Hotel restaurants seem to be going incognito more and more. On sites like Open Table present the restaurants as stand-alone concerns, I assume by design of the client, which can be fine — or not. I admit that I generally steer away from hotel dining because it tends to be either boring, over-priced, or both.
I was recently on a whirlwind trip to New York and DC and did a fair amount of hotel dining. In Washington, Arlington, VA actually, I was staying at the Hotel Palomar. It’s a Kimpton property and they run their restaurants as independent entities. Damaso Trattoria Moderna has an Italian theme, as you might expect, and I found the pasta good though not groundbreaking, the service attentive, and the prices fair. Breakfast was excellent and served promptly. It’s a good choice as there wasn’t much else around unless you walk across the bridge to Georgetown (and if you go for that short walk, try Mendocin0 Grille and Wine Bar for an elegant dinner). The Palomar itself is an elegant property though I abhor lobby-on-an-upper floor designs of which this is an example.
Heading to New York, I chose Blu using Open Table as it appeared to be close to my hotel, The Indigo. Upon arrival, I discovered it couldn’t be any closer — it was off the lobby. It proved ideal for a late dinner with a business colleague though I could see that it could get crowded and loud at times. I had Alsakan Cod that was quite moist and flavorful. It was pricey given that it was associated with a mid-range hotel but in this case I was happy to have it be a step above (though the Indigo is fine for the business traveler looking to stay in Chelsea).
More recently, I had about ten minutes to book a restaurant in New Orleans. Again, I turned to Open Table and chose 5 Fifty 5. When we found the address, 555 Canal Street, we discovered that the restaurant was in the Marriott. Not an option when in a culinary capital like NOLA. Luckily my antennae are always up and I remembered passing an elegant spot a couple of blocks back, Le Foret. We retreated there and had a wonderful meal. Our bouches were amused three times before our first courses arrived (a grilled asparagus salad in my case). This was followed by naturally raised tenderloin that was tender and flavorful. We were served ginger chocolate bites as a closer so there was no need for dessert. The wine list was reasonably priced: we chose a Gundlach Bundchu Merlot for $48.
My lessons learned: when traveling on business, take the extra click to look at the Web site of a restaurant to make sure that you know what you are getting (we provide direct links here on Executive Nomad). Some hotel restaurants are quite good; others are middle-of-the-road at best so know what you are getting.