New names unveiled for former Solvang hotel, restaurant
NORA K. WALLACE, NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The lobby of the new Hotel Corque remains under construction.MIKE ELIASON/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Above, rebar fronts the exterior of the Root 246 restaurant. Below, Chef Bradley Ogden is pictured at his new restaurant, Root 246.
January 7, 2009 6:54 AM
Say good-bye to the Royal Scandinavian Inn and hello to Hotel Corque.
Farewell to Solvang's Meadows restaurant, and welcome to Root 246.
On Tuesday, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians unveiled the "brand identity" for its new hotel and restaurant in Solvang, both undergoing extensive renovations with grand openings expected soon.
The name "Hotel Corque" was chosen from a field of several hundred ideas, and highlights the wine country theme of the Santa Ynez Valley, said David Brents, the Chumash's chief operating officer. Root 246, which will be run by celebrity chef and consultant Bradley Ogden, is meant to convey the use of fresh, local foods and is a play on words with nearby Highway 246.
"Our newly-renovated hotel and hip new restaurant will be unlike anything Solvang has ever seen," said Vincent Armenta, tribal chairman, in a statement.
The Chumash kicked off the name unveiling at a press conference at its Chumash Casino Resort, showcasing breakfast foods such as Meyer lemon pudding cakes; orange-scented crepes with ricotta cheese; Coho salmon; blue corn muffins and butterscotch scones with pecans, prepared by Jonathan Hall, Root 246's executive chef. Such foods will be among those offered to Hotel Corque guests in a continental breakfast, once it reopens.
The tribe wanted the new name of the hotel to convey a sense of escape, relaxation, service and wine country, Mr. Brents said. The restaurant needed to spotlight the collaboration of Mr. Ogden, while also giving people a feeling of artful cuisine, organic, local food and indulgence, he added.
Some 200 names were originally mulled over for each facility, and the numbers were whittled down to 20 and then to the top three.
"It was quite a project to create a new identity for the hotel and restaurant," Mr. Brents said.
The tribe purchased the Royal Scandinavian Inn -- known commonly as "The RSI" -- in April 2007 for a reported $19.4 million. Last October, the entire complex was closed so remodeling could begin in earnest on the 25-year-old facility.
"We're really excited about the overall progress of the hotel," said Mr. Brents, mentioning that the hotel should open by the end of March and the restaurant by mid-March. "We've been working on it for two years. You can see from the construction it's a pretty massive renovation."
Construction crews are working at a fast pace on site, with about 100 to 125 workers at the hotel each day and 60 to 70 each day at the restaurant, said Project Manager Dave Martinez.
The general contractor on the site is Young Construction of Santa Barbara. The entire complex should be "ready to roll" by summertime, Mr. Brents said.
About 105 people will be employed at the restaurant and hotel once they are opened, with some staff coming from the casino resort and others being hired on as new employees.
Mr. Brents remarked on the timing of opening two new entities in a period of financial uncertainty.
"We see the economic environment as really challenging," he said. "If you look to the long-term future, people are traveling within one tankful of gas. The ability to get on a plane for a cheap flight, those days are absolutely over. This is a regional destination."
He estimated the draw for the hotel is about "20 million people within one tankful of gas."
Hotel Corque will have 106 rooms, including 18 suites, 11 two-room suites and six junior suites. Rooms will range from $150 to $200 mid-week and $200 to $300 on weekends. A 1,150-square-foot presidential suite will encompass the third floor of the hotel and cost $949 a night.
On Tuesday, chef Bradley Ogden toured the under-renovation restaurant, which will seat about 171 people and include banquet space and two bars. Root 246 will be very similar to the design of his self-named restaurant at CaesarsPalace in Las Vegas, he said. He wants the restaurant to be light and airy.
"It will feel like you're walking into a home kitchen, rather than an industrial kitchen," he said, noting that he expects to be using a lot of fresh produce and goods such as fish and eggs.
"We're extremely excited about that," Mr. Ogden said. "The menu will be user-friendly from a pricing standpoint."
He said he hopes with favorable pricing that people will come to the restaurant three or four times a week, instead of once a month. He also plans to keep the restaurant open later hours than other eateries in Solvang, and may even sell some of the restaurant products from Root 246.