The historic Garden City Hotel has recruited highly accomplished, innovative cocktail creator and educator Frank Caiafa to craft a custom, signature cocktail menu for the property’s new Polo Steakhouse and Polo Lounge which opened in November.
Caiafa, who manages and played a key role re-launching The Waldorf Astoria’s landmark Peacock Alley bar in Midtown Manhattan, “is clearly a creative cocktail professional with the experience and passion to deliver highly imaginative concoctions reflecting our clientele’s sophisticated nature,” says The Garden City Hotel General Manager, Grady Colin. “Mr. Caiafa uses seasonal ingredients to create unique and delicious cocktail combinations inspired by The Garden City Hotel’s iconic history and our new classic Polo Steakhouse and Polo Lounge.”
Caiafa’s personal favorite for the new restaurant and bar menu is the “Falling Leaves” cocktail, using dry sherry and orange marmalade — contributing to a repertoire that includes fresh, classic and innovative libations.
The new menu also includes the Polo Pony, a signature cocktail mixed with Bombay gin, Cocchi Americano apertif, honey syrup and fresh orange juice, as well as signature Champagne cocktail Gardening at Night, composed of sparkling pointe method champagnoise, Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka and house-made raspberry shrub.
Caiafa’s inventive use of ingredients, house made infusions and bitters have produced recipes that have been published in numerous prestigious publications, including The New York Times, Wine Enthusiast, Time Out New York, The Bartenders Gin Comendium, The Annual Manual for Bartenders 2011 and 2012 and the recently released 901 Very Good Cocktails, A Practical Guide, among others.
Besides his work at The Garden City Hotel and The Waldorf Astoria, Mr. Caiafa was the consulting bar manager at the highly acclaimed Vault at Pfaff’s in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. He was also opening beverage director at Battery Gardens in Lower Manhattan’s Battery Park and La Piazzetta in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Polo Steakhouse, a classic American steakhouse, will be a benchmark for steakhouses on Long Island, serving specially-selected, 28-day dry aged USDA prime grade steaks and freshly caught seafood for discerning hotel guests and the surrounding residential and business community. Polo Lounge will serve breakfast and a light menu throughout the day, followed by cocktails and evening entertainment.
About Polo Steakhouse
Polo, a classic American steakhouse, offers 28 day dry-aged USDA prime grade steak, fresh seafood and signature entrees. Executive Chef Michael Mandato has worked with such top chefs as Jean-Georges Vongericthen at New York’s Brandywine Restaurant, and has cooked throughout the world, even for such notables as the Queen of England and the Duke of Edinburgh. Serving weekday lunches and daily dinners, the 120-seat restaurant combines a traditional steakhouse atmosphere with modern luxury, characterized by hand-laid mahogany herringbone floors, deep cabernet textiles and custom-made furniture. For more information, visit www.gardencityhotel.com/polo-steakhouse and www.facebook.com/PoloSteakhouse.
About The Garden City Hotel
Since 1874, The Garden City Hotel has welcomed guests with spacious guest rooms, luxurious suites and genuine hospitality. Our historic Long Island hotel has been a preferred destination for dignitaries and celebrities as well as business travelers, New York locals and visitors from around the globe. From post-Civil War beginnings to our present-day grandeur, The Garden City Hotel has proudly hosted the city’s finest meetings and special events. Our award-winning service is enhanced by timeless elegance and modern comforts including a state-of-the-art Health and Fitness Center, a highly acclaimed restaurant, versatile function space and much more. For more information, visit www.gardencityhotel.com.
About Chef Mandato
Chef Mandato, a native of the South Shore of Long Island, brings more than 30 years of world-class culinary experience to Polo Steakhouse. He has led culinary teams at locations around the globe, most recently as Executive Chef of the Taj Boston hotel.
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Mandato began his culinary career working with top chefs at French restaurants in New York City. He then went on to work as Chef de Cuisine with Consulting Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten at New York’s Brandywine restaurant, a new concept that blended classic Alsatian cuisine with an American steakhouse.
Chef Mandato also served as Executive Chef at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis and provided his culinary expertise to the hotel company’s properties in Kapalua, Maui; Grand Cayman and Ft. Lauderdale. A member of the Chaine des Rotisseurs, he worked for seven years with Fairmont Hotels and Resorts in Canada, where he was Executive Chef at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge in Alberta. While there, he had the distinction of serving the Queen of England and the Duke of Edinburgh.
