There was a time when hotel restaurants and bars were geared strictly toward out-of-town hotel guests, but more and more lately, they’re transforming into choice pit stops for locals who want something different. The region’s newest example of that trend is the Peel Craftbar and Kitchen, located inside the Hotel Fera, a DoubleTree by Hilton, in the city of Orange.
Led by executive chef Luis Martinez, the menu, inspired by flavors from Mexico and California, features seasonally driven dishes like fish tacos with sour orange adobo; a reimagined Caesar salad with roasted pepitas, cotija cheese, crispy tortilla, and jalapeño dressing; and blackened chicken with roasted corn, roasted Anaheim peppers, and chipotle sauce.
The bulk of the Peel’s produce comes from within a 150-mile radius of the restaurant, adding to the eatery’s locally-minded theme. “Our lettuces come from Babe Farms in Santa Barbara, our strawberries come from Harry’s Berries in Oxnard, our microgreens come from Coleman Family Farms in Carpinteria, and our olive oil comes from the Temecula Olive Oil Company in Aguanga,” said Martinez in a press release announcing the new restaurant.
All of this can be found inside a new space anchored by horseshoe-shaped bar that, in addition to beer and wine, serves craft cocktails galore, including the French Butterfly made with gin, elderflower liqueur, cava raspberry-citrus foam, and dehydrated berries; and the Agave Summer featuring blanco tequila, Ancho Reyes Verde poblano chili liqueur, passion fruit, and lime. The bar also serves OC-themed drinks like the SoCal Sling (a gin-based concoction with pineapple, lime, and bitters) or the Gene Autry (cucumber-mint vodka with Aperol, and Lillet Rosé), named after the actor, crooner, and founder of the California Angels.
In addition to the indoor seating portion of the restaurant, underneath an impressive and tower wood-slatted ceiling, there’s an expansive patio dining decked out with greenery, koi…
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