From Chambers to Grand Casino, October brings a cool time for grand getaways

Cool, classy and cutting edge at Chambers…That’s a “Triple C” for the new Chambers Hotel, which will easily earn an A+ in anybody’s book as one of the hottest new spots in town. Located at the corner of Ninth Street and Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, it’s also a spot that will be quite controversial—good for cocktail conversation too, eh? And why not, when the man behind this multi-million dollar project is our own entrepreneurial businessman Ralph Burnet and his new RWB Development Company. Burnet already wears many hats as founder of Burnet Realty and Minnesota Timberwolves partner, to restaurateur (the new NBA City Restaurant over at Target Center) and avid art collector. Now it’s Burnet the hotelier—and art gallery owner, too.

Burnet always brings enthusiasm to his projects, but this time he also brings much of his personal contemporary art collection showcasing more than 200 pieces of often bizarre and humorous art, including edgy works by the Young British Artists movement. This YBA collection presents art that will keep tongues wagging—at least on the first visit—from the man with the plastic blowup doll in the lounge to the 1,750 pound gorilla in the courtyard with his severed arm lying in front of him to the shocking wall sign with the neon scripted words “Red, White and f***ing Blue” in the rooftop bar. He explained this work includes a generation of British artists born between the mid 1960s and ’70s who became known for using their work to address social issues and taboo subjects. Uffdah, it will surely warm up our Minnesota winters and keep the blood flowing.

Like its critically acclaimed sister hotel in New York City, the Minneapolis Chambers is being earmarked as an intimate, luxury hotel featuring highly personalized service, contemporary fine art and fine cuisine. I hear the Chambers in New York features more than 500 pieces of original art, including a minimum of four original artworks in each room. The 60 rooms here are real wowsers too, which Burnet pointed out on a preview room tour, with original wall art and art videos on the plasma screen, heated floors, and fancy rain showers. Room prices range from around $200 to the $3,500 range. What was once my old Pro Color Photo building, along with the nearby historic old Fairmont corner hotel (both nearly 100 years old) have now been transformed into a stunning, twin-building hotel property with an open air courtyard in between and roof-top lounge and suites on the two top floors.

BD Hotels, owned by Ira Drukier and Richard Born, who are recognized internationally for leading the boutique hotel movement, is a partner in the Minneapolis venture and will manage the hotel’s operations. They operate the Chambers and Mercer Hotels in New York City. Also on board is the much-awaited legendary chef/restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten (with business partner Phil Suarez), who has created the lower level Chambers Kitchen here as well as the Mercer Kitchen in the Mercer Hotel in New York City. This is the most exciting part of the project if you are a foodie who has followed the hot spots where Jean-Georges has left his mark—and I have when ever possible. First there was JoJo in 1991, then Vong in New York City (later in London, Hong Kong and Chicago); then the elegant Jean-Georges in the Trump International Hotel on Central Park; Prime at the Bellagio in Las Vegas and, of course the unique Spice Market in New York City’s meatpacking district, inspired by Vongerichten’s passion for Asian street-vendor food, and conceived in collaboration with Chef Gray Kunz. I fell for the Market big time when we sat by an open, wooden-shuttered window, on a lazy summer afternoon and nibbled and sipped wonderful Asian concoctions, pretending we never had to leave. It was heaven!

At the Chambers Grand Opening last month I felt that “loving feeling” roll over me (loved those Righteous Brothers) with a warm wave as each delicious and delectable Jean-Georges hors d’oeuvres was passed our way. With over 1,500 people milling about on many levels, you might suspect getting the food to all the guests coming from a lower level kitchen would be a real burden, right? Wrong! It flowed smoothly, effortlessly and generously. When I spoke with Jean-Georges a few days later, he said they had gone through over 12,000 pieces of passed appetizers at the opening party. Lovely little bite size pieces of rice cracker crusted tuna, pork satays, shrimp with smoked bacon, spiced chicken samosas and on and on. I can’t remember them all, but they were picture-perfect, delicate and delicious! A peek at the new menu looks like more of the same.

