Metropolitan has hired Perry Hendrix as its new chef. While Hendrix was executive chef at Gabrielle, in Asheville, N.C., the restaurant won AAA four Diamond and Wine Spectator Award of Excellence awards. He replaces Adam Findlay, now at the Viking Yurt at the Canyons. Hendrix's first menu will premier on New Year's Eve, featuring items such as roasted Kumamoto Oysters with Sunburst Trout Farm caviar, seared La Belle Farms Foie Gras and porcini-dusted Utah elk. The 6 p.m. seating is $50 for the three-course meal; the 9 p.m. seating is $95 for the six-course dinner.
Frank Granato Importing Co. offers Italian panettone and pandoro cakes for the Christmas season. Panettone is a tall, cylindrical cake filled with candied fruit, and pandoro is a tall sponge cake, golden-colored from eggs and butter, and is usually baked into a star shape. Both are traditionally served in Italy during the Christmas season.
For those wanting to sample three different treats, there's a gift set of 3.25-ounce sizes of panettone, pandoro and il mandorlato (a type of panettone), for $10.50.
Little America Hotel is ringing in the new year with a "Chicago" theme. The annual New Year's party will turn back the clock to the Roaring Twenties. Chef David Prows' menu includes beef tenderloin, iced king crab legs, jumbo iced prawns and an assortment of desserts, with background music from Joe Muscalino's Big Band. The party, dinner, and one night's accommodations for two is $270; individual tickets to the dinner are $95 each. For reservations, call 801-258-6770.
Red Lobster has added more healthful items to its kids menu, such as snow crab legs, grilled mahi-mahi and grilled chicken with fresh and steamed vegetables. The new items are a response to The American Dietetic Association's challenge to "Step Up to the Plate" and offer more healthy choices, according to Wendy Spirduso, the company's director of communications.
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