Happy Cinco de Mayo! Start the fiesta with a classic or strawberry frozen margarita, or download our free R Cocktails iPhone app to choose from over 100 cocktails from Renaissance hotels around the world.
Classic Frozen Margarita
- 2 oz. Jose Cuervo Especial Gold Tequila
- 1 oz. Triple Sec
- 1 oz. lime juice, fresh-squeezed
- 2 oz. simple syrup
- large scoop of ice, cubed
- salt and lime wedge for garnish
Rim the glass with salt (if desired). Blend ice and liquids in blender until slushy. Pour into glass. Garnish with lime wedge and serve.
Berry Margarita
- 2 oz. Jose Cuervo Especial Gold Tequila
- 1 oz. Triple Sec
- 1 oz. lime juice, fresh-squeezed
- 2 oz. strawberry puree
- 1 oz. simple syrup
- large scoop of ice, cubed
- salt and strawberry for garnish
Rim the glass with salt (if desired). Blend ice with liquid ingredients in blender until slushy. Pour into glass. Garnish with strawberry and serve.
New York City-based Blue Ribbon Restaurants, known for its upscale comfort food, is expanding to seven more Renaissance hotels across the continent. Already present in our New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Austin locations, the Bromberg brothers’ famous Classics menu (we’re talkin’ BBQ pork sliders, Northern fried chicken wings, white bean hummus toast and the like) will be debuting at the following locations over the coming months:
Apple pancakes, gingerbread pancakes, sweet potato pancakes — it’s what breakfast dreams are made of. Even better: when someone else is making them for you.
On May 8, Renaissance Hotels will be opening its kitchens to kids for the second annual Mother’s Day Pancake Play Date, where children can don a chef’s hat, grab a whisk, and get their hands dirty making a custom creation on the griddle. Seasoned Renaissance chefs will be supervising, and a bounty of both healthy and indulgent ingredients will be on-hand to inspire maximize creativity.
Renaissance will also be offering other pancake specialties, including the North Shore Apple Pancake at the Renaissance Chicago North Shore Hotel (caramelized local Jonagold apples, delicate raspberry syrup, local honey), the Missouri Pecan Grove Gingerbread Souffle Pancake at the Renaissance St. Louis Grand Hotel (light and airy pancakes with roasted, locally harvested pecans), and Sweet Potato Pancakes at the Renaissance Washington D.C. Dupont Circle Hotel (fresh sweet potatoes with local Peaks of Otter wildflower honey).
Spending the special day at home? Here’s four other delicious pancake recipes straight from the Renaissance kitchen:
For fine dining aficionados, what goes on behind a top restaurant’s kitchen doors is usually a mystery. However, Chef Paula DaSilva — executive chef at Eden Roc Renaissance Miami Beach’s 1500° and runner-up on last year’s season of cooking reality show Hell’s Kitchen — not only invites you in, she also walks you through a recipe for her seared tuna with herbs, bacon, smoked potato salad and duck egg.
Not one to let fame get to her head, DaSilva still works the kitchen six days a week, and this recipe exhibits the farm-to-table practice she employs at her restaurant: fresh, high-end ingredients presented in an elevated manner. Luckily for us, DaSilva’s tutorial is straightforward so even the amateur cook will have an impressive end result.
Warning: do not watch video tutorial on an empty stomach (you’ve been warned!).
[Photo: Flickr/delphaber]
Oenophiles and wine connoisseur-wannabes, get ready to be schooled. The newly renovated Renaissance Charlotte SouthPark Hotel now has a resident Wine Navigator who’ll take you on a tasting tour of small wineries from all over the world every Tuesday from 3:30 to 6:30. One week it might be wines from Spain; the next, wines from Italy. Hotel guests and local residents are invited to the free tasting, and then have a glass or bottle at Flagstones Restaurant or The Bar at Flagstones. Not a bad way to cap a mid-week workday, we’d say.
The latest offering from Chef Dean James Max is Asador, the new Latin-tinged American bistro opening March 8 in the Renaissance Dallas Hotel. With a local and sustainable bent, the menu boasts farm-to-table dishes from Texas purveyors and meats that are raised responsibly, without the use of growth hormones. But don’t mistake this for a fig-on-a-plate kind of joint; we’re talking tasty, down-home eats like tamarind quail skewers, Niman Ranch pork with red pepper chutney and white corn grits, and date-and-pecan coffee cake. There’s also microbrews and over 100 tequilas to sample from. Considering all this, we’d say this is the kind of place you both eat and drink responsibly.
The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, right? Fellas, here’s a tip: the same rule applies for the ladies. Yes, we’re sure you’re a master on the grill, but for Valentine’s Day you’ll have to up the culinary ante.
Renaissance Charleston’s Chef R. Tyler Murray will ensure a meal to seal the deal: this Thursday, February 10th, from 6pm-8pm, men can attend a free cooking class just for them. Guys will learn how to whip up a shrimp cocktail martini, field green salad, chicken Milanese, and chocolate-covered strawberries. The class is complimentary, but make sure to call and reserve space: 843-534-0300.
If you think Restaurant Week is reserved for hoity-toity joints you’ll never be able to afford, think again. The twice-yearly event is going on right now (or, in some cases, will be taking place soon) in a plethora of cities, so grab your wallet and favorite foodie friend for a night of chowing down.
Click to see the list of cities where the gastronomic celebration is rolling through next:
From cheeseburger-inspired to Cookie Monster-shaped, cupcakes have blown up in a big way this past year. A simple Google search for these diminutive desserts turns up plenty of eye candy in photo and recipe form. But even better than salivating over image search results? Seeing — and devouring — the perfected desserts in person.
On Saturday, February 5th, bring your sweet tooth to Renaissance Hollywood in Los Angeles for the annual Cupcake Challenge, where you can sample more sugar than your dentist would recommend. Tickets are on sale now. For 40 bucks, you can have your adorable little cake and eat it, too.
Strawberries may be out of season in many countries right now, but through the end of January, Renaissance Mumbai is paying homage to the berry with a month of crave-worthy desserts at Mumbai Bombay Express. From chocolate pralines with strawberry ganache to Strawberry Millifilli (think creamy mascarpone, strawberry jam, fruit crumbles, and crispy biscuits), Pastry Chef Prashant Sabne really showcases the fruit’s versatility during the month-long feast.
Available daily from 11am onward, these decadent ensembles are bound to have people talking—and eating. Want a taste? Check out Renaissance Mumbai’s Web site for rates.
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