Friday, February 20, 2009

Crowne Plaza Restaurant and Bar Gets New via ‘Blu’

The new Blu bar and lounge, a mix of metallic and neutral decor.


Romeo and Juliette have faded into the history books at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown San Pedro.

Blu is the new name of the restaurant and bar, replacing the Shakespearean age with a new, modern moniker.

After months of renovation, the restaurant and bar are now fully open.

The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily in a setting that’s “bright, elegant and cozy,” in the words of Food and Beverage Manager Pietro Malinverni.

Lunchtime offers a choice of the regular menu or a themed buffet that may be Italian, Latin American, Asian or other global flavors.

Crown of the Orient chicken salad.


Potato-wrapped sea bass.

One eye-catching dish is the Crown of the Orient chicken salad (pictured), made with sesame marinated chicken, crispy wontons and rice noodles, oranges and an orange-sesame dressing.

The dinner menu includes diverse dishes for all tastes. The potato-wrapped sea bass (pictured) is baked with a thin layer of delicately crusty potato, stuffed with crab and served with a lobster cream sauce.

The Malaysian cuisine is a novel feature, added to accommodate the hotel’s regular guests from Malaysia Airlines.

“We serve excellent international cuisine below fine-dining prices,” said Malinverni.

Under Malinverni’s direction, the restaurant participates in First Thursday and the Taste in San Pedro food festival.

The new bar was carved out of the restaurant’s northern edge along Sixth Street.

Silver leather couches and icy metallics set a sultry, contemporary tone as guests enter the scene. Fire pits and new outdoor furniture will be added to the patio to create an inviting space to socialize. Happy Hour is held weekdays from 4 to 7 p.m.

Crowne Plaza Hotel, 601 S. Palos Verdes St., (310) 519-8200.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

That sounds nice is it open till 2am?