Hotel Bennett, the new luxury hotel on Marion Square, and all of its culinary concepts will open to the public on Sunday, January 27th.
Hotel Bennett features 179 guestrooms and suites, a two-tiered restaurant with extensive outdoor terrace seating on the square, and two bars. The hotel also includes a rooftop pool and bar, a luxury spa, a patisserie, and over 12,000 square feet of event and meeting spaces.
The culinary options include:
Gabrielle Charleston
Gabrielle will offer an “elegant-yet-lively atmosphere” and several dining experiences, including the first outdoor dining terrace to directly open onto Marion Square.
Executive Chef Michael Sichel has developed a menu that is inspired by Coastal Carolina and his background working extensively in both Europe and at New Orleans' celebrated Galatoire's restaurant.
Guests may enjoy a selection of appetizers including a traditional tin of Hackleback or Osetra caviar. Signature entrées include Red Fish Barigoule with Sweet Basil Broth; Lamb Journey, featuring minted cracked wheat cous-cous; Duck à l'Orange with Roasted Turnips and Orange Segments; and Hand-Grooved Potato Gnocchi with Clams. The menu also offers a selection of prime cuts of steak, including those from local farms, as well as a variety of local and regional seafood.
For dessert, Gabrielle offers indulgences including Apple Tatin with Nougatine Chantilly; and Flourless Chocolate Sponge Truffle with Venezuelan Chocolate Parfait and Grand Marnier Sauce.
Gabrielle's bar, which specializes in craft cocktails, serves a selection of broiled, shucked, and fried oyster dishes; Porcini-Dusted Belgian Frites; and a Foie Gras Burger.
Will be open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch.
Camellias at Hotel Bennett
Camellias at Hotel Bennett will serve a selection of champagnes, featuring an extensive collection of bottle and by-the-glass offerings, as well as a champagne-inspired cocktail program. The bar will also feature an accompanying dining menu of caviar, tartare, and desserts.
Much discussed and shared on social media since it was unveiled, the bar's pink, egg-shaped room was inspired by a Fabergé jewel box and is framed with four art panels that depict the Camellia flower. Reflective finishes, including an etched-mirror ceiling and beautiful strings of crystals cascading from a chandelier, add both shimmer and style to the atmosphere.
The bar's stunning hue utilizes marble that once clad the former Charleston public library building where Hotel Bennett now stands. The marble, reclaimed and restored, now graces the bar and tabletops.
The drinks menu was created by Hotel Bennett's Beverage Manager Steven Huddleston. It delivers an array of bottled and by-the-glass champagnes, plus a variety of specialty cocktails including some named for types of the Camellia flower. The Pink Perfection features St. George Vodka, Mad Hatter Tea, Lemon Replacement and Champagne Agitated Bubbles. The Lady Clare includes Hayman's Old Tom Gin, House Sweet Vermouth Blend, and Strawberry Infused Lillet Rose.
A Master Bartender, Huddleston is an award-winner certified mixologist and joins Hotel Bennett after a distinguished career developing beverage programs awards, including in Charleston. He also served as the corporate mixologist at The Bank at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, and is a Marine Corps Veteran.
Created by Executive Chef Michael Sichel, the dining menu presents Diced Tuna & Beet Tartare with Avocado and Citrus, as well as caviar served in a traditional tin with a selection ranging from Hackleback to Osetra. It also highlights a variety of desserts from Executive Pastry Chef Remy Funfrock, including a signature Camellias Cake, which is made from Cheese Cake Mousse, Strawberry Marmalade and Lemon Madeleine Sponge.
Camellias will be open daily from 4 pm, although on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 2-4 pm, it will also offer a special afternoon tea, which will be served along with a selection of sandwiches, scones and pastries, as well as curated champagne and tea cocktail selections.
La Patisserie Charleston
La Pâtisserie Charleston will serve French pastries, sandwiches, cheese and terrine, and desserts. It also boasts a full coffee bar.
