By Gretchen Webster
WESTPORT–The Delamar Hotel Collection, the company which opened its first hotel in Greenwich over 20 years ago and brought its third Connecticut hotel to Westport in July, opened its newest restaurant – Dandelion – in the Delamar Westport today.
It’s an American hotel “with Mediterranean influences,” said Delamar’s corporate director of restaurants, Hicham Amaaou.
And according to Delamar’s Executive Chef Frederic Kieffer, the Dandelion’s menu is “a celebration of Mediterranean cuisine, drawing inspiration from its sun-drenched shores.”
The Dandelion dining room at night – contributed photo
The “epicurean index”
The menu includes several seafood dishes including swordfish kebab, Florida grouper, and wood fired sea bream. Lamb and pork chops are also on the menu, along with the “1946 Beef Burger,” and some vegetarian entrees such as roasted cone cabbage. The menu also includes an “Epicurean Index,” which explains some of the menu terms diners might not understand. These include chermoula – “North African marinade, parsley, coriander garlic, saffron,” and sumac – “ground dry berry with sweet tangy flavor.”
Greenwich Hospitality Group, owner of the Delamar brand, is close to finishing the renovation of what was once the Westport Inn; Delamar Westport is now an 86-room luxury hotel. Greenwich Hospitality Group is also renovating the town-owned Inn at Longshore; they are in year three of a 30-year agreement to remodel and manage the facility. The restaurant at the Inn at Longshore, La Plage, is currently closed.
The new Dandelion Restaurant has a peaceful décor, with a variety of dining spaces, including “the wine library” for smaller private events, and a larger room that seats 80 for special events, Amaaou said. There is also a large patio with a water feature for outdoor dining.
Weekends are booked solid
The Dandelion is already popular, with weekends tightly booked for the next three weeks, according to Amaaou. “People trust in the quality of our product,” he said. Many Westporters are also already familiar with the Delamar Southport, which opened 14 years ago, and its restaurant The Artisan, he said.
Amaaou has worked for Delamar for 15 years, opening the Artisan and the La Plage restaurant in the Mystic Delamar hotel, as well as the La Plage at Longshore.
Its “how you feel”
Not only is the food in a restaurant important – it’s all about the whole atmosphere, he said. The restaurant’s design, the lighting at night – even the soundtrack is important. “It’s how you feel when you enter the space,” he said.
The Dandelion at the Westport Delamar, 1595 Post Road E. is open for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m., with lunch and brunch to be added in the coming weeks. Breakfast is always available for hotel guests. To reach the restaurant or the hotel, visit dandelionwestport.com or call 203 266-3000.
The Dandelion at the Westport Delamar
1595 Post Road East
Westport
Dinner seven nights a week. 5 to 10 p.m.
Reservations required
Dining and Cooking