The Homestead Debuts a Sophisticated New Take on Southern Cuisine

. October 14, 2008

HOT SPRINGS, VA, May 23, 2008. One of the most treasured of American resorts, The Homestead has energized its well-loved dining venues through fresh design details and inspired new menus. Here, Southern Classics have found new life in refined interpretations by Executive Chef Rodger Martin that showcase authentic Virginia flavors in exceptional presentations. Also rejuvenating The Homestead dining scene is a brand-new look for the Casino by the Puccini Group.

"These changes represent the birth of a new culinary tradition for The Homestead," said Food and Beverage Director Perry Wiley, who joined The Homestead team in April and whose influence is already being felt throughout the resort's restaurants. "Chef Martin has re-interpreted the classic cuisine of the South in line with today's more sophisticated palates and a 21st century lifestyle. It's all part of our commitment to providing guests with a superior dining experience."

On the Menu: A Taste Revolution

In the resort's Main Dining Room, service has been enhanced with the offering of an amuse bouche to begin the meal and later an intermezzo, such as a sorbet, to refresh the palate between the appetizer and main course. These two new courses provide a welcome accompaniment to the enticing fare on the menu. One of the most talked-about items on the menu is The Homestead's new signature dish: the Southern-Style Beef Tenderloin. An upscale take on a comforting Southern classic, this entree updates chicken-fried steak with fork-tender beef tenderloin topped with a velvety truffle cream sauce, accompanied by fresh, seasonal vegetables and a rich Parmesan grit souffl'e.

Local food products from the region's finest purveyors impart each dish with robust, authentic flavors. These include Virginia bacon from Kite's Ham in Wolftown, apple cider from the Shawnee Canning Co. and peanuts from Hubbard's Nut Co. in Southampton County. Chef Martin's smoked salmon appetizer owes its distinctive taste to Bath Country grape wood the chef gathers by hand in the nearby George Washington National Forest. Local wild mushrooms are also harvested by the culinary team, and are showcased in several dishes.

The chef's Hoppin' John Roast Rack of Lamb dresses a traditional rack of New Zealand lamb with whole-grain mustard sauce, and complements it with five grain rice with fresh peas, and green tomato apple chutney. Fire Grilled Pork Loin Chop is accompanied by Southern Comfort barbeque sauce and served over low country shrimp and grits with pole beans and heirloom tomato. Seafood lovers will revel in seared snapper presented chowder style with steamed mussels, bay scallops, roast corn, bacon and new potato m'elange.

The Homestead's formal 1766 Grille has also introduced new menus that reflect its long-standing dedication to classic cuisine and tableside preparation and presentation. For the Fish du Jour en Papillote, fresh seasonal fish is steamed in paper with aromatic herbs, which is opened and presented at the table and served with a lemon beurre blanc. Among the new appetizers is a Traditional Steak Tartare -the classic combination of filet mignon and egg yolk seasoned to the guest's liking and prepared tableside. Longstanding 1766 Grille favorites such as Caesar salad, along with dessert classics such as Cherries Jubilee and Bananas Foster, are all presented with panache at the table.

Chef Martin's tempting Cascades Melt - featuring lump crabmeat and gulf shrimp topped with melted Swiss cheese on sourdough toast - is already a new favorite at the casual Rubino's. The bistro's updated menu focuses on salads with farm-fresh local produce, hearty soups, and a satisfying selection of hot and cold sandwiches.

Time-Honored Traditions

Loyal Homestead guests will be delighted to know that John West and his trio continue to play nightly in the Main Dining Room, encouraging guests to enjoy a leisurely, memorable evening at the table and on the dance floor. The menu also showcases several well-loved Homestead Classics, kept current with the highest quality local ingredients and served in the hearty portions many of The Homestead's long-standing guests desire. These include a fresh local Allegheny Mountain trout pan-fried with brown butter and lemon vinaigrette, topped with grapes and almonds, and accompanied by asparagus and baby carrots.

A Newly Stylish Casino

The Homestead's culinary revival is influencing more than its menus. The resort's popular Casino - a favorite spot for an after-golf bite - has a refined new clubhouse style.

While its effect is refreshingly modern, the Casino's new design takes its cues from America's past, in vintage-looking dining chairs that channel the Roaring Twenties and plank-top tables with railroad-spike details that hearken back to a time when resort guests arrived by rail. A private dining room is set with modern, handcrafted parson's tables surrounded by ladder-back chairs that conjure up a bit of regional history.

Originally opened in 1895, the Casino takes its name from the Victoria-era pavilions built for pleasurable activities - in The Homestead's case, the indoor badminton that was all the rage with turn-of-the-century ladies. The Casino's new look is the vision of the Puccini Group, the acclaimed design team whose trend-setting work includes New York City's Silverleaf Tavern, San Francisco's Grand Caf'e and Scala's Bistro, the Seahorse Grill at Mandarin Oriental's Elbow Beach Bermuda, and restaurants currently under development for the Royal Island Bahamas and the Intercontinental Prague. The Puccini Group is also responsible for the exciting new signature restaurants at three of The Homestead's sister resorts in the KSL Resorts collection: 1500 Ocean at the Hotel del Coronado (San Diego), BlueFire Grill at La Costa Resort and Spa (Carlsbad, Calif.) and bluEmber at Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa (Rancho Mirage, Calif.).

Open since 1766, The Homestead is one of America's most storied resorts, offering unparalleled hospitality and Southern charm in a 3,000-acre setting within the Allegheny Mountains of southwestern Virginia. Renowned for its natural healing springs, The Homestead is distinguished by 483 luxurious guest rooms and suites, 72,000 square feet of meeting space, a wide array of fine and casual dining choices, a world-class spa, three championship golf courses that include one of the nation's finest mountain courses (The Cascades), the South's first downhill ski area, a 48-stable Equestrian Center and show ring, one of the top-rated Shooting Clubs and a wealth of other recreational attractions.