The Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel gathered together a gaggle of journalists on Friday to celebrate the premiere of Napa Valley's Crane Brothers wines at Eno, the hotel's year-old wine, cheese, and chocolate bar. The Ritz Laguna's Eno, a room outfitted with dark wood wall paneling and long tasting tables, is the second opened by the hotel's owner, Strategic Hotels & Resorts, which recently opened a third at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego.
Eno is surfing a trend in the restaurant industry, taking the mystery—and intimidation factor—out of gastronomy by offering novice foodies classes and cheat sheets detailing the new bites they're sampling. Laguna's Eno offers weekly “Eno-versity” classes hosted by boutique winemakers who fly in for intimate wine tastings—a boost for small wineries hoping to spread the word. The room, which holds 36, offers 300 to 500 varietals and 50 kinds of cheese from all over the world. Chocolates come from a rotating list of local chocolatiers. Wine, cheese, and chocolate are all available in flights, with cheesemonger Jason Truckenmiller and sommelier Kevin Anderson on hand to suggest food-and-wine pairings.Strategic is planning four more Enos: for the Fairmont Chicago, Four Seasons hotels in Mexico City and Washington, D.C., and an as-yet-unannounced location in San Francisco. Credit for the concept, which made its debut at the InterContinental Chicago in December 2006, goes to Strategic president and C.E.O. Laurence Geller; the San Francisco-based restaurant design company Puccini Group brought it to life.
Deanne French, director of public relations for the Laguna Ritz, organized the event, and the Donahue Group provided PR. Winery owners Michael and Robert Crane were on hand to talk about their varietals.
Eno is surfing a trend in the restaurant industry, taking the mystery—and intimidation factor—out of gastronomy by offering novice foodies classes and cheat sheets detailing the new bites they're sampling. Laguna's Eno offers weekly “Eno-versity” classes hosted by boutique winemakers who fly in for intimate wine tastings—a boost for small wineries hoping to spread the word. The room, which holds 36, offers 300 to 500 varietals and 50 kinds of cheese from all over the world. Chocolates come from a rotating list of local chocolatiers. Wine, cheese, and chocolate are all available in flights, with cheesemonger Jason Truckenmiller and sommelier Kevin Anderson on hand to suggest food-and-wine pairings.Strategic is planning four more Enos: for the Fairmont Chicago, Four Seasons hotels in Mexico City and Washington, D.C., and an as-yet-unannounced location in San Francisco. Credit for the concept, which made its debut at the InterContinental Chicago in December 2006, goes to Strategic president and C.E.O. Laurence Geller; the San Francisco-based restaurant design company Puccini Group brought it to life.
Deanne French, director of public relations for the Laguna Ritz, organized the event, and the Donahue Group provided PR. Winery owners Michael and Robert Crane were on hand to talk about their varietals.
Eno at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel
Photo: Courtesy of the Donahue Group
Dark wood paneling at Eno in Laguna Niguel's Ritz lends the space a masculine look.
Photo: Courtesy of the Donahue Group
Long tables host groups for tastings.
Photo: Courtesy of the Donahue Group
Strategic has plans to launch four more Enos around the U.S. and in Mexico City.
Photo: Courtesy of the Donahue Group
