Top St. Regis chefs reveal hidden culinary gems in the cities where they live and work.
BY JANIE FRANZ
“People believe that because we are chefs, we all eat at the high-end restaurants,” says Romuald Feger, executive chef at Vitrine, a 74- seat restaurant at The St. Regis San Francisco. Apprentice-trained in kitchens around the world and holding numerous advanced culinary degrees from the Apprentice Hotel School of Strasbourg in Alsace, France, Chef Feger is skilled in Western cuisines (most notably French, Italian and Spanish) and a variety of Asian culinary styles, including Japanese, Thai and Indian.
Chef Feger and his counterparts at other St. Regis properties know the hidden culinary gems in cities around the world and across the country.
“In Paris, when all of the chefs go out, they aren’t going to a three-star restaurant,” Feger explains. “They’re going to a secret, hidden place where it’s just family style with home cooking. I go to interesting places where I can actually enjoy myself.”
San Francisco
Chef Feger has found a delightful eatery that is somewhat unexpected. “I like Pizzeria Delfina for the thin crust pizza. I think it’s the only place in town that serves one that’s really similar to what you can get in Italy or Europe,” he says. Pizzeria Delfina offers pizza inspired by New York and Naples (pizzeriadelfina.com). Next door is Delfina, a neighborhood trattoria in San Francisco’s Mission District. Owned by Anne and Craig Stoll, it serves true Genovese cuisine. “They have great wines,” Feger adds.
But it is the experience and the high quality food of Pizzeria Delfina that draws the chef. Unlike most restaurants, you cannot make reservations. “You stand in line at Pizzeria Delfina with a glass of wine for maybe 20 minutes or a half-hour sometimes,” Feger says. “At some point you start a conversation with the guy standing next to you. That’s what it’s all about. The tables are tiny. Everything is meant to start a discussion and meet some people around the pizza.”
Of course, chef Feger also dines at high-end restaurants to observe technique and presentation. “Those other restaurants may be ones that you will experience once in your life. It’s not where you go every day,” he says. “A place like Pizzeria Delfina is the kind of place I walk into every day and enjoy a glass of wine and have a little discussion. What I call the real life. Here in the United States you don’t see that as much as we see in France. In France, the meeting point is in the café where you have a little coffee or a glass of wine. Here you don’t have that much. You have gatherings at the end of the day. You have drinks, but it’s not the sort of social type of event that we see in France still today or in Europe.”
Orange County, Calif.
Chef Frederic Castan, the executive chef at the five-star, five-diamond St. Regis Monarch Beach, is fond of two restaurants that evoke memories of home cooking both for himself and his wife. Chef Castan has more than 30 years of apprentice training and experience from restaurants in France and the U.S., and still remembers his roots. “I was raised on a farm in Avignon, France. I was brought up with home cooking from my mom and my grandma, very simple—but, my gosh—very good and tasty! That’s the type of cooking I really enjoy—very simple but very tasty.” So it is no wonder that one of his favorite spots is Antoine’s Café in San Clemente, Calif. (antoinescafe.com)—a local gathering spot for breakfast and lunch.
“Sometimes on Sunday or Monday morning when I come to work later, my wife and I go out for breakfast at Antoine’s Café. It’s a really French restaurant for breakfast or a sandwich as well. It
reminds me of my youth,” Castan says. “It’s a small café on a little street. It’s very casual. The food is made by the owner, so it’s very homemade.” Small, only boasting seven or eight tables, chef Castan appreciates the intimate atmosphere. “It feels like a little café in France or a home. They have very good coffee. I enjoy a good cup of coffee with my wife. Sometimes, we have a pastry or a little egg. Very simple thing, but very, very good, but mainly it has that feel to me of my youth in France. That’s why I enjoy it.”
The other restaurant that evokes memories for Castan is the Coyote Grill just up the highway a bit in Laguna Beach, Calif. (coyotegrill.tv). Originally opened by Kim Bryant in 1989, it is now operated by the Bryant children who continue to offer Baja-style Mexican food for breakfast, lunch and dinner—as well as breathtaking Catalina Island and ocean views. This casual restaurant is a place that chef Castan says, “You can really relax and be yourself and enjoy good company, good ambiance and good music. You can see the ocean. The food is very good because it’s very homemade Mexican food. … Coyote Grill is pretty amazing.
It’s always busy because people know how good it is. My wife is Mexican, and we’ve gone down to Mexico to visit family many times. I have come to really enjoy the cooking. This place is the only place that we’ve found that is a very authentic Mexican restaurant.”
Bal Harbour and Miami
Like chef Castan, chef Jordi Vallès, the executive chef at The St. Regis Bal Harbour, enjoys Latin cooking. Born in Barcelona and married to a woman from Peru, chef Vallès is one of a few chefs in the U.S. presenting a culinary blend of the traditions and methods of Spain with innovative new techniques and technology. He has trained with Pedro Subijana at the Akelarre restaurant, Juan Mari Arzak at Arzak, and Ferrán Adrià at El Bulli—some of the most creative culinary minds in the world, all of whom hail from Michelin star-rated restaurants.
