Indulgent Menu Items... We asked executive chefs and an F&B director about menu items that defy health trends but would cause guest uproar if removed. By Pamela Leigh
James Bailey Executive Chef, Sheraton Delfina
Santa Monica, California
“At our hotel, we focus on providing local, organic, sustainable, and healthy food for our guests. However, desserts are one area we can’t skimp on. No matter where you come from, everyone has a sweet, rich, guilty pleasure. Our most popular is crème brûlée. We host clients from many different countries, and occasionally there are language barriers, so we’ve learned to interpret requests for “burnt cream, custard, or pot de crème” and provide them with our rich take on the classic with organic vanilla beans and a lightly caramelized top. On the entrée side, our clients come looking for a classic American burger. Our take on that starts with a fresh-baked challah roll, all-natural beef, organic arugula, farmhouse cheddar, caramelized onions, and Applewood Smoked Bacon. Definitely not a Weight Watchers’ special, but very fulfilling.”
Edan Ballantine F&B Director, Hyatt Regency St. Louis
Riverfront, Missouri
“We have two food items that would be a disaster if we took them off the menu because they are synonymous with St. Louis and guests come here expecting to find them: toasted ravioli and gooey butter cake. The first is a fried beef ravioli served with a side of marinara sauce. When I first arrived in St. Louis, my executive chef and I toured the city trying as many versions of the dish as we could. We were pretty much eating it every day trying to figure out the secret to really knockout toasted ravioli. After sampling many versions, we came to believe that it’s all in the quality of the main ingredients, especially the marinara sauce that the ravioli is dipped in. The other item—gooey butter cake—is a slightly underdone, baked vanilla cake, which is gooey and extremely sweet. It’s very rich, very buttery, very decadent, and definitely not healthy!”
Wayne Johnson Executive Chef, Mayflower Park Hotel
Seattle
“At a California property where I once worked, I took Eggs Benedict off the menu, and I got feedback on that decision real quick! Our regulars wanted it back immediately. As for those ‘healthier’ versions of Benedict (like using Portobello mushrooms), they don’t really work since it’s the heart-stopping Hollandaise that makes the dish. On our dessert menu, there’s a liquid chocolate cake that is nothing but chocolate and butter. Over two years ago, I tried to cut that dish from the menu, and I couldn’t believe how many people had our e-mail address. ‘We want it back.’ ‘Are you out of your mind?!’ ‘Did you change your chef?’ When we put it back, we even had the local media reporting that ‘Liquid Chocolate Cake is back at Andaluca!’ We also do a lamb burger that is in high demand. You can just see the fat oozing out when it comes off the grill. We serve it with a healthy side, like a white bean salad, attempting to balance out the plate.”
Mariano Lalica Executive Chef, W Honolulu
Diamond Head, Hawaii
“I’d say the foie gras appetizer rates as one of the richest items that we have on our menu. I get constant orders for it, and I don’t dare take it off. Another rich dish is our duck confit, slow cooked totally in fat. I’ve never taken something off the menu, but I once tried to alter the clam chowder recipe at another restaurant where I worked. I had just started there, and I wanted to make a healthier version of the chowder. The former chef hadn’t left an exact recipe, just a few notes, with the main ingredient being heavy cream. I cut the heavy cream back to about half to make the chowder healthier, but that switch didn’t last because we had so many regulars clamoring for the thicker version (where the spoon literally stands up in the bowl!), rather than the lighter, healthier version. We ended up having to call the former chef to get the original recipe to put it back on the menu. I also tried to lighten up our escargot appetizer and serve it as a tart with mushrooms and a dash of cognac. That didn’t work either; our guests demanded that the traditional escargot appetizer with lots of garlic butter go right back on the menu!”
Pamela Leigh is a frequent contributor to HOTEL F&B.
