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With a menu centered on shared plates and ample large banquettes, City Hall Bistro is a spot for group dining.
Beth Rankin
The menu, broken down into categories like "garden," "land" and "sea," is centered on dishes meant for sharing. Seafood is a focus, and the menu includes marinated sardines ($12), whole branzino ($28) and a chef's-selection daily paella ($26).
The menu reads a bit like a riff on a trendy restaurant of the moment — snapper crudo, squid ink pasta, Spanish octopus, harissa vinaigrette, sea urchin and truffle risotto — with a couple of less-expected twists. The atayef ($15), a savory Lebanese pancake stuffed with duck confit, pear and black garlic aioli proved to be a just-decadent-enough shared dish. The sea urchin in the couscous risotto ($20) packed a super strong, fishy uni flavor that overwhelmed the rest of dish, and the final result was a bit off-putting.
The menu is small, but prices are pretty reasonable considering the lush surroundings of the Adolphus, and every component — from bread to the "chocolate program" to the tonic served on the cocktail menu — is made in-house.
Spanish churros with saffron gelato ($8), chocolate crema Catalana ($8) and a pine nut tart with sweet basil gelato round out the dessert menu, and the wine list does a nice job of highlighting European wines. Out in the lobby, a gorgeous renovated bar serves a small but thoughtful cocktail menu until around midnight.
There are still more renovations to come — the hotel is building a new entrance, and the French Room is still under construction — but the Adolphus is clearly spending big money trying to modernize the historic hotel and give it relevance among downtown's increasingly robust hotel bar and restaurant offerings. Hotels are throwing down serious cash right now to bring in revenue outside of standard hotel stays, which means there's increased competition and added pressure to hit the mark with hotel food and beverage programs.
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Atayef ($15), a savory Lebanese pancake stuffed with duck confit, pear and black garlic aioli
Beth Rankin