P A C C I

I couldn’t be more thrilled to have such an outstanding restaurant affiliated with my hotel. Everyday I get the opportunity to boast and explain to guests the unparalleled excellence of our very own restaurant, PACCI. Most guests look at me like, “Girl, are you crazy, you’re getting paid to send me to your hotel restaurant”- before they even have time to shoot off that look that I am so aware of, I tell them, each and every time, “It feels so good to work at a hotel that has a truly amazing restaurant”. This convinces them every time. Then, of course, I go into the dishes that I find spectacular and they’re already drooling and booking reservations.

PACCI is short for Carpaccio, which they do OH SO WELL. The Carpaccio selection includes beef, sashimi-grade fish and the freshest of vegetables; all simply rubbed with sea salt & black pepper. The woman behind it all, is Executive Chef, Keira Moritz. Keira is a Georgia native with a great story. The light began shining on her, when she attended an event where the chef didn’t show! Keira jumped behind the line and made it happen and seamlessly, impressed all the guests, which she continues to do every single day.

Before the hotel opened, we had the opportunity to taste the menu, while giving the servers practice; a win-win situation for everybody! I enjoyed the breakfast menu, twice. After an intense month of non-stop pre-opening training, I finally had a day off and coincidentally my father was in town. My father being the foodie that he is, I told him we had to go to PACCI for dinner. I also got the opportunity to enjoy the lunch menu, just a week ago, which served as an extremely pleasant background for a casual meeting with my AGM and fellow Front office managers.

Before I get into the food, I wanted to note the undeniable, so visibly apparent, extraordinary, passionate vibe I get from visiting the back of the house during my daily routine. I could swear the chefs have a cot in the walk-in, because every time I’m there, they’re there. Not only are they just there, they always seem passionately content in the present. I could swear the servers get paid a million dollars every day just to smile the way that they do. The entire PACCI staff seems so brilliantly happy with their everyday duties, that I see it as the template for what loving your job looks like.

My first breakfast experience went something like this: It was 7am and I was setting up the day, Keira came by the front office to announce that there was breakfast on the line and to take whatever we like. We bee-lined over to the line and the first thing that caught my eye happened to be the Catfish Benedict: poached eggs & fried catfish on a country biscuit with sausage gravy…Definitely memorable. The eggs, perfectly poached, with an oozing yolk, pouring over the biscuit, created a party in my mouth once mixed together with the sausage gravy. My colleagues and I split everything we took off the line, so I also had the chance to try the Midtown Bene, which is poached eggs on English muffins with prosciutto & hollandaise sauce. A perfect hollandaise sauce, not too much of anything. Not too much Tabasco, not too much lemon, not too much butter. Absolutely flawless. Finally I had a taste of the French Toast with cinnamon butter, fresh berries and maple syrup. The cinnamon butter gave it the perfect breakfast sweetness.

My second breakfast experience was a sit down meal. I sat by my lonesome on a morning before opening. Ivan was my server and he was delightful. He seemed eager and excited to exploit his knowledge. I ordered fresh squeezed orange juice and the Truffled Mushroom Frittata. For those of you who don’t know what a frittata is, it’s pretty much like an omelet. It's an Italian dish, usually made with potato, pepper and egg and place it into crunchy bread, and eaten as an early lunch… My mother and grandmother make the best… Back to PACCI: The Truffled Mushroom Frittata was packed with seasonal mushrooms and topped off with a dollop of goat cheese. The truffle essence and taste was truly there, and it was there with every bite. The goat cheese was just enough to swirl through my eggs. I didn’t want the last bite to come, and so I cherished every bite. It was excellent.

