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The
Flying Gourmet
in Toronto
Travellers
to Toronto get comfortable at renovated airport
hotel restaurants
Chef
Peter Poulson and Commercial Interior Designer
Peter C. Cotton enjoy a rate quiet moment near the
entrance to the recently renovated Cafe Suisse and
Mahogany Bar at the Sheraton Gateway hotel. The
hotel is linked by a skywalk to Toronto's Lester B.
Pearson International Airport. Photo: Tracey Clare
Photography
The
Sheraton Gateway hotel located at Lester B.
Pearson International Airport sports a fresh new
look and feel on its main lobby floor with the
completed renovation of The Mahogany Bar and
Café Suisse. Travellers looking for
comfortable dining on the run will find The
Mahogany Bar and Café Suisse well suited to
their needs. The fully licensed Café
Suisse seats 250 and caters to business
travellers and vacationers as well as neighbouring
Malton and north Mississauga area residents.
Commercial interior designer Peter C. Cotton and
the Sunburst Design Team completed the renovations
in just six weeks. The airport location sets the
international motif of the restaurant whose
décor is characterized by geometric flags
set into the smooth wood ceiling beams. The outdoor
garden feel of the original Café Suisse was
changed to bring in heightened comfort and cosiness
and to encourage relaxation. The bright lighting
was subdued. Amber lighting sconces mounted over
mirrors now add warmth to the highly polished
café style while continuing the look and
feel from the lobby. Rich red-brown woods and
burgundy tones add contrast to the lobby and even
more warmth to the restaurant and bar areas. New,
upholstered seating in wood booths makes for cosy
dining and individual wooden café chairs are
refined in their burgundy silk upholstery fabrics.
Eye-catching accent pieces in the table settings
include napkins and triangular-shaped side plates
in colourful oranges, yellows and blues chosen by
the hotel staff.
The
menu is planned for full dining and many of the
featured items are designed with travelling
clientele in mind. Several "on the go" light
choices reflect a cuisine drawn from many countries
around the world, like Shanghