 |
|
AUTUMN 2006 Dear Neighbors, It has been a good while since we’ve sent one of these communiqués.
It’s not that we don’t love you; it’s just that we haven’t
had much news. In this letter you’ll get an update on the Proximity Hotel and
her restaurant. You’ll also learn about some special holiday happenings
and about the lengths to which our team will go to ensure that you enjoy
your visit. Some of these selfless folk endured a week in Napa and Sonoma
to learn more about wine and food! Cheers! Dennis & Nancy King Quaintance Scroll down
to read our entire Neighborhood Letter or click the links below for
articles of interest... How Close is Proximity? Even though the construction of the hotel is coming along nicely, we’re
still not sure of the opening date (but we think it will be by August
‘07). We’ll start building the restaurant soon. It will be
separated from the hotel tower by a 32 (our lucky number!) foot wide
garden. The restaurant will be long and narrow so that all of the guests
will be seated less than 16 feet from large windows that overlook either
the “Bluebell” garden that is near the hotel or a two-acre
natural area that includes a small stream. Part of the restaurant will
have a second floor that will house the Weaver Room. This wonderful
event space will have windows on three sides (not unlike the Pavilion
at the O.Henry) and an outdoor terrace. It will seat up to 150 guests
for a dinner or luncheon. There will be another event room in the hotel
tower, the Revolution Room. This room will seat up to 120 and will have
huge windows on two walls and an adjacent outdoor terrace.
You’ll notice that we’ve continued to honor Greensboro’s
textile history (and present) with these names. It is only fitting that
a hotel be named for Proximity Mill (the successor company, International
Textile Group, still resides in Greensboro and its headquarters are
adjacent to the hotel). The Bluebell Garden is named to honor the historic
Greensboro clothing company still headquartered here and now called
VF! So, what to name the restaurant? We’ve had a lot of fun with this.
Thanks for the help. We received more than 800 suggestions when we asked
for ideas in our last newsletter! How about: Bleu Denim Bistro? We like
it because it gives confidence that the food will be good and authentic
with the Bistro handle, and Bleu Denim implies a casual sturdy image.
And, the fact that Proximity Mills was the world’s largest producer
of denim doesn’t hurt. Now for a Q & A Session: How will it be different from the O.Henry? Like the O.Henry,
the Proximity’s design will honor a long favored architectural
style, but the Proximity will employ a style most often used for post
war industrial buildings, not hotels, giving it a “loft like”
feel that is wonderful and rare. So, the “bones” will be different,
but the warm and gracious interiors that are hallmarks of great hotels
will be present. What will the restaurant be like? Shucks, we’re out of
space, we’ll tell you all about it in our next letter. (Well…er,
ah…we are still working on some of its features.) The Holidays! Thanksgiving & Christmas Dining: While Lucky 32 won’t
be open, you can bring your clan to Green Valley Grill. It will open
at 2 p.m. on both Thanksgiving and Christmas Days. To make your reservation,
please contact Green Valley Grill at 336-854-2015 or visit greenvalleygrill.com. Gift Certificates: You can order Quaintance-Weaver gift certificates
that can be used at any of our businesses by going to qwrh.com or calling
our Gift Certificate Hotline at 336-370-0966. We’ll take your credit
card number and mail them to you (or to the recipient) promptly.
Group Gatherings: At each Lucky 32, you can order from our full
menu in our private and semi-private dining areas. Plus, we offer reservations,
call-ahead seating and a pre-ordering service that expedites service
for larger parties. In Cary our elegant semi-private dining room seats
up to 50. Our Greensboro Lucky’s private dining room seats 8-10,
and in Winston-Salem up to 40 guests can enjoy semi-private dining.
Call one of our Lucky’s for more information or to make reservations,
and visit lucky32.com for our full menus. At the O.Henry Hotel, you
can entertain an intimate gathering of 15 or a big bash of 150 (or something
in between). See photographs of the party spaces and check out the menus
at ohenryhotel.com, or call our events team at 336-544-9604. Get Lucky & Go to a Party! Too busy to prepare that perfect
“covered dish”? Let Lucky 32 cook for you. You call, we cook,
and we bring your order right to your car. In addition to our current
menu, we have larger “party” size portions of some of the
favorites and “Family Dinner” options. The “One Stop
Wines” are priced low. For complete Get Lucky & Go menus visit
lucky32.com. It’s perfect for office lunches too!
Holiday Tea at O.Henry Hotel: The story of The Nutcracker will
enchant all ages as we combine traditions of the holiday season with
afternoon tea on two Sundays, December 10 and 17, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Dreams of dancing sugar plum fairies, toy soldiers and waltzing flowers
inspired the special treats that will accompany your choice of tea,
warm apple cider or hot chocolate. Afterwards each child can decorate
an ornament and help our chefs make gingerbread houses, all accompanied
by music and costumed characters. Then join Clara by the tree as she
reads the story of The Nutcracker. Bring your camera to capture this
magical holiday event. Cost is $35 for adults and children. Call Green
Valley Grill at 336-854-2015 for reservations. New Years Day Menu: Make sure that 2007 will be your luckiest year ever and join us at Lucky 32 for New Year’s Day. We’ll feature our full menu plus some special selections. According to folklore, eating greens on New Year’s Day brings paper money, black-eyed peas bring coins, and pork brings good health. Julia Schiavone Wins Wine Competition
Our Wine Director Julia Schiavone recently passed the challenging Court of Master Sommeliers Advanced Exam, making her eligible to sit for the full Master Sommelier exam. She hopes to be awarded a scholarship to take the exam in London in 2007. There are currently only 72 Master Sommeliers in the entire United States! The Sommelier competition includes a written exam in theory (including wine production, laws, viticulture, spirits, beers, and even cigars) a service performance exam and a timed double blind tasting. Julia also won the Young Sommelier Competition for the South Central Region of Chaîne des Rôtisseurs earlier in the year. This is quite a feat for the wine director of a small outfit such as this. Cheers! Happenings at O.Henry Happy Eighth: The O.Henry Hotel celebrates her eighth birthday
this fall. We celebrated by sprucing her up a tad. During the past year,
the guestrooms got new chairs, marble window sills and the TLC (Tender
Loving Care) of painting, wallpaper and touch-ups that you’d expect.
