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Aretsky's Patroon Restaurant, NYC
- USA |
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NEW Seven Stars Green World
Award |
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BALLOON RIDE, Kiev -
Ukraine |
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NEXT: Tabacon - Costa
Rica |
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| NYC, USA |
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| 5 Stars and 5 Stripes |
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| Call it karma, or just plain good fortune, but recently, after all
these years I was able to find Patroon, a terrific restaurant where I was also
able to connect with a wonderful friend from my 21 Club days, Ken Aretsky. Ken
has a long and successful history in the restaurant and hospitality field and
is the owner and manager of “Aretsky’s Patroon”. Bill Peet is
the Executive Chef at Patroon and a 25-year veteran of such Iconic NY
restaurants as Lutece, Asia De Cuba, and Cafe des Artistes. Bill is noted for
his straightforward and beautifully presented culinary creations while
optimizing his flavor combinations. From the moment, I walked into Patroon, I
experienced a flashback to my days at “21”. The way the dining room,
bar, and the restaurant are setup is intimate and club like.
...
(CLICK HERE for more) |
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Rita and I had looked forward to eating some really fine American Food, and our
menu offered all that and more. We were treated to a very special "Tasting
Menu" composed by Exec Chef Peet who started our culinary adventure with a
small cup of Butternut Squash Soup that was sweet yet sublime, featuring fresh
seasonal and locally grown ingredients. Each of our dishes was served with fine
china and beautiful crystal stemware. For an appetizer we sampled Maple Quail
with Wild Rice and Sundried Cranberry Salad, successfully offering a delicate
balance between the sweetness of the maple syrup marinade and the tartness of
the sundried cranberries.
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(CLICK HERE for more) |
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My personal favorite from the list of appetizers is the Crab Cakes with Lemon
Tarragon Aioli made with a generous amount of meaty lump crab bound together
with a modicum of breadcrumbs. To kick it up a notch, the pan-fried crab cakes
are accompanied by lively lemony tarragon scented aioli for dipping, which both
Rita and I took great pleasure in doing so. To accompany our first course our
wine was Sauvignon Blanc New Harbor, New Zealand 2008 going the full distance
as an easy light refreshingly crisp wine showing loads of grapefruit and exotic
fruits, which presented us with visions of lying back on a beach somewhere in
the tropics.
...
(CLICK HERE for more) |
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| Seven Stars and Stripes Inc. now offers, for the first time, this
extraordinary, custom designed ‘His & Her Seven Stars Cufflink
set. Limited Edition. |
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| (CLICK
HERE TO FLIP THE BOOK!) |
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| Our exquisite hardcover coffee table books, custom designed for each
resort, hotel, spa and restaurant, feature highlights and possible excursions
of each establishment, along with the Seven Stars and Stripes review and award
presentation. These impressive hard cover books, now available in three
different styles, are luxuriously wrapped and make great holiday gifts and
keepsakes, all the while showing the full potential of what guests may
experience.
Please ‘CLICK and FLIP’ through the
2009 Seven Stars and Stripes review and award celebration at the Premier
Palace, Kiev - Ukraine. Enjoy! |
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| Dear Friends, |
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| We are dining and reviewing at Aretsky’s
Patroon in midtown Manhattan this month. Beguiling and appealing, this
restaurant was started by the iconic, Ken Aretsky, formerly of the
world-renowned ‘21
Club’. We are at Patroon to experience old-fashioned hospitality and
style combined with classical entrées such as Rack of Lamb, Dover Sole
and the seemingly lost art of preparing Caesar Salads table side. Celebrate
with us the awarding of the first ever “Seven Stars Green World
Award” to
Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort in Costa Rica, for their
dedication and commitment to protecting our environment. Tabacon has worked
tirelessly to create a unique, Eco-Resort that sets a new global
Eco-Standard. Then join us also for a Balloon Ride adventure this month,
all details arranged by the elite Premier Palace Hotel in Kiev, The Ukraine. We
drift quietly in our hot air balloon and basket over rooftops and fields just
outside the city limits of Kiev. Finally, help us to congratulate Mr. Thomas
Noll, GM of the
Grand Hotel Europe in St. Petersburg, Russia for his
efforts in helping disadvantaged street children. We acknowledge Mr. Noll for
his ‘Social Responsibility’ efforts through SOS Children’s
Villages International. Mr. Noll is providing a number of these
disadvantaged youths, a wonderful opportunity for a career in the hospitality
field. |
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| I remain yours truly |
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Thorsten Buehrmann |
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| It is eerily quiet now, up here at about 400 – 500 meters. You
don’t feel the wind pushing you although we are now probably drifting
along at a good speed. Drifting is the only way to describe it, according to
the whims of the wind and nature. A feeling of weightlessness overcomes me and
I look carefully at the ground to try to gain my orientation again. Below me
the ground is moving, changing. The landscape is strikingly beautiful yet
mysterious in that I wonder if the people walking along the roads and in the
fields can really see me clearly. I can hear dogs barking and now I see some
country folk waving at me. They seem to be beaconing me to return to the ground
and join them in celebration.
... (CLICK HERE for more) |
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| ... I look up and see this enormous balloon above me and
suddenly realize that with every burst of hot air, the entire structure lifts
even higher into the sky. I am suspended below this balloon in a sturdy basket
along with three other people. I am reminded by our balloon ‘pilot’
that ballooning has a romantic and colorful history. The first flights began in
the 18th century in France as an occupation of the aristocracy and as its
popularity spread, even George Washington was there to witness the first
balloon launch in North America. Suddenly I look up and see the most
spectacular sunset over the vastness of what is rural Kiev.
... (CLICK HERE for more) |
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| ... We are returning to the ground now and since we have
drifted quite a ways, we will be picked up by car from wherever we land. A
bottle of champagne is quickly opened upon landing signaling the initiation of
a traditional ceremony. For those first time balloon flyers, it is destined to
hold a ‘Balloon Baptism’ whereby a small lock of hair is taken and
burned after which it is extinguished with a splash of the champagne. For all
this, we are then handed a special Balloon Baptism Certificate, to be treasured
and talked about for years to come. Follow the link to see more photos of this
unique experience and check out how this event can be booked though the
concierge at the Premier Palace Hotel in Kiev
... (CLICK HERE for more) |
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| Congratulations to all, from your Guests and from Seven Stars and
Stripes: |
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- For your visible commitment to excellence.
- For your willingness to be recognized for your latest
innovations.
- For your devotion to your staff and company.
- For your ability to receive.
- For your decision to raise the bar.
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| In Next Gazette: |
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| * Tabacon Grand SPA Thermal
Resort |
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| In The Press: |
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| * Seven Stars Green World
Award: |
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| Tabacon Grand SPA Thermal
Resort |
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| La Fortuna - Costa Rica -
Central America |
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