The Don César: St. Pete's Legendary Pink Palace

 

Built at the height of the Gatsby Era in 1928, Florida’s “Pink Palace” has a long and acclaimed history. Exquisitely located on the white sands of St. Pete Beach, this iconic 1920s resort became a favourite among the rich and famous of the Jazz Age including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Clarence Darrow, Al Capone, Babe Ruth and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Thomas Rowe purchased 80 acres of land in St. Pete's for $100,000 to begin his dream of building a "pink castle" and hired Indianapolis architect Henry Dupont to design the hotel and Carlton Beard as the contractor. The architecture is a blend of Mediterranean and Moorish styles modeled after hotels and developments that Rowe and Beard saw in Palm Beach, Coral Gables and Boca Raton, including arched openings, red clay tile roofs, balconies, stucco over hollow tile and tower like upper stories. Named after Don César de Bazan, the hero of William Wallace's opera 'Mariana', the hotel is a member of the esteemed Historic Hotels of America, and features refined New American cuisine in the elegant Four Diamond Mariana Grille, the Don César and also more casual Caribbean and Mediterranean dining in the relaxed beachfront Sea Porch and Rowe Bar overlooking the azure blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico and sugar white sands of beautiful St. Pete Beach.

The Beachfront Rowe Bar at St Petersburg's Pink Palace,

named after Thomas Rowe, the legendary founder of the Pink Palace

The Rowe Bar sign with 1930's-style typography

The menu features vibrant coastal-inspired cuisine 

Bird of Paradise in full bloom

Glass of Prosecco

Chardonnay

Pork Belly Reuben with beer-braised sauerkraut, Russian dressing, 

and Swiss cheese on marbled rye with French fries

Don César Salad with shredded egg, garlic breadcrumbs, grilled shrimp, 

sliced Parmigiana and Caesar vinaigrette

Ahi Poke Bowl with jasmine rice, tamari vinaigrette, mirin mushrooms and sliced avocado

The Pink Palace pool

www.doncesar.com

Chipotle-Infused Hanger Steak

Serves 1

Recipe courtesy of chef Alexander Reyes, Don César

10 oz Hanger Steak

4 tbsp chipotle pepper in Adobo purée

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Salt and Pepper

For the Grits:

1 cup whole milk

1 cup water

1/2 cup quick ground cornmeal

2 tbsp butter

2 oz Cheddar cheese, shredded

Salt and Pepper to taste

Bunch of fresh watercress, for garnish

In a small bowl combine the chipotle pepper purée, mustard and honey. Gradually drizzle the oil until emulsified, season with salt and pepper and let it marinade for at least 12 hours. The next day, heat up a grill top over the stove on medium high. Place the steak on the grill and cook 4 minutes on each side. When done let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

To make the grits, place the milk, water and salt into a medium, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once the milk mixture comes to a boil, gradually add the cornmeal while continually whisking. Once all the cornmeal has been incorporated, decrease the heat to low and whisk frequently to prevent the grits from sticking or forming lumps; make sure to get into corners of pot when whisking. Cook for 20 minutes or until mixture is creamy. When the grits are done, remove from the heat, add pepper and butter, and whisk to combine. Once the butter is melted gradually whisk in the cheese a little at a time.

To serve, slice the steak in 5 pieces and place on a plate. Spoon some of the grits to the side of the steak and garnish with fresh watercress.