The Sheraton Palo Alto has announced the re-opening of its popular Poolside Grill after an extensive
six-month renovation.
The
76-seat restaurant, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily,
opened its doors Nov. 27. The renovation, or “reimagining,”
followed the renovation of the hotel’s lobby, bar and public spaces,
which was also designed by Oakland-based design firm Arcsine.
“It
feels really good to open,” said Suzanne Murdoch, vice president of
Sales & Marketing for Pacific Hotel Management, the hotel’s
parent company. “There are a lot of restaurants in Palo Alto to choose
from, but it’s very unique because of the ambiance of being next to the
pool. And, it’s always had a reputation of consistently offering
fantastic food. It’s a local’s favorite too.”
Murdoch
said the menu has basically remained the same, albeit with the
introduction of a breakfast buffet and a few new touches here
and there by Executive Chef Mark Ayers, who joined the culinary team in
May. She added that Ayers will be making changes to the menu next year.
Ayers
is not only Executive Chef of the Sheraton, but its nearby sister
properties in the Pacific Hotel Management group, the Westin
Palo Alto and The Clement Palo Alto.
“We
didn’t want to change too many things just now and stay with the
current lunch and dinner menu for now,” said Murdoch. “Mark added
his own spin to breakfast, adding a few new items and embellishing our
popular breakfast buffet.”
She
said the restaurant’s signature items, such as the popular Minestrone
Soup, the Wild Argentine Shrimp Tacos, the Scallop and Prawn
Linguine and the Grilled Angus Flat Iron Steak Sandwich, will remain on
the menu.
The
design of the restaurant takes its cues from the style of the lobby
renovations, with clean modern design also by Arcsine. The
designers embraced the original modernist architecture while adding
modest contemporary touches, including refined furniture and elegantly
simple light fixtures. The palette of clear walnut and textural cream
with brushed brass accents unites the restaurant
aesthetically with the hotel’s renovated public space.
Inside
the restaurant, natural light floods into the vaulted skylight and
highlights the restored wood plank ceiling, diffusing light
throughout the space.
The
furniture layout is arranged to maximize views to the pool and
patterned wood screens surround banquettes near the entry to create
a strong sense of arrival. Considering the local tech nexus,
connectivity is key; an elevated communal table offers power at the
table apron, while minimalist outlets are installed at Pullman-style
booths.
By
relocating the buffet opposite the pool, the space better transitions
from day to night: custom-patterned accordion doors stack
discreetly away to feature the breakfast spread and expand during lunch
and dinner service to create a feature wall.
“It
really has a resort-style atmosphere, it feels like your dining at a
resort,” said Murdoch. “It’s a great restaurant that opens
up to the pool and you can either eat on the pool deck or inside. When
the weather is nice and the doors are open, it’s a very popular place to
eat.”
The Breakfast Buffet is available from 6-10 a.m. daily; a la carte breakfast is offered from 6-11 a.m.; lunch is served from 11 a.m.-2
p.m.; and dinner from 5-10:30 p.m.
Murdoch added that the hotel also offers complimentary on-site parking for those dining at the Poolside Grill.
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