Jean-Georges has also pulled together a super team with impressive credentials, and the open glass-walled kitchen will make for great chef watching fun, too. The kitchen is headed up by Executive Chef Joshua Nudd, imported from the Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Honolulu via Newport Beach and The Island Hotel. Three more chefs have been pulled in from various Jean-Georges venues. But among them, it was great to see a local sous chef with a familiar name—Chris Damskey, whose background includes Aquavit, La Toscano and most recently Solera. Can’t wait to go back and grab a lunch or supper soon. And just to make sure we’d have a memorable souvenir of our Chambers visit, Burnet’s goodbye gift was a boxed and ribboned silver bracelet with its own key—a pair of Smith and Wesson handcuffs. That’s right, a kinky/frisky tongue-in-cheek goodbye gift, complete with a piece of plastic police tape. Suitable for framing, I’d say. Very YBA, eh?

Grand getaway cools you down…With the thermometer skyrocketing earlier this season, we took a gamble and headed north for the cooler regions in the woods of Wisconsin. It seemed a good time to make a grand get away stop at Grand Casino as well. We had stopped for lunch and a little gambling with a B.B. King concert a few years ago at this popular Hinckley property, and I had a chance to see the various dining rooms and grab a bite at the Grand Grill Americana. I made sure this visit would include an overnight to give me a chance to dine in their evening-only hot spot, the Winds Steakhouse.

We hooked up with Michael Engel, director of kitchen operations for the whole property and twisted his arm for a little tour of the site on a Saturday afternoon. “Just a typical day-in-the-life-style afternoon,” he smiled. One quick look around showed me Engel should add “juggler” to his title.

It just happened to be the day of the 10th Annual Viking Ride for Life, when more than 1,500 motorcycle fans ride up from the cities for lunch. “When the weather cooperates we can often have up to 3,000 bikes come by,” Engel says, “and it’s simply amazing to see it, feel it and hear it.”

And I’d say to feed it. We saw him coordinate the service for the bikers summer picnic foods outside at the amphitheater space where you had to thread your way among the Harleys to grab one of the hundreds of servings of Polish sausage or barbecued ribs—and that’s not counting the beverage bars setups. Back inside, we wound through the casino with its bells and pings of the slot machines and blackjack tables toward the hotel ballroom where hundreds of wedding guests were getting ready for their elegant, full service white tablecloth luncheon, being prepped in the adjoining kitchen. Quite a contrast. They can serve 45 to 600 for these fancy do’s, but Engel reminded me the construction we had observed outside will more than double their ballroom and event space and add 300-plus rooms to the hotel.

Then it was down to the Grand Buffet where the place was bustling like a beehive with service stations from Asian stir-fry to international flavors to pastas and comfort foods for the lunch crowd. But when you’re open at least 12 hours a day (14 on weekends) with hundreds of hungry gamblers stopping in at any time, this is the spot for any hunger craving. It’s all you can eat, so pace yourself.

By mid-afternoon, we hiked on over to see how the Grand Grill Americana was doing. It’s open from Midnight to 11 p.m., seven days a week. That’s 23 hours a day for a full service dining room—Yikes! It’s loaded with cozy dining booths a small bar and wall of windows that looks over the stone fountain garden. It also needs lots of man power to keep these operations ticking for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Kitchen Manager and Chef James Olson keeps a staff of 100 (with more than 50 in the kitchen), on rotation and says the crowd sizes vary a lot. These fluctuating hours and everyday hectic pace—contrasting with the wide open spaces of a country lifestyle—are the lure for many employees to work here. Olson himself loves the country life for his family, and Kathy Matrious, the grill and bar manager, always has a sparkle in her eye after any late shift as she heads home to work out with her show horses. The best of both worlds, they say.

And over at the Winds, I found the best of both worlds for our romantic dinner. We had enjoyed the noise, lights and action of the casino, but I rejoiced at the quiet, calm oasis of the Winds for a grand contrast. I also love to bet on a good meal versus a bad blackjack hand and we were definitely the winner. Engel told me he was the opening chef when they began service in February 2000. When he was promoted to operation manager in 2001, he brought in Tim Fagerhaugh, a CIA grad who was previously with the White Bear Yacht Club. Tim has showcased his talents with creative and hearty offerings to suit the casino traffic of the “hungry man” along with the fine dining gourmands, with friendly wine flights that can be paired with starters or entrees as well. Yes, there’s lobster, surf and turf and a grand baked potato with all the fixins’, but the chef has also created some Winds specialties like pan seared duck breast and a fall-off-the-bone braised buffalo that will tempt me to drive up to Hinckley again and again. Maybe the fall leaves are calling me again this month? Hummm.