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Vintage Dining At The Vinoy

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By KURT LOFT, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 14, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Back in 1925, a stately palace called the Vinoy Park Hotel opened for business just off the water downtown. Built for $3.5 million - a considerable sum at the time - this magnificent boom-era structure served the city well, but over the years felt the sting of neglect.

In disrepair and without air conditioning, the hotel advertised rooms for $7 a night when it closed its doors in 1975. Then, in the early 1990s, a $93 million restoration brought the aging landmark back to life in a celebration of revival architecture, atmosphere - and food.

The food, of course, stands on its own, and great pains have been taken to frame it with elegance. Brazilian cherry wood, inlaid marble, majestic archways and romantic lighting enhance the Vinoy's two signature dining quarters - the Terrace Room and Marchand's.

After too many years, we returned to Marchand's, remembering the kitchen's flair for Mediterranean cuisine (the Terrace Room serves new American). Today, Marchand's tweaks its trademark victuals with contemporary touches, and the wait staff delivers the kitchen's product with solid professionalism.

Marchand's caters to its share of people staying at the hotel, but locals also flock here to enjoy a stylish meal that begins with a sampling of high-end appetizers. We enjoyed the velvet texture and deep flavors of the crab bisque, and the succulence of iron-seared scallops with lobster risotto and pea tendril salad.

Tasty starters include Peeky Toe Crab Cakes, laced with tomato-apricot jam and avocado aioli; fennel dusted yellowfin tuna with mango shallot relish; and a simple but piquant bisque of carrots and ginger.

Salads are creative and beautifully presented. The mixed baby greens comes with cherry tomato confit, Roquefort and fried onion, while sheep's cheese and white anchovies anchor the classic Caesar. Our favored salad is the Boston bib with golden beets, toasted macadamia nuts and pomegranate vinaigrette.

The Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City might hold claim to Spanish paella, but Marchand's cooks up a spectacular Paella a la Vinoy. This hearty dish fuses the colors, flavors and textures of lobster tail, tiger shrimp, littleneck clams, scallops, mussels, chorizo and risotto in a saffron broth.

Seafood lovers might consider the Alaskan halibut poached in vanilla bean olive oil, seared yellowfin tuna with wilted bacon, or the red snapper with fingerling hash and blood orange vinaigrette. Our only disappointment was a signature dish, the salmon, which was curiously dry considering the fish was cooked sous vide in a vacuum bag.

Our order of shrimp and chorizo pasta was flavorful but overloaded on noodles. A better bet is fried lump crab and cheese ravioli with duck cracklings, watercress and artichokes.

Carnivores aren't forgotten here. The kitchen grills a porcini-dusted 12-ounce New York strip, Australian lamb with Asiago pesto mashed potatoes, and a prosciutto-wrapped pork tenderloin.

The restaurant offers an international wine list with dozens of values, such as a fruit-forward Lodi 7 Deadly Zins for $40, or a Sonoma La Crema Chardonnay for $36.

The Sunday brunch, by the way, is an over-the-top indulgence at $50 a person.

DINING REVIEW

Marchand's Bar & Grill

BOTTOM LINE: Stylish dining in a magnificent setting

WHERE: Renaissance Vinoy Resort, 501 Fifth Ave. N.E., St. Petersburg

HOURS: Breakfast, 6:30 to 11:30 a.m. daily; lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday; dinner, 5:30 to 10 p.m. daily; Sunday brunch, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

CREDIT CARDS: All major

RESERVATIONS: Yes

CHILDREN'S MENU: Can accommodate

ALCOHOL: Full bar and wine list

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes

PRICE: Entrees range from $21 to $65

CALL: (727) 824-8072

Tribune reviewers eat anonymously. Kurt Loft can be reached at (813) 259-7570 or kloft@tampatrib.com.

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