Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara Says ‘Benvenuto’ To Executive Chef Marco Fossati
New Executive Chef Showcases Northern Italian Flavors, Local Produce and Specialty House-made Ingredients at Bella Vista Restaurant, Tydes Restaurant and Ty Lounge
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts throughout the world recently announced its Taste of Place initiative, designed to showcase authentic local culture and fresh produce reflective of the destinations in which the resorts are located. At Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara, the American Riviera is discovered in the flavors of Executive Chef Marco Fossati, who calls upon seminal cooking experiences and training in his native Italy and throughout the Mediterranean. This month, Chef Marco, a celebrated Four Seasons culinary leader who is new to Santa Barbara, has re-launched menus at Bella Vista – the Resort’s premier al fresco oceanfront restaurant, at Ty Lounge – which offers Spanish tapas and high-concept cocktails as well as at Tydes Restaurant – located at the exclusive Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club.
BELLA VISTA RESTAURANT
Bella Vista is one of the highest profile restaurants in Santa Barbara and the only dining venue in the city that features an open-air ocean view, marble terrace with heated floors, romantic fire pits and unobstructed views of the Channel Islands, making it the most desired lunch destinations in Montecito. Best known for its coveted Sunday Brunch, Bella Vista also offers Afternoon Tea on Saturdays, lunch throughout the week and a recently enhanced dinner menu.
Lunch at Bella Vista includes a selection of local seafood, salads, panini’s and more. The recently updated contemporary Italian dinner menu showcases seasonal California ingredients, Pasta ‘Fatto in Casa’, pizzas, meat, poultry and seafood preparations. Popular homemade pastas include Tagliatelle Alle Vongole, Ravioli, Rigatoni with Burrata, Creste Di Galle All’Amatricana and Risotto ‘Come Un Pizza’ – a vegan take on Sicilian flavors. Veal parmigiana, Bistecca Tagliata Branzino, King Salmon and Rack of Lamb are seasonally-focused entrees. Bella Vista also has the distinction of being one of only 12 restaurants in California (and the only one in Santa Barbara) licensed to cure its own meats as well as the only Italian restaurant in the region to offer Genovese Pesto – a signature tribute to Genoa, Italy, which is Chef Marco’s birthplace.
TY LOUNGE
Off the Resort Lobby, lit with glowing Italian onyx and massive hand-blown glass chandeliers, Ty Lounge invites guests to enjoy signature drinks and classic cocktails in front of the fireplace or on the ocean view terrace around the fire pit. Featuring wall-to -wall Persian hand-knotted carpets, rondel glass, artfully hand-painted walls and ceilings, the Lounge stirs up feelings of the Spanish Colonial revival of the 1920s.
The recently launched Spanish Tapas menu offers an authentic selection of small share plates including, Jamon Y Queso, Empanadas De Carne, Papas Fritas and Paellas. Standout cocktails include, 8 Barrels – Four Seasons Select 1927 Barrel Aged Breaker Bourbon, Maple Syrup, Lemon, Spiced Simple Syrup, Nutmeg in a Hand-Smoked Glass – and a brand new G&T menu featuring house-made shrubs and Fever Tree Tonic. Wines include a thoughtful selection of hard-to-find Spanish varietals along with fine local vintages.
TYDES RESTAURANT
Tydes is located inside the Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club, an exclusive venue open only to club members and to overnight guests of the Resort. Tydes features refined dining, Mediterranean flavors and fresh, seasonal preparations. The flavors of Liguria, Mallorca and Greece figure prominently on the Tydes menu and the ingredients are always evolving based on weather conditions and seasonality. Eight months ago, Tydes debuted the country’s first live-coral aquarium bar – the Coral Reef Bar – a 675 pound, oval, acrylic bar top built to support 300 species of colorful fish and live coral. The Coral Reef Bar is ideal for pre- or post-dinner signature cocktails, wines and local microbrews.
The light fare of the Amalfi Coast is reflected on Chef Marco’s new lunch menu while appetizers on Chef Marco’s inaugural dinner menu include Pacific Gold Oysters, Toro Tartare, Scallop & Foie Gras and Octopus & Pork Belly with red curry gel. Locally-sourced entrees range from Spot Prawns and King Salmon to Halibut and Squid-Ink Pasta Carbonara showcasing Santa Barbara Uni, the most highly coveted prize from the region’s local ocean floor. The menu also includes, Lamb Loin, Jidori Chicken and Wagyu Tenderloin. House-made desserts including ice creams and sorbets crafted in the Resort’s pastry kitchen, provide a sweet finale to memorable dinners.
For reservations please call 805 565-8237. To book overnight accommodations, including the specialty dining experience at Tydes Restaurant, visit www.fourseasons.com/santabarba
About Chef Marco Fossati
Hailing from Genoa, Italy, Executive Chef Marco Fossati has more than 28 years of experience cooking in kitchens around the world. Chef Marco started cooking alongside his grandparents in Italy at an early age and finds passion in learning and teaching others – For Chef “there is always something to learn.” He began his Four Seasons career 18 years ago at Four Seasons Hotel Milano and subsequently was named Sous Chef at the one-star Michelin Carpaccio Restaurant at Hotel Royale Monceau, Paris. He was later named Chef de Cuisine at Flavio Briatore in Porto Cervo, Sardinia (Italy) and at D.O.C. Restaurant in Hamburg (Germany). Most recently, he was Chef de Cuisine at Four Seasons Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt) and Four Seasons Silicon Valley (Palo Alto) where he served as Executive Chef for the past six years. Recently Chef was selected to cook at the famed James Beard House in New York.
About Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara
The 207-room Spanish Colonial Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara first opened its doors in 1927 as a part of the Bowman-Biltmore hotel group, evoking the estates of railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt during America’s gilded age. The Resort has been masterfully restored through a historically-sensitive update by current owner, Ty Warner. The Resort was named part of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in 1987. Featuring an 11-room ocean front spa, three restaurants that overlook Montecito’s Butterfly Beach and 40 exclusive Bungalow Suites, Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara is consistently rated amongst California’s top beach resorts.