Freshly baked sandwiches include Ham and Brie with Tomato Jam; Roasted Turkey Breast with Gruyere and Creole Mustard; and Chicken Salad with Pickled Celery and Golden Raisins.
Sweet delicacies include traditional French macarons and éclairs, as well as slices of the famed Saint-Honoré cake, a classic French dessert with a circle of puff pastry at its base, flavored with Grand Marnier and topped with vanilla whipped cream.
La Pâtisserie will also offer and display a collection of wedding and event cakes, while also serving a robust wine-by-the-glass program and charcuterie selections into the evening. Helmed by Executive Pastry Chef Rémy Fünfrock.
During three years of formal pastry study at the Lycée Jean Rablais in Lyon, France, Fünfrock gained professional experience working alongside his mentor Chef Patissier Jacques Frery. He also worked with the famed Pierre Hermé as well as master chocolate maker Pascal Brunstein.
Fünfrock then moved to the South of France to become an ice cream maker for Bechard, the world famous Provencal confectioner. Later, he worked at Cap Estel, one of the Côte d'Azur's most prestigious palace hotels, Roger Vergé's Michelin three-star Moulin de Mougins, DANIEL in New York City, Four Seasons Palm Beach, FL, as well as the Penrose Room of The Broadmoor. Formerly named one of the Top Ten Pastry Chefs in America by Pastry Art & Design Magazine, he twice won the silver medal at the US Pastry Championship and was a member of the US Pastry Team which competed at the 2009 Coupe de Monde de la Pâtisserie in France. He most recently served as the executive pastry chef at The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island before joining La Pâtisserie and Hotel Bennett.
Fiat Lux at Hotel Bennett
Located on the ninth floor, Fiat Lux at Hotel Bennett will offer sweeping views of Charleston's peninsula and its many storied landmarks. The space presents a beautiful, climate-controlled bar, a seating terrace, and the city's first rooftop cabana experience.
Overlooking the city's skyline, the bar draws its name from the Latin phrase for “let there be light.” It opens daily at 11 am to the public and hotel guests, with access from elevators in the hotel's lobby.
Throughout the day, Fiat Lux at Hotel Bennett's 35-foot-long pool and surrounding private cabanas are available for hotel and spa guests, complete with luxurious day beds and private televisions. In the coming weeks, the pool and cabana area will open in the evenings to the general public by reservation, including for private parties.
Offering over 20 different types of vodkas, Fiat Lux at Hotel Bennett showcases a craft cocktail menu designed by Hotel Bennett Mixologist Steven Huddleston, who has also created specialty “bottled cocktails” designed to be served pool-side. Among those concoctions are: “The Swindler,” which highlights Belvedere Wild Berry Vodka, Combier Triple Sec, Simple Syrup, Lemon Acid Replacement, and Activated Charcoal; an “Old Fashioned Revolution,” which includes Makers Mark, Templeton Rye, Boulard Calvados, Hennessey Cognac, Rich Simple Syrup, Bitterman's Mole Bitters, and Angostura Bitters; and a “CCC,” which features Belvedere Lemon Citrus Vodka, Combier Triple Sec, Clarified Cranberry, and Lime Acid Replacement.
Developed by Executive Chef Michael Sichel, the dining menu is Mediterranean-inspired and offers Snapper Ceviche with Pink Peppercorn and Pineapple; Shrimp Remoulade with Creole Sauce; Roasted Beets and Feta with Shallots and Brown Rice Vinegar; and Greek-Style Lamb Kebabs with Tzatziki sauce.
Fiat Lux at Hotel Bennett is located at 404 King Street.
The hotel is named for the Charleston-based Bennett family, and is owned by local hotelier Michael Bennett and his company Bennett Hospitality. The property is being managed in a collaborative partnership with Salamander Hotels & Resorts, the luxury hotel company founded by Sheila Johnson and led by noted hospitality executive Prem Devadas, a former Chairman of the Board of Governors for the Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. Visit their website for more info.
