Shangri-La is Really Cooking!
Hotel Shangri-La, Santa Monica’s iconic architectural gem, has opened its first restaurant, "The Dining Room". Owned by veteran restaurateur and nightlife impresario, Marc Smith, who also designed the 71-room hotel, has put in their first restaurant, sort of American with a California fresh feel. This ocean front restaurant will be the place to be seen while enjoying the cuisine of one of the West coast’s top chefs.
Smith hired Noah Rosen as the executive chef to oversee the restaurant and all other food and beverage outlets throughout the hotel. Rosen, a Southern California native with extensive experience working with some of the West coast’s finest culinary establishments including Patina, Melisse, Mini Bar, Wilshire, and most recently as Chef de Cuisine at BLT. He has designed a menu that will showcase his American Farmer’s Market Cuisine with French sensibilities. His food, reflective of his vast experience, is served with a social dining experience in mind, as well as priced in alignment with the current economy.
Noah’s approach to life reflects his surfer mentality, calming in the kitchen and works really well with the team, also never lets ego get in the way, and uses ingredients in the way they are intended. In this sense, he cooks for the sake of cooking versus celebrity, which truly makes him a chef of a dying breed says Marc Smith.
Rosen’s goals for the food and beverage at Hotel Shangri-La are as green as possible, reducing its carbon footprint and source as much from the local California farmer as possible. Using this vision, he designed a menu that combines the freshest of ingredients with his passion for culinary excellence. The result is a cuisine for which he's become well-known- creative, simple and fresh. The restaurant's wine list is well aligned with his mandate as well. Predominately featuring a large selection of California wines, a list that shows his insistence on supporting the local economy while minimizing the impact on the environment.
Tehmina Adaya, the owner and hotelier of Hotel Shangri-La says, “The hotel has been a well known yet secret hideaway for the past 70 years. "I felt that bringing in food and beverage would be instrumental in keeping our guests comfortabley satisfied. Noah was an obvious pick because his food is fresh, modern and sensibile, with a French touch that is essential to making the finest western cuisine.”
The restaurant's wine list is well aligned with Rosen’s mandate as well. Predominately featuring a large selection of California wines, the list shows his insistence on supporting the local economy while minimizing the impact on the environment.
The Dining Room was designed in collaboration with acclaimed Santa Monica based architectural firm, Kelly Architects, who most recently won a 2009 Preservation Award by the Los Angeles Conservancy for the Coles Project, playing an integral role in the design of The Dining Room. It's similar to that of a plush ocean liner, featuring mahogany furniture, a curved bar, hardwood floors, and windows with propeller-like features.
And with all these things going for the hotel with the new dining room, it's across the street from the ocean, a great hideaway, making it perfect! In addition I noticed a lot of people at the opening were from many popular magazines giving it the thumbs up. It's a tidy package in a beautiful setting. If you decide to stay overnight, this place has all the modern equipment needed. To experience Rosen’s culinary skills first hand, intimate dining experiences can be arranged for select private parties and cooking retreats. Also for hotel, restaurant, or private dinner reservations. This opportunity will allow guests to shop with Rosen at the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market and work with him to learn his innovative approach to the culinary arts.
1301 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica CA, (310) 394-2791 or for reservations; (877) 999-1301.
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