Pasta, Live Theater, and a Nightcap
All in at the Biltmore for a walkable wonderland
With the holidays upon us, few places better capture the season than the Biltmore Hotel, which dresses itself up for the event – lighting that wraps the royal palms out front like candy canes, and a gloriously adorned Christmas tree in the main lobby.
On a recent Friday night, we (my date, AKA my wife) decided to spend our evening out on the town at the Biltmore. The result, we knew, would at least have the advantage of true walkability.
We started with a 6 pm reservation at Fontana Restaurant, dining in the Biltmore’s majestic central courtyard with its Venetian fountain bubbling away, a mix of Verdi and Sinatra in the background. The setting is one of the most romantic anywhere in the Gables.
Fontana restaurant in the Biltmore courtyard
Their specialty is Italian food, and they do pasta exceptionally well. They also have an excellent Caesar salad for starters, but we commenced with Fiori de Zucca Ripieni, the blossom of the squash plant stuffed with ricotta cheese, tomato coulis, and Parmigiano Reggiano. Creamy, cheesy, delicious, and vegetarian! We followed with two pasta dishes – their signature Ravioli di Aragosta (ravioli-wrapped cold water lobster bathed in lobster bisque with cognac-scented crema) and their fettucine carbonara, which, with its Parmigiano Reggiano mixed with free-range eggs and the crunch of cured pork cheek, is a guilty pleasure.
After a dessert consisting of coffee and chocolate ice cream – and a merciful bill (entrees range from $25 to $35) – we strolled to a 7:30 performance at GableStage. If you have never been to this gem, located to the left of the main circular driveway in front of the hotel, you owe it to yourself to attend one of their performances. It is a small theater (135 seats) and typically presents dramatic performances – though under the direction of Bari Newport, they have stretched their comedic muscles.
Gablestage at the Biltmore Hotel
We watched a superb performance of “King James,” the story of two basketball-obsessed friends in Cleveland as their personal lives track the career of hoops icon LeBron James. Well-written, well-directed, and well-acted, this is the kind of up-close performance that makes you appreciate what live theater is all about. By the time you read this, the play will be “Both Sides Now: The Music and Lives of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen,” which sounds like a winner for any Baby Boomers out there.
Finally we walked across the front of the grand hotel to the Biltmore Lounge, where singer Florenza Campos, along with her piano player, was in full swing, Her repertoire ran from smooth Brazilian sambas to tunes straight out of the Cole Porter songbook. The place itself is a perfect throwback to a bygone era of piano bars, right out of the 1950s “Mad Men” series, a place where you can still get a good Manhattan. One of their specialties is a smoky Old Fashioned, which they serve under a glass cover that is filled with, well, smoke. Once lifted, the smoke drifts away, an impressive showing for any date – even if you are already married!
Singer Florenza Campos in the Biltmore Lounge
The walk to our car in the vast Biltmore parking lot, where you can always find a spot, was as easy and pleasant as the evening itself, the Biltmore’s tower glowing above us as we departed.
Photos by Rodolfo Benitez
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