http://www.hotelchatter.com/ Hotel Reviews, Hotel Ratings, Hotel Openings en-us Copyright 2008 - SFO Media 2009-11-25T23:34:24Z HotelChatter HotelChatter http://www.hotelchatter.com/images/hcwhite.jpg http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Susur%20Lee http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/6/8/151651/5722 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/6929/cha_restaurant.jpg" class="top"> <br><i>An older rendering for Cha restaurant; now called Zentan</i>. <p>Alright, restaurant at <b><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Donovan+House/local/994">Donovan House</a></b>: let's try this again, shall we? The restaurant formerly known as Cha was soft-opening for a while and had Todd English's name all over it, but then English <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/5/1/113016/3343/hotels/The_Thompson_Dudes_Form_Do_Not_Disturb_Restaurant_Group">went bye-bye</a> and <b><A href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/susur lee">Susur Lee</a></b>, the Toronto Chef behind Thompson LES's <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/6/1/10409/25350/hotels/Thompson_LES_Shang_Gets_a_Fly_New_Website">Shang</a>, took over the kitchen side of things. <p>And so now Zentan has been born &#151; and the restaurant opens today. We don't quite know much about the menu, though, because the <a href="http://www.zentanrestaurant.com/">website </a>doesn't seem to be up and running (er, or anything beyond totally skeletal black and white nothingness) but here is what we do know: <blockquote><p>The Jenna 2009-06-08T15:55:53-05:00 38.9050920 -77.031588 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/6/1/10409/25350 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/6929/shangwebsiteshot.jpg" class="top"> <p>We told you back in early March that the dudes behind <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/thompson hotels">Thompson</a> Hotels <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/5/1/113016/3343/hotels/The_Thompson_Dudes_Form_Do_Not_Disturb_Restaurant_Group">had gotten together</a> to form a restaurant group called Do Not Disturb, which is now managing the restaurant soon to be known as 'Zentan' inside DC's <b><A href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Donovan+House/local/994">Donovan House</a></b> (formerly known as 'Cha'), the food and nightlife venues at <B><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Thompson+LES/local/31">Thompson LES</a></b> (Shang, Above Allen), as well as the restos in Gild Hall, the Hollywood Roosevelt and the upcoming <b><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Thompson+Hotel+Toronto/local/877">Thompson Toronto</a></b>. <p>Zentan inside Donovan House is set to open up on June 8th with <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/susur lee">Susur Lee's</a> name on the place (as opposed to Todd English's, who was originally the face of Cha) &#151; and Susur Lee's other Thompson Jenna 2009-06-01T10:44:59-05:00 40.7224445 -73.988695 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/1/28/15315/1267 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/shangwaitingarea2.jpg" class="top"><p> The <a href="http://www.nypost.com/seven/01282009/entertainment/food/bad_timing__good_dining_152396.htm?page=0HANG">New York Post's Steve Cuozzo</a> is giving the thumbs-up "mmm-mmm good" to newly-opened <b><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Thompson+LES/local/31">Thompson LES'</a></b> <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/12/8/23824/0805/hotels/In_Which_We_Hang_With_Shang_at_Thompson_LES">Shang</a> Restaurant. He calls the chic eatery "an all-over-the-map mix'n'match of Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian and American styles and ingredients." <p>The only thing the Post really knocks is Shang's goofy PR statement that attempts to set the atmosphere: "Chinese wallpaper with erotica designs more than 600 years old creates a tantalizing escape." Yeah, perhaps they should hire a better copy writer. We're not sure what is tantalizing about 600-year-old erotica.<p> Otherwise, the food created by Hong Kong-born chef <b><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/11/19/104932/61/hotels/Unless_We_re_Vong_Thompson_LES_s_Shang_is_Close_to_Opening">Susur Lee</a></b> of the Toronto epicurean scene and who apparently "boldly matched TV's 'Iron Chef' Bobby Flay platter for platter shiralevine 2009-01-29T09:10:57-05:00 40.7224445 -73.988695 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/4/2/115342/4704 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/susurlee.jpg" class="imgborder"><p>More news on the Thompson Hotel front. The <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Allen+Street-Thompson+LES/local/31"><b>Thompson LES Hotel</b></a> will get a Pan-Asian restaurant from Susur Lee, considered Toronto's Rock Star Chef for his namesake restaurant, Susur.<p>And the Thompson Hotel peeps must be paying him good. Lee is closing down his fancy Toronto shop to move to NYC and open a restaurant inside Thompson LES. (His casual restaurant, Lee, will remain.) Here's what Lee and the <a href="http://www.nationalpost.com/todays_paper/story.html?id=415173">National Post</a> had to say about the project: <blockquote><p>"Jason Pomeranc is great," he tells me, referring to the cool-dude hotel warrior who is considered by many as the "next Ian Schrager," and the one behind this up-and-coming crash pad. Called the "thinking person's sex symbol" by Vanity Fair juliana 2008-04-02T11:54:22-05:00 40.722435 -73.988694 Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/