|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
This week, we are highlighting three Peninsula dining experiences that include playful, immersive and entertaining elements during their multicourse meal offerings: one focused on fine art, one involving an animated mini chef and one celebrating the food of beloved films.
Representatives from each extolled the events as fun ways to feel like a kid again (and actual kids are also welcome at all three). Read on to learn a bit about what to expect from 7 Paintings in Mountain View, Le Petit Chef in Santa Clara and Fork n’ Film in Redwood City.
7 Paintings at The Ameswell Hotel
To see Leonardo da Vinci’s original “Mona Lisa” in real life, you need to go to Paris. But to eat dinner while a digital version of Mona Lisa speaks? For that, you can go to Mountain View.
Mona Lisa is part of 7 Paintings at the Ameswell Hotel, a dining experience that pairs food with information about renowned artists and their work using immersive technology. Digital projections, narration, props, music and activities enhance the experience.
“It’s a seven-course dinner that is inviting guests to have this journey through the art storytelling, and each course is dedicated to a certain artist,” said Ksenia Gavrysh, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing.
Over the 2.5-hour meal (offered regularly most Fridays and Saturday nights and on other nights by special reservation), in addition to meeting Mona Lisa, guests learn about the work of Michelangelo, Banksy, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali and Vincent van Gogh.
There are interactive elements to the show: For some courses, guests are tasked with solving puzzles, or invited to make art with their food.
“You have to put a little work in before you’re actually allowed to eat,” Gavrysh said with a laugh (but waitstaff can help if you get stuck on a clue).
For the Jackson Pollock course, diners create their own “vegetable paintings” out of purees and sauces, which veggies can then be dipped into.
“Every adult in the room enjoyed doing it,” Gavrysh said of the hands-on activity during her first time experiencing the meal. “I think it brings us all to childhood.”
Starting prices for the classic menu are $195 per person, and there are vegetarian ($179) and children’s menu ($85) options available as well.
Guests find nods to the styles and cultural backgrounds of the various artists not only through the projections and information about their artwork, but also through the food, the paired musical selections and certain props. The Michelangelo course (tomato praline, basil gel and watercress in shell crostini), for example, is served in a dish shaped like a hand, referencing the Sistine Chapel.
The Andy Warhol course (fillet of beef, sweet potato mash, glazed sugar snap peas and balsamic jus, or grilled mini peppers with couscous for vegetarians and a “grill cheese bite” and tomato soup from the kids’ menu) comes covered by a Campbell’s Soup can.
The surreal Dali-inspired course on the classic and vegetarian menus features Crema Catalana, mint and berries and salted caramel ice cream all served in a potato, which Gavrysh called “mindblowing,” adding that waiters also apply dry ice “to create this effect of fog on your plate and on your table.”
The dining part of the experience is helmed by Ameswell’s executive chef, Chad Bayless, along with the hotel’s food and beverage team, which is currently developing a program to pair wines with the courses as well. The experience is expected to be an ongoing one at Ameswell, although it is possible that the menu – or the featured artists – may eventually change, Gavrysh said.
7 Paintings started in Europe and has expanded internationally. The Ameswell was the first 7 Paintings venue in the U.S., according to Gavrysh.
These types of immersive meals reflect a desire to make dining out a special occasion beyond just eating quality food. “People are seeking … experiences,” she said.
Check online for reservation dates; Ameswell Hotel, 800 Moffett Blvd., Mountain View; 7paintings.com/en/mountain-view. Instagram: @7paintings_com, @theameswellhotel.
Le Petit Chef at Santa Clara Marriott
At the Santa Clara Marriott, executive chef Nelson Ramirez rules the kitchen. But he has a little help these days – really little – thanks to the hotel’s new immersive dining experience Le Petit Chef.
The titular tiny chef is just 6 centimeters tall and is, in fact, a digital animation. Le Petit Chef diners follow the little guy’s adventures as he sources and prepares their five-course gourmet meals timed to the serving of the actual dishes. The animations appear using 3D projection mapping onto the dining tables via overhead projectors. The experience also includes themed music and props.
“You feel that you’re sort of in a theater-type atmosphere,” said Santa Clara Marriott’s director of hotel sales Kevin Thompson. “It brings the kid out of you, at least it did for me when I experienced it.”
Diners can choose between several menu options: “Le Grand Chef,” which includes burrata; cioppino with fresh crab and caviar; lobster; filet mignon with potatoes and mushrooms; and Meyer lemon tart ($159 per person); “Le Petit Chef Classic” (similar, minus the crab and caviar plus wagyu flat iron steak instead of filet mignon, $129 per person); “Le Petit Chef Vegetarian” (featuring tomato gazpacho, risotto and potato fondant in lieu of the seafood and meat dishes, $129 per person); and “Le Petit Chef Kids” for children 12 and under (including kid-friendly courses such as macaroni and cheese croquettes and s’mores for dessert; $69 per person). According to Le Petit Chef’s website, dietary restrictions, including vegan and gluten-free, can be accommodated upon request.
