We Ate Risotto And Talked Hotels With Curtis Stone

October 4, 2011 at 9:53 AM | by ASchechter | Comments (0)

Stone enjoying some Risotto Milanese, catered by Cafe B inside the Hotel Indigo Chelsea

In another life, we might have rolled our eyes at the thought of interviewing some pretty boy celebrity chef who makes a living cooking (and eating) gourmet food on national TV. But in the case of Curtis Stone, who showed up at the Hotel Indigo Chelsea on Friday to promote a local food campaign ("Locals Know Best"), we sat up to listen.

During our chat, the well-traveled chef name-drops a few of his fave NYC spots, professes his love for English Afternoon Tea, and explains why The Standard requires a certain "mood."

How did this partnership with Indigo come about?

I'm a huge advocate of local food, local produce, local chefs, local restaurants, so we decided to do a "Locals Know Best" campaign, which is just an extension of sourcing local ingredients. But it's also trying to bring in a bunch of local knowledge to each of the [Indigo] properties. I think the most important thing when you travel is to get a local flavor when you're there. Otherwise, there's no point in traveling, for both business and pleasure.

Can you name a memorable hotel meal you've enjoyed recently?

I was just at The Grosvenor House in London, and I had a meeting with someone, and we were just like, 'let's have an afternoon tea.' And they brought out all those little sandwiches and scones and jam and cream. We had a pot of tea, it was cool. It gave you a flavor of London. And clotted cream is delicious.

Where in New York do you like to stay?

I stay all over the place, I really do. Near Rockefeller Plaza, there's a joint called Club Quarters, and NBC owns a couple of suites there. So whenever I'm working on The Today Show, they offer me one of their suites. If I'm just coming into work, and it's like, you know, get up, walk across the plaza, shoot the show and leave, then I'll stay there. Otherwise the I'll stay further downtown. I love the Gramercy Park.

If you had to name your favorite hotel in the city, what would it be?

I've stayed in hotels all over the joint. Each one's got a different purpose, It's like asking 'what's your favorite dish?' To me, it depends on your mood�do you want to sit down with your girlfriend, do you want to have a big family dinner, do you want to feel comforted after a shitty day at work? Each thing you cook is for a different purpose.

For me, hotels are the same way. If I want to go party, I'll stay down at The Standard; if I wanted to do something more cultured, I'd stay somewhere different.

Do you prefer a more intimate experience?

I like staying in smaller hotels more often, I feel like big hotels can get a little impersonal. Sometimes you go and you're like, 'another f***ing hotel.' They can take all the excitement of being in a new city away, because they make it so generic. You could be in Australia. You could be in New York City. And if you just sit in your room, you could [do that] anywhere, so there's no point in being there.

[Photos: HotelChatter]

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