Gift of the Magi: Have you seen O.Henry’s story “The
Gift of the Magi” that we added to the high walls in the Social
Lobby? It scrolls around the room above Best Rate & More: Please visit ohenryhotel.com to get our
“Best Rate” for any day and save up to $70 on many weekends
and holidays. We promise that you’ll always get our Best Rate if
you book at our web site. In addition to our Best Rate, receive a $30
Amenity Voucher with a weekend stay (Friday, Saturday or Sunday night)
beginning November 15 until December 15 or any day from December 15
until January 7 with every room booked online at ohenryhotel.com. Or,
get a great deal with one of our packages below. Holiday Shopping: Run away from home for a bit of shopping and
pampering. Just across the street, shop at more than 100 stores at Friendly
Shopping Center and The Shops at Friendly Center! Our Holiday Shopping
Package includes one night’s stay, a $30 gift certificate for Green
Valley Grill, a $50 gift certificate for shopping at Friendly Center
(with transportation to and from), and a full hot breakfast buffet for
$269 plus tax. Please call Ana Abella, our reservations manager, at
336-544-9603 for package reservations. See a Show: Greensboro’s own Triad Stage is expanding its season. Our That’s the Ticket Package includes a wonderful night of professional theatre in one of the “Best Regional Theatres in America.” This package includes one night’s gracious accommodations, two tickets to a Triad Stage performance, transportation to and from Triad Stage, a full, hot buffet breakfast, and a late check out, all for $239 plus tax. Upcoming productions include Beautiful Star: An Appalachian Nativity (December 3-23) and Noises Off (January 21-February 11). California Road Trip
It is tough work, but someone’s got to do it. How can we progress
if we don’t “sharpen the saw”? We can’t. So, given
our commitment to improve our “flavors” and our wine program,
we convinced ten key members of this team to expand their “frame
of reference” by spending a week in the tasting rooms and restaurants
of Napa and Sonoma. Thanks for 12 years in North Raleigh On October 29, we closed our Lucky 32 restaurant in North Raleigh.
The reason is simple; fewer guests were dining there. Digging around
we learned that people still really liked that restaurant, but there
were a whole lot more options. Our neighbors were still dining there,
but less often. It certainly wasn’t a happy day, nor was it sad. With the shifting
sands of supply and demand, healthy restaurant outfits open and close
restaurants all of the time. Twelve years is a life span far beyond
the norm. Our Cary restaurant, just 16 miles away, is going strong. We send our sincere appreciation to the more than 2,600,000 guests that dined with us over the years. Dried Cranberry Leek Chutney
Heat olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add yellow onions and
leeks and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes.
Add corn syrup, cider vinegar, and dried cranberries. Bring to a boil
and reduce to a simmer. Make slurry with cornstarch and water. Add remaining
ingredients except cornstarch slurry, and stir well to blend. Bring
to a simmer and add cornstarch slurry, stirring constantly. Simmer for
one minute more. All our recipes were originally designed for a much larger batch size. Please adjust to your taste and portion size. ©This recipe is property of Quaintance-Weaver, Inc. Unauthorized commercial use is forbidden. We reserve a limited number of tables so that everyone can be accommodated in a reasonable amount of time. Just give a call and make a lunch or dinner reservation. You can also make online reservations for Green Valley Grill at greenvalleygrill.com. When you don’t have a reservation, and you are concerned about waiting, we offer this service. Just “Call Ahead” and we'll add your name to our waiting list (if we have one) so that any waiting will be kept to a minimum. With larger parties we offer pre-ordering to expedite service so you have more time to enjoy your visit. Let us know when you make a reservation if you would like to pre-order. Just fax us your orders by 10:30 a.m. at lunch and 4:00 p.m. at dinner, and we’ll have your meals served within minutes of arriving. Call the restaurant (or go to the Hours/Reservations section of lucky32.com or greenvalleygrill.com) for a pre-order form. You call, we cook, then we bring your order right to your car. Let us cook for your picnic, in office lunch, or a dinner at home with the family with the “Family Dinner” options. Don’t forget our “One Stop Wines” that are priced low. For complete Get Lucky & Go menus visit lucky32.com or just give us a call. Every so often, the menus at Lucky 32 and Green Valley Grill change to reflect the season. Visit lucky32.com and greenvalleygrill.com for the current menus. To receive the latest news between newsletters, sign up with our luck-E-news at lucky32.com (and get free $10 Gift Vouchers throughout the year) or our online guest books at ohenryhotel.com or greenvalleygrill.com
|
|
