Browsed by
Author: Susan Salk

Bellasera Hotel
Florida concept reaps big benefits from influx

Florida concept reaps big benefits from influx

When hotels and restaurants were closing up tight to accommodate pandemic lockdowns throughout the country, Jeanne and Peter Tierney were hosting a flood of new customers. The Naples, Fla. co-owners of Bellasera Hotel and onsite restaurant The Claw Bar, felt a little like the gold rush was on. And headed right there way! “We did not have a terrible time with the pandemic,” says Jeanne Tierney, who co-owns several Florida concepts with her husband and other family members and partners. “Being…

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Carpe Vinum 121 Steak
Meat & potatoes town embraces new bistro

Meat & potatoes town embraces new bistro

The whole idea behind Carpe Vinum 121 germinated in Paul Bardinas’s imagination as a young man traveling with family in France and Italy. The look and flavor of beef tartare and escargot.  The warm glow of beautiful light on marble and brass.  And the uniformed servers with their easygoing professionalism— it all together provided an intimate, unhurried experience he loved. And so, years after graduating with a computer science degree at Columbia University in New York, and moving to Salisbury,…

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White Horse Tavern rings in 350th

White Horse Tavern rings in 350th

In an industry vexed by constant change, the White Horse Tavern of Newport, RI has weathered it all.  Including the American Revolution! Established as a tavern in 1673, the large gambrel-roofed red Colonial has sat on the corner of Farewell and Marlborough streets in Newport for 350 years.  And according to historic accounts, once quartered Tories and British troops during their occupation of Newport, around the time of the Battle of Rhode Island. The time-polished wide-beam floors, roaring ample fireplace…

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Witherspoon Grill salmon 2
Princeton fish king casts wider net

Princeton fish king casts wider net

It was at the fish docks, not the classroom, that multi-restaurant owner Jack Morrison learned the skills that would eventually make his concept the toast of Princeton, N.J. In the busy college town where academics, tourists, locals and professionals all mingle within a short distance from the fabled academic institution, Morrison created Princeton concepts: Witherspoon Grill, Blue Point Grill and Nassau Street Seafood. Morrison told blogger Callaway Henderson that in the early going of his first concept, Nassau Street Seafood…

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Hotel Vin Bubble
Grape ideas hold fast in Grapevine

Grape ideas hold fast in Grapevine

Downtown Grapevine, Texas recently sprouted new growth entangling the fruit of the grape gods with great wine knowledge. “At Hotel Vin our niche focus is about wine and wine education,” says Nicole Haarklau, corporate director of food and beverage for Coury Hospitality, the top franchise operator of the Marriott’s niche Autograph collection of hotels. “Our restaurant Bacchus Kitchen and Bar is named for the Roman god of wine. And throughout the hotel the art and objects reflect this inspiration.” The…

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Levendi Wines
Grape dreams on cool California nights

Grape dreams on cool California nights

Cool nights and lengthy warm days work their magic on the Napa Valley vineyards that are the backbone of the Levendi Winery. The Greek toast “Levendi,” states the winery’s website, “Acknowledges a hard day’s labor and achievement. “It celebrates the fields, the rain and the sun that nurture the special grapes. Essentially, it’s a toast to celebrate life.” And no matter the fickle whims of Mother Nature or the challenges of the past years, Levendi Winery has sprouted new business…

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Clean Slate Wine Bar Chef Melissa
Clean Slate Rocks Plan B

Clean Slate Rocks Plan B

The ink was barely dry on their lease when husband-wife partners Jason and Melissa Scrymgeour were sent back to the drawing board. “We signed the lease for Clean Slate Wine Bar in downtown Solvang on the central coast of California in February 2020, and immediately, the world shut down, Jason says. “Our original concept was to be a wine-focused, wine-driven concept, which happened to serve really good small plates.” The idea was flipped on its back, however, when terms of…

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WaterFire Restaurant Dish
Fire on the water in Washington

Fire on the water in Washington

Despite escalating food costs hovering between 100 to 400 percent, Chef Derrin Davis of WaterFire Restaurant in Washington reports that sales at his Pacific rim concept have never been stronger. Restaurant revenues are up 115 percent over pre-covid sales, says the chef/owner, who attributes strong numbers to a growing and supportive customer base. “I think with Covid we may have gained support, and also drew in first-time customers,” Davis says. “We’re in a unique position in that we’re in a…

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Print Restaurant Table Setting
Farm to Hell’s Kitchen

Farm to Hell’s Kitchen

Foraging for the perfect heirloom melon when you’re sitting in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood may once have seemed farfetched. But then an idea emerged like a new leaf in springtime. And that blossomed into a farm-to-table concept, located in an old book-printer space, and serving ingredients cultivated by New York, Vermont and Pennsylvania farmers so tightly knit to the restaurant it was like having a farm behind the kitchen. “Because we have, and our forager has, a great…

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Willie's Partner and Friends
Fresh, bright, positivity

Fresh, bright, positivity

West coast businessman and restauranteur Willie Rhine isn’t a gambler, and not likely to throw the dice on a frivolous concept. So when the hospitality industry was contracting nationwide during the pandemic lockdowns, Willie and his business partner Chad Gardner of Gardner Hospitality Group were thoughtfully opening a new concept in the affluent community of Rancho Mirage, Calif.; often called the “Camp David of the West.” In a community that has hosted past presidents, from Eisenhower to Obama, as well…

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