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RESTAURANTS
Orange’s swankiest new restaurant is in a hotel By Brock Keeling bkeeling@scng.com
There was a time when hotel restaurants and bars were geared strictly toward out-oftown hotel guests, but lately, they’re transforming into choice pit stops for locals who want something different. The region’s newest example of that trend is the Peel Craftbar and Kitchen, located inside the Hotel Fera, a DoubleTree by Hilton, in the city of Orange. Led by executive chef Luis Martinez, the menu, inspired by flavors from Mexico and California, features seasonally driven dishes like fish tacos with sour orange adobo; a reimagined
Caesar salad with roasted pepitas, cotija cheese, crispy tortilla, and jalapeño dressing; and blackened chicken with roasted corn, roasted Anaheim peppers, and chipotle sauce. The bulk of the Peel’s produce comes from within a 150mile radius of the restaurant, adding to the eatery’s locally minded theme. “Our lettuces come from Babe Farms in Santa Barbara, our strawberries come from Harry’s Berries in Oxnard, our microgreens come from Coleman Family Farms in Carpinteria and our olive oil comes COURTESY OF HOTEL FERA from the Temecula Olive Oil Co. in Aguanga,” said Martinez in Skuna Bay salmon with butternut squash, quinoa and brown rice is a news release announcing the on the menu at Peel Craftbar and Kitchen, located inside the Hotel RESTAURANT » PAGE 4 Fera, a DoubleTree by Hilton, in the city of Orange.
A U-shaped bar highlights the new Peel kitchen and bar.
Restaurant FROM PAGE 3
new restaurant. All of this can be found inside a new space anchored by a horseshoeshaped bar that, in addition to beer and wine, serves craft cocktails galore, including the French Butterfly made with gin, elderflower liqueur, cava raspberry-citrus foam, and dehydrated berries; and the Agave Summer featuring blanco tequila, Ancho Reyes Verde poblano chili liqueur, passion fruit, and lime. The bar also serves O.C.-themed drinks like the SoCal Sling (a gin-based concoction with pineapple,
HOTEL FERA
lime, and bitters) or the Gene Autry (cucumbermint vodka with Aperol, and Lillet Rosé), named after the actor, crooner, and founder of the Angels. In addition to the indoor seating portion of the
restaurant, underneath an impressive and towering wood-slatted ceiling, there’s an expansive patio dining decked out with greenery, a koi pond, and fire pits ideal for those rare chilly Orange County
nights. FIND IT >> The Peel Craft and Kitchen, located at Hotel Fera, a DoubleTree by Hilton, at 100 The City Drive in Orange (at Chapman Avenue), Orange
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