Now that you've been introduced to the new chef in charge of The Pink Lady, let's see where chef Daniel Barron will be calling home for the foreseeable future. Under new ownership, the historic La Valencia Hotel is in the midst of a nip and tuck that aims to put a refreshed, but still recognizable new face on the venerable La Jolla property.
So far, all 112 hotel rooms have been renovated and the Sky Room, once a fine dining aerie, is turning into two large guest suites. Next to debut is a new entryway, a wide glass-topped arbor that should be complete by July 1.
Come Labor Day, the 4,100-square-foot Café La Rue should open in all her art deco glory; the hotel is installing terrazzo flooring, chandeliers and bumping up the seating in the former Whaling Bar space, which will now revolve around a central U-shaped bar. Some reproductions of the iconic Wing Howard paintings will return, and others will decorate nearby villas and meeting spaces. The remodel will also allow for sidewalk seating on Prospect Street.
An all new kitchen is being installed, and managing director Mark Dibella says that the food at La Rue will take influence from all European cuisines, in the form of a bistro-style menu of small plates. The hotel's Mediterranean Room will also get updated by chef Barron, but Dibella says they expect to keep a third of that menu's mainstays.
· La Valencia Chooses New Chef For Hotel Revamp [~ESD~]
·La Valencia [Official Site]