LEISURE^31
Food & Drink
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The next time you feel like dining out, try phoning a
hotel, said Allie Volpe in Eater.com. With vacan-
cies high, many upscale properties are trying to
keep their in-house restaurants alive through the
pandemic by letting them offer private group dining
in vacant guest rooms, and many customers are
loving it. After all, this new service option combines
“all the perks of indoor dining (like warmth, for
one)” with the safety of eating at home. Though
steep spending minimums are common, some fans
might not want to return to crowded dining rooms
when crowds fi nally return. “In a hotel room, you’re
shielded from the masses,” says Hector Tamez, a regular at Uni, in Boston’s Eliot Hotel.
“You feel important.” While dining in a room at the Riggs Hotel, said Tom Sie t sema in
The Washington Post, my guest and I loved that we could watch some TV and choose
our own music. Service can lag, but trial and error is improving effi ciency, and our
$125-per-person splurge bought “a delightful evening out.” Below, a few other options:Le PigeonPortland, Ore. Gabriel Rucker’s French standout offers $100 three-course meals
at the Jupiter Next Hotel, with an $89 option for overnight stays.
Urban FarmerDenver This steakhouse is offering a “steakcation” package that includes a
$200-minimum private steak dinner and a $129 overnight at the Oxford Hotel next door.
Le Crocodile UpstairsBrooklyn The French restaurant at Williamsburg’s Wythe Hotel
hosts parties up to 10 in converted guest rooms. Three-course meals are $100 a person.
The Apparatus RoomDetroit The six-course meals chef Thomas Lents sends to the suites
at the Detroit Foundation Hotel begin at $85.“It’s hard to say exactly what makes birria
birria,” said Tejal Rao in The New York
Times. The word suggests a delicious hot
mess, and there are too many regional vari-
ations on the Mexican stew to count. But
birria has seen “a meteoric rise in popular-
ity recently,” particularly for the soupy style
made with beef and popularized by birria
vendors in Tijuana. On Instagram, “the
hype for birria is relentless.”Below is a version adopted from a recipe
that Texas-born chef Josef Centeno learned
from his grandmother. Goat or lamb can
be substituted for the beef, and you could
choose to shred the meat for tacos. That
said, “the best way to serve birria is imme-
diately and simply, in a bowl, with some
warm corn tortillas.”Recipe of the week
Birria de res
2 poblano chiles
5 guajillo (dried) chiles, stemmed, halved
lengthwise, seeds removed
5 lbs bone-in beef shoulder, cut into large
pieces
1 tbsp fine sea salt
¼ cup neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
¼ cup plus 2 tbsp distilled white vinegar
6 garlic cloves, peeledBirria de res: The Mexican stew that has Instagram abuzz
2 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
2 tsp dried Mexican oregano
2 tsp toasted white sesame seeds
½ tsp ground cumin
4 cloves
Fresh black pepper
1 cinnamon stick
2 fresh or dried bay leaves
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 limes, quartered
Corn tortillas, warmedTurn a gas burner to high. Using tongs,
place poblanos directly over flame. Cook
until totally charred, turning as needed,
about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to asmall bowl and cover with plastic wrap
so poblanos can steam. After 10 minutes,
peel off blackened skins, remove stems and
seeds, and roughly chop flesh. Set aside.
In a large skillet over medium heat, work-
ing in batches to cook in one layer, flatten
guajillo chile halves and toast about 15
seconds, turning once. Place in a bowl and
add 2 cups hot water to soften.Season meat all over with salt. Heat oil in
a large, oven-proof pot over medium-high.
Working in batches, sear pieces on all sides
until well browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side,
transferring browned meat to a bowl. After
all meat is seared, add onion to pot and
cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Return
meat to pot and preheat oven to 325.Meanwhile, in a blender, combine chiles,
chile soaking liquid, tomatoes, vinegar, gar-
lic, ginger, oregano, sesame seeds, cumin,
cloves, and a few grinds of black pepper.
Purée until smooth.Add blended mixture to meat in the pot.
Add cinnamon stick and bay leaves, along
with 4 to 6 cups water, enough to amply
cover. Cover and cook in oven until meat is
fork-tender, about 2 hours.Divide among bowls, sprinkle with cilan-
tro, and provide lime wedges and warm
tortillas on the side. Serves 8 to 10.A dish that’s just waiting for tortilla dippingHotel-room dining: The luxuriously safe new way to eat out
Riggs Hotel chef Patrick Curran“Zinfandel may not be the fi rst grape
that comes to mind when you think of
California wine, but that doesn’t mean
it’s second-rate,” said Wine Enthusiast.
It’s been a stalwart for the state’s vint-
ners since the 1880s, producing a
wide range of expressions. “From
bold, jammy, fruit-laden wines to
nuanced, earthy pours,” there’s a
Golden State zin for every taste.
2018 Brady Vineyard ($24). In this
Paso Robles zinfandel, rich red fruit
is “cut by crushed-stone fl avors”
and “lifted by savory spice.”
2018 Sobon Estate Rocky Top
($18). This “plushly textured”
wine from Amador County
“starts with wild berry and
under brush aromas” and fol-
lows them with “ripe blackberry
and black plum fl avors.”
2019 Gnarly Head Old Vine
($13). A great value, this Lodi zin
nicely counters very ripe fruit
with strong oak- instilled hints of
vanilla, maple, and nutmeg.Wine: California zinfandel