10 Best Hotel Restaurants In America
Some of the best hotel restaurants in America are located in New York City, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles
#10 NoMad at The NoMad (New York City)
Chef Daniel Humm's NoMad quickly became a popular New York dining destination after opening in early 2012, with several bars and dining rooms, each offering distinct décor and menus. Taking its inspiration from classic European courtyards, Atrium's pyramid glass roof drenches the dining room with sunlight during the day and moonlight at night, while bespoke cocktails and snacks are served at the bar in the Library. The more intimate Parlour, which resembles a Victorian sitting room with its dark wood and velvet chairs trimmed with gold, has an open hearth from which fresh breads emerge. Humm is one of the best chefs in Manhattan, as he proves at his three-Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park. The menu items at NoMad are playful yet elegant, with dishes such as suckling pig with confit red endive, dandelion, and dates; acorn squash with mustard greens and bread pudding; and lobster butter-poached with black garlic, squash, and cranberries.
#9 CityZen at Mandarin Oriental (Washington, D.C.)
A Five-Diamond AAA Award-winning restaurant in both 2008 and 2009, CityZen in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel is the place to see and be seen in D.C. Whether sitting with a view of the open kitchen, or next to the floor-to-ceiling windows dressed in rich, warm fabrics, diners will marvel at James Beard Award-winning chef Eric Ziebold's talent as he serves modern American cuisine with a sophisticated and creative touch. Green chickpea falafel with snow peas and turmeric aïoli; chilled Maine lobster consommé with Maryland crab cake, red tomatoes, sweet peppers and pistou basil; and pan-seared prime Midwestern beef with slow baked Penn Farms tomato, shaved fennel, and sauce choron are among his no-nonsense specialties.
#8 Aubergine at L’Auberge Carmel (Carmel, Calif.)
The award-winning restaurant Aubergine was voted fifth best in its area by Zagat in 2011 and received Forbes Travel Guide's highest Five-Star rating recognizing excellence in restaurants early in 2014. Executive chef Justin Cogley was honored as a 2013 Best New Chef by Food & Wine magazine and was recently received the title of Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux. Cogley, an expert at "marine foraging," combs through Monterey Bay to choose his own sea lettuces, sea beans, and various types of seaweeds to include in his dishes, and has brought a fresh, locally oriented menu to Aubergine. Diners are given two menus to choose from: The Menu or the daily-changing Tasting Menu. In addition, the restaurant has a wine cellar of more than 2,500 bottles representing various wine regions around the world, especially those in France, as well as local vintages from Monterey County.
#7 Norman's at The Ritz-Carlton Orlando (Orlando, Fla.)
Known as the "founding father of New World cuisine," chef Norman Van Aken — a member of The Daily Meal Council — serves his signature fusion of Latin, Caribbean, and Asian flavors using traditional European techniques. Guests can eat in the opulent dining room or on the restaurant's outdoor terrace overlooking the hotel's lake, 18-hole Greg Norman-designed golf course, and lush gardens. The menu changes according to availability of seasonal ingredients, with dishes such as yucca-stuffed crispy shrimp with sour orange mojo, habanero tartar salsa, and Nicaraguan slaw; fried green tomatoes with queso fresco and escabeche-spiced mayo; maple-glazed Kurobuta pork belly with preserved artichoke, celeriac purée, and sherry reduction; and Havana banana split with rum-flamed bananas, macadamia nut brittle, and vanilla bean ice cream.
#6 The Inn at Little Washington (Washington, Va.)
Self-taught chef Patrick O'Connell opened this restaurant in 1978 in what was originally a small-town garage, about an hour's drive from D.C. He formed alliances with local farmers and artisanal producers long before it was fashionable, and developed into a sophisticated modern American chef of the highest order. Menu items might include American Osetra caviar with Peekytoe crab and cucumber rillettes; hot and cold foie gras with sauternes gelée and blood orange marmalade; pepper-crusted tuna capped with seared duck foie gras on charred onions and burgundy butter sauce; and salty chocolate-caramel tart with olive oil ice cream. O'Connell's partnership with The Inn co-founder Reinhardt Lynch ended in 2007, but praise for this AAA Five Diamond Award-winning property has continued.
#5 Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace (Las Vegas)
With two Michelin stars, Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace is the sister restaurant to the three-Michelin-starred Restaurant Guy Savoy in Paris and chef Savoy's only dining spot in the United States. The menu, executed by chef Mathieu Chartron, is designed to match the menu of the original restaurant in Paris, and includes many classic Savoy dishes, such as artichoke and black truffle soup garnished with toasted mushroom brioche and truffle butter, and the foie gras "bitter infusion." Designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte, who fashioned the Parisian Restaurant Guy Savoy, the restaurant's interior features a fireplace, an enclosed patio, a Champagne and wine bar, and sweeping views of the hotel's Roman plaza and the Las Vegas Strip.
#4 Joël Robuchon Restaurant at MGM Grand (Las Vegas)
The cooking is simply exquisite in this opulently furnished dining room in the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino. As the first restaurant opened in America by the famed, award-winning Robuchon who is widely considered the greatest of modern French chefs. Joël Robuchon Restaurant maintains the highest standards, from its superb service and impressive (and impressively pricey) wine list to signature dishes such as truffled langoustine ravioli with chopped cabbage; farm chicken and foie gras with Château Chalon; chestnut and black truffle gently simmered in a cocotte; and crispy soft boiled egg in light Comté cheese sauce with Ibérico de Bellota ham.
#3 é by José Andrés at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas (Las Vegas)
é by José Andrés, from the multi-award-winning chef, is an exclusive eight-seat bar tucked away within chef Andrés' Jaleo restaurant in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. If they're lucky enough to snag a reservation, guests sit around a small kitchen table set against a dramatic décor that includes a red glass wall and red velvet curtain. In an interactive dining experience, a team of chefs prepares a "secret" multicourse tasting menu for guests (one that is basically impossible to find on any online reservation page, or even é's own, cryptic webpage). Some of the Spanish-influenced signature dishes reportedly include secreto of Ibérico pork with squid and Torta Pascualete — a type of Spanish cheese — with cotton candy.
#2 Jean Georges at the Trump International Hotel & Tower (New York City)
With three Michelin stars, several James Beard Awards, a four-star rating from The New York Times, and a AAA Five-Diamond restaurant award, Jean Georges obviously delivers nothing short of excellence. Led by renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, whose other award-winning restaurants in New York City include Spice Market and Perry Street, this restaurant overlooking Central Park features the flavors of French, American, and Southeast Asian cuisine.
#1 The Bazaar by José Andrés at the SLS Hotel (Los Angeles)
The Bazaar is a gastronomic journey through chef Andrés' celebrated culinary styles. It is composed of four adjoining bars and eateries: Bar Centro, Rojo y Blanca, Patisserie, and SAAM. At Bar Centro, Andrés has crafted a menu of cutting-edge cocktails, including one of the bar's signature cocktails, "Smoke on the Water," a "smoking" cocktail made with blackberries and Scotch. Rojo y Blanca offers an array of Spanish-style tapas for sharing, and the Patisserie serves pastries and sweet treats like cookies, cakes, and candies. SAAM, the restaurant's exclusive chef's tasting room, gives guests the chance to feast on a multicourse avant-garde tasting menu. Currently SAAM is featuring its third annual White Truffle Series. The 16-course dinner unearths the flavors of the truffle through the playful imagination and vision of Jose Andres' culinary team and runs every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until November 22.