After about three weeks of working straight through, with no days off, my father came into town from New Jersey. On my day off, where did I end up? Right back at the hotel. I was dying to experience a sit down dinner that I had heard so many great things about. When you walk into the dining room you are immediately in awe of the light fixtures. Large silver bulbs hang and are surrounded by draping tassels creating a mood so inviting. The crushed velvet booths frame wooden tables with a flawless table setting. The menus were handed to us and the smell of leather was immediately in the air. I looked down and noticed the menu was propped on a large, brown leather slate. The light from the open kitchen pronounces itself as the the place where all the magic happens. We opted to share everything so that I could get a taste of as much as possible. Sarah was our server and so very knowledgeable. My Dad, being the restaurant service perfectionist that he is, tried throwing a few curve balls at her- she caught all of them. First order of business was the wines. We chose a flight of white to pair up with our appetizers, which turned out being VERY memorable. I thoroughly enjoyed the Vermentino from Sardinia. It had saline qualities which went perfectly with our Avocado citrus salad. We also opted for a cheese plate. Now you know how crucial a good cheese plate is to me. This one made me want to stand up on the table and sing, and I cant even sing. On the menu, there are 4 cheeses listed: Rochetta, Green Hill, Mimolette & Gorgonzola Dulce. We opted for the first three. The plate came to the table with a surprisingly large portion. I was blown away at how well they were presented and how fresh they tasted. Next up was a flight of red wine and the Duck Confit. Wines, excellent. Duck, out of this world. It came served with perfectly cooked polenta, gorgonzola and a blackberry marmalade. Fell off the bone. Enough said. Next up, we shared the Potato Gnocchi with browned butter, sage, gorgonzola and toasted walnuts. These gnocchi were unlike any gnocchi I’ve ever had before… They were so extremely light. The soft texture of the gnocchi and the crunchy texture from the walnuts was brilliant. It had a sweet and salty hint that kept me addicted until they vanishedoff the plate. Finally, we ordered the Alaskan Halibut which came served on top of a bed of corn, fava beans, heirloom cherry tomatoes and olives. One of PACCI’s beloved servers, Josh, recommended this to my father and I, so that we would have room for dessert! It was a perfect recommendation to balance out our meal. It was super light but packed with flavor. The vegetables it came with really added character to the dish. Like Josh hoped for, we certainly had room for dessert. We opted for the trio of tiramisu and the pistachio cheesecake. The trio of tiramisu was FABULOUS. The first, was a lemon tiramisu which, had a limoncello essence. The second was your better than average tiramisu and the third was a banana tiramisu with a caramelized banana sliver on top. A perfect selection. The pistachio cheesecake was up next. It had a thin pistachio crust with a raspberry drizzle. The cheesecake was the best cheesecake I’ve had in a while, so creamy and done VERY well. I washed down this unforgettable meal with a glass of port and a huge smile. I didnt want to leave.

Weeks later, I had the opportunity to sit down with my AGM and fellow front office managers for lunch. What a great intermission to a long day. We each ordered iced tea, which was presented in a very cool way. We each were distributed our own glass decanter. The top of the decanter had a tiny cup mounted on it. This cup was filled with simple syrup. So very clever and made this already refreshing iced tea, that much fresher. We started off with the beef carpaccio. All I have to say is, no wonder the restaurant is called PACCI. Sliced with care and perfection, it melted in my mouth and the texture was great with the grainy sea salt. I could have ate it all day long. For my entrée I had the Sea Scallop frisee salad, which came dressed with pancetta rosemary olive oil and sprinkled with grilled corn. These scallops were something else. So tender and clearly cooked down to the very second of perfect timing. The table ordered the tiramisu trio for dessert which I enjoyed just like last time, if not more.

I continue to be in complete awe of PACCI and everyone that works to make the food hit the table with a style and grace so hard to find. I feel honored that I have had the opportunity to view the back of the house with all the hustle and bustle it comes along with; and then be able to step to the front of the house and truly enjoy it. With its powerful atmosphere, passionate, knowledgable servers and food that keeps your palate longing for more, I think its utterly impossible to not be completely taken back by it all. Everyone leaves the PACCI experience knowing that they'll be back for more and that PACCI is it, PACCI is it.