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Refreshing a Downtown Tradition

“Cutting edge in cahoots with tradition” could headline the updated menu created by longtime Executive Chef Paul Woods and his new Chef de Cuisine Sarah Sproule, straight from the Cordon Bleu School in Arizona. Now the Spa kitchens can boast a perfect merger of traditional and au courant cuisine.

“We’re keeping our same solid menu concept but raising the quality with seasonal produce fresh from local fields and all house-made sauces and desserts,” Sproule says. “We offer a packing house bone-in rib-eye unparalleled in the desert. We often pair our steaks with portobello and porcini mushroom ravioli beside bright jumbo asparagus from the Coachella Valley.”

Woods explains that Sproule comes with a passion for cooking and plenty of creativity. A graduate of the Culinary Institute in New Haven, Woods should know. He was chef at Washington D.C.’s apex of hospitality, the Jefferson Hotel, before Rose Narva brought him here to tend the initiation of Givenchy Hotel and Spa. So the Steakhouse brims with a long gene pool of talent.

To accompany the Prime-grade steaks and chops, guests can select sumptuous sauces — Béarnaise, Bordelaise, Au Poivre, Gorgonzola Cream or Wild Mushroom, all served with Duchess potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

Prime seafood offerings include local Whole Striped Bass with capers, Chardonnay, and lemon; Alaskan King Crab, steamed with butter; and giant Scampi with Pappardelle Pasta.

Desserts, all house-made, include Molten Chocolate Cake, Classic New York Cheesecake topped with Blueberry-Port Sauce, and Florida Key Lime Pie.

For the sixth consecutive year, The Steakhouse was honored with the prestigious Wine Spectator Award for Excellence. The restaurant offers vineyard-sponsored wine dinners and alfresco cognac and cigar dinners in season. On Saturdays, after visiting local farmers markets, the chefs create a special dinner featuring local products.

“It’s a great team and we enjoy coming to work every day to do what we love: cook.” — Executive Chef Paul Woods

By Sharon Apfelbaum