No matter which menu is selected, the visual experience is the same and is based on the “Grand” option.
“You get all enthralled with the chef, and all the obstacles that he’s having to go through just to prepare the dish,” Thompson said. “It’s a little comical, so you really are entertained before the dish is set in front of you.”
Thompson’s personal favorite is the final course.
“I love when the desserts come out because I love sweets more than anything,” he said with a laugh.
Like 7 Paintings, Le Petit Chef started in Europe and now operates in locations around the world. Before bringing it to Santa Clara, Marriott staff ventured to San Francisco to experience a Le Petit Chef meal there.
“The entire executive staff, we just sort of fell in love with it and we felt like this would be a really good thing for our guests, and for an option just for locals as well,” Thompson said.
Something that makes each Le Petit Chef location unique is the in-person presence of the emcee who guides the storytelling, explaining where the little chef is and what he’s doing on each adventure. At the Santa Clara Marriott, that person is restaurant manager Sayed Zaky, and right away Thompson knew he’d be the right person for the job.
“You definitely have to have an emcee that is theatrical, that is over the top, and we definitely found that in Zaky,” Thompson said. “When we approached him he was like, ‘Oh my God, I’d love to do this!'”
The hotel is currently taking reservations through the end of the year, and Thompson said Ramirez has expressed interest in changing up the menu later on in autumn. There are several different Le Petit Chef themes for venues to choose from, and once a space is configured it’s easy to shift between themes, he said. “All it is is just a flip of a switch and you’ve got a totally different video that comes over.”
Tuesdays-Saturdays (times vary); Santa Clara Marriott, 2700 Mission College Blvd., Santa Clara; lepetitchef.com/santa-clara. Instagram: @le.petitchef, @santaclaramarriott.
Fork n’ Film at Grand Bay Hotel San Francisco
When it comes to planning an evening out, “dinner and a movie” is hardly a novel concept. But how about dinner completely inspired by — and served alongside — a movie?
“Fork n’ Film is an immersive culinary experience that recreates dishes from iconic, nostalgic movies, and serves them as they appear on screen,” co-CEO Francesca Duncan said in an email. “Guests enjoy a six-to-eight course meal with cocktails, starting with champagne and, of course, popcorn. Once the movie begins, each time a food moment is shown on screen, the exact dish or drink appears in front of them.”
As the company’s website puts it, it’s “cinema you can taste.”
The Los Angeles-based Fork n’ Film was founded in 2023 and is growing quickly, with events around the U.S. and internationally. Bay Area events began in May.
Duncan said she curates each menu herself.
“I watch each movie tons of times, picking out the best food moments, or most iconic scenes. Then, I create a meal or drink out of it,” she said. “I sketch my ideas and send them to our executive chef (Raine Carter), who turns my ideas into recipes. We send these recipes to all of our locations for the hotel staff to execute.”
Grand Bay Hotel San Francisco in Redwood City is the current Bay Area venue for the events (the location is listed on the website as San Francisco; click through to buy tickets to find the venue name and address.) Upcoming film screenings at that location include “Ratatouille” (Sept. 13-14), “Coco” (Sept. 19-21), “Wicked” (Sept. 26-28), “Hocus Pocus” (Oct. 5, 10 and 12), “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (Oct. 17-19) and “Frozen” (Nov. 7-8), with more to come, according to Duncan.
“With ‘Coco,’ we’ve crafted a truly authentic Mexican menu in collaboration with our partners in our Cancún location, bringing guests a genuine Mexican experience,” Duncan said. “We also recently launched Fork n’ Sing, where we encourage guests to sing along to each song in ‘Wicked.'”
Being surprised by the food and drinks is part of the fun, according to Fork n’ Film’s website, so menus are not posted online, but photos on Instagram offer some peeks into past events. Guests can select vegetarian or vegan options when making reservations, and gluten-free items are noted on the menu, the website states. Tickets to the Grand Bay Hotel San Francisco events are $199.99 per person.
According to Fork n’ Film’s website, events often sell out quickly. The company also offers yearly memberships at various levels and can also host private events.
Fork n’ Film’s goal, Duncan said, “is to make our guests feel young again.” Many of the films are childhood favorites, evoking warm and fuzzy nostalgic feelings.
“We’ve also happily broken the classic childhood rule of ‘don’t play with your food.’ Every dish we serve includes an interactive twist – whether you’re pouring, mixing, or using a themed prop straight from the scene,” she said.
Various dates, Grand Bay Hotel San Francisco, 223 Twin Dolphin Drive, Redwood City; forknfilm.com. Instagram: @forknfilm, @grandbayhotel.
Dig into food news. Follow the Peninsula Foodist on Instagram and subscribe to the newsletter to get insights on the latest openings and closings, learn what the Foodist is excited about eating, read exclusive interviews and keep up on the trends affecting local restaurants.
