NATIONAL REPORT—Opening this fall, Sophy Hyde Park reveals plans for a dining destination; JW Marriott Chicago has a new well-being focused in-room dining menu; the historic Savoy Hotel and Grill is reimagined as a boutique hotel, contemporary art museum and chef-driven restaurant; and there’s more.
Sophy Hyde Park Reveals Plans for Dining Destination
Sophy Hyde Park, the new hotel opening this fall in Chicago, has revealed details for its new restaurant, Mesler. The restaurant name, which means “to mix and mingle,” is a reflection of the hotel’s Hyde Park neighborhood, one of the most racially and culturally diverse areas of Chicago.
Mesler will offer brunch seven days a week instead of a traditional breakfast and lunch service. There will be a daily Hyde Park Social between 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., followed by dinner and then a late-night lounge menu seven day a week, as well as room service. Menus are still being finalized and will include items ranging from chicken & waffles and house-made pastas to a signature burger and various cuts of sustainably raised beef served at dinner.
The cocktail program at Mesler is inspired by Hyde Park’s legacy for innovation, art, mathematics, science and astronomy. Mesler’s Bar will mix the aura of a mad scientist’s lab and the World’s Columbian Exposition, a sort of chemistry show-and-tell experience.
Chicago-based GREC Architects are the architects of Sophy Hyde Park. The design firm of Stonehill Taylor is responsible for all of the hotel’s interiors, including Mesler, with an eye to creating luxurious yet intimate spaces reminiscent of the neighborhood’s residential interiors.
JW Marriott Chicago Debuts Well-Being Focused In-Room Dining
JW Marriott Chicago has launched a new, curated in-room dining menu focused on well-being. There are now “better for you” dishes at the landmark, luxury hotel as part of the larger JW Marriott new brand-wide initiative.
With 70% of the menu focused on “better for you” options, it includes items such as whole-grain waffles or pancakes, smoothie bowl with banana, strawberry, and chia seeds, and healthier sides like the zucchini noodles, warm toasted quinoa salad, and cauliflower fried rice.
Also featured on the new menu are several vegan-friendly options including oven-roasted tempeh meatballs with smoked paprika romesco; seeded avocado toast served with arugula, pickled onions, radish, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, on toasted sourdough; and white bean truffle hummus served alongside seasonal vegetables and sesame asiago crisps. Recognizing allergies, there are also several gluten-free choices available.
21c Museum Hotels Opens with Chef-Driven Restaurant
21c Museum Hotels has opened its newest museum hotel concept in Kansas City, MO, where the hospitality group has rehabilitated the historic Savoy Hotel and Grill into 21c Museum Hotel Kansas City.
Marking the eighth location for North America’s only multi-venue museum dedicated to collecting and exhibiting art of the 21st century, the property has 120 guestrooms, including 19 suites; 6,200 sq. ft. of contemporary art exhibition space; and The Savoy at 21c, the locally inspired, chef-driven restaurant helmed by Executive Chef Joe West.
The property’s restaurant is located in the former Savoy Grill and the space adjacent. The lounge retains its historic architectural elements, including murals of pioneers departing from Westport Landing and their journey along the Santa Fe Trail, stained glass windows and dark wood paneling. The restaurant dining room, by contrast, is bright and airy, with new windows and a lighting scheme programmed to provide a subtle, rotating palette of color, signifying changes in meal periods throughout the day.
Jean-Georges Beverly Hills Intros New F&B Options
Jean-Georges Beverly Hills, legendary French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s first West Coast venture, has launched two new specialty menus—Lunch38 and Social Hour. Housed within Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, the restaurant’s latest offerings are designed for guests seeking a quick lunch or after-work refreshment.
Lunch38 introduces a seasonal, prix-fixe menu for just $38. With three courses available, guests can choose from signature starters such as tomato gazpacho and ahi tuna tartare, followed by favorite entrees including the chicken parmesan, steak frites or grilled wagyu cheeseburger. Lunch38 is available daily from 11:45 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The new daily Social Hour offers drinks starting at $10 and popular bites for $14. The early evening menu includes choices such as avocado carpaccio pizzetta, crispy sushi and grilled wagyu sliders that can be paired with a rosé-aperol spritz or spicy paloma. Available daily from 4-7 p.m., Social Hour also features a live piano performance from Wednesday through Saturday starting at 5 p.m.
Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront Opens 24-Hour Market
The Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront has opened its newest culinary experience, Market, the first of three venues to unveil as part of the hotel’s extensive lobby redesign. The 24-hour Market is a deli-style eatery providing seasonal fast-and-casual menu items and Starbucks coffee.
The modern-meets-classic design of Market was created by Jonathan Nehmer + Associates and HVS Design. The intimate, 1,790-sq.-ft. space is comfortable and casual, yet upscale and polished, to create an experience as light and easy as its food and beverage selections, according to the company.
For breakfast, meal options range from flavored pastries, muffins and bagels to traditional hot breakfast favorites such as egg white croissants, quiche, stone ground grits and cage-free egg flatbreads. The lunch and dinner menu has an array of flatbread choices, hot sandwiches, Southern classics and soups of the day.