture Under the Sky
/in Hotels and the Arts/by Terry TruccoYou know summer’s here when hotels start rolling out outsize outdoor sculptures, the warm-weather equivalent of the holiday tree. A big dog and a big boy on view all summer offer a taste of art and amusement, not to mention countless photo ops, in midtown and downtown. Read more