So when chef Valles offers up his secret dining spot, it is exceptional. Adriana Restaurant, a Peruvian restaurant located in Miami, serves authentic dishes that reflect the flavors of the region and are guided by the expertise of Executive Chef Germán Gonzáles (adrianarestaurant. com). It offers dinner daily with a lunch service added on Sundays. “There are fresh seafood and ceviches and traditional dishes and meats from the jungle areas in the Amazon,” Vallès explains. “They have a lot of different kinds of potatoes and foods from the ocean. It’s my favorite right now in the Bal Harbour area.”
New York City
Originally from Bordeaux, France, chef Steigerwald, the executive chef at The St. Regis New York, had earned a degree in physics and math as a young man, but at age 20 found his passion in the inexact science of the culinary arts. Under the tutelage of Michelin-starred chefs, he developed a cooking philosophy that focuses on “understanding the product and applying techniques to make it taste the best in a tasteful and simple way.”
In 2010, chef Steigerwald brought his award-winning culinary skills and love of Mediterranean food to The St. Regis New York. He enjoys the fast pace and vibrant feel of the city, as well as its many restaurants.
Chef Steigerwald has since found a taste of France in Midtown Manhattan. His choice dining experience, the Alaine Ducasse restaurant Benoit New York (benoitny. com), celebrates traditional French cuisine reminiscent of the legendary Parisian bistro. The chic brasserie offers charming décor and a menu inspired by bistro classics for an exquisite dining experience.
Houston
Chef John Signorelli, the executive chef of The St Regis Houston, offers three very different culinary cuisines. A Colorado-born graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, chef Signorelli brings a wealth of experience to his kitchen in Houston, having started from the ground up at the young age of 13 and rising to cook with celebrity chefs Emeril Lagasse and Julia Child.
“There’s great food here in Houston. The variety and quality are on par,” Signorelli says. “I like to try different things and avoid chains.”
His first suggestion is the Ocean Palace in a predominantly Asian neighborhood in Houston (281-988-8898). “The street signs are even in Chinese,” he says. “The Ocean Palace is in the same mall as the Hong Kong Market. There are two levels. One is for a formal dinner. It is casual cuisine upstairs and serves about 1,500 people on the weekend. Their dim sum is all handmade, and it’s a lot of fun to sample and choose. Everyone speaks Chinese, so you point to things on the dim sum trays.”
Highlighting Texas beef and the state’s signature barbecue, chef Signorelli also suggests Goode Company Texas Bar-B-Q (goodecompany.com). “It’s a local chain with seven restaurants. The ambiance is great. There are silver saddles and a huge stuffed buffalo. Kids love it,” he says. “They offer classic mesquite-smoked barbecue brisket.”
The owners of Goode Company also have a taqueria for Mexican favorites, two seafood restaurants and Goode’s Armadillo Palace, a restaurant with a more varied menu.
A third restaurant that is one of chef Signorelli’s favorites is the Banana Leaf in Houston (bananaleafhouston.com). “The Banana Leaf has authentic Malaysian food made by Malaysian chefs. Their specialties are dishes made with homemade spicy noodles.”
Atlanta
A rising star in hotel management, Food and Beverage Director Megan Gray oversees all of The St. Regis Atlanta’s dining establishments, including Paces 88, The St. Regis Bar, Astor Court, The Wine Bar, Poolside Café & Bar, in-room private dining, as well as banquet and catering events. Prior to taking the reins in Atlanta, she managed the renowned Astor Court and King Cole Bar at The St. Regis New York. Before that, her work as managing director of the Larkspur Restaurant in Vail, Colo., earned that property the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence every year from 2000 to 2008 for its outstanding wine cellar experience.
Everywhere Gray lends her hand, excellence and elegance follows, and The St. Regis Atlanta is flourishing under her touch. It is no wonder her secret dining places mirror that. A favorite is No. 246, an Italian-influenced restaurant located at 129 E. Ponce De Leon Ave., in Decatur, Ga. (678- 399-8246; no246.com). Named for the original plot designation, the restaurant is the brainchild of Ford Fry, owner/executive chef of JCT Kitchen & Bar, and chef Drew Belline, previously the chef de cuisine at Floataway Café. Their vision departs from most meat-centric culinary experiences in the South by packing the menu with local, farm fresh vegetables and other staples, prepared using simple wood-fired cooking techniques. The menu changes seasonally, depending on local availability.
Gray says of No. 246, “It has a great energy paired with unique, hand-crafted cocktails and a diverse menu. It is always a popular place, and you are bound to see a familiar face or two when you visit.”
Another favorite restaurant is Canoe, nestled along the banks of the Chattahoochee River (4199 Paces Ferry Rd., SE; 770-432-2663; canoeatl.com) in Atlanta. The river and manicured gardens offer a view from every window in the establishment while providing a rustic, warm ambiance inside with its wood, brick and ironwork.
Executive Chef Carvel Gould offers a menu that reflects her seventh generation Atlanta heritage and a true appreciation of Southern foods that are delicately manipulated into her own unique culinary style that respects the flavors of fresh ingredients.
“Chef Carvel is a great friend and talented chef, and the location on the river reminds me of being back home in Colorado,” Gray says.
As these culinary experts reveal, dining locally can mean seeking out the hidden gems to experience fabulous flavors from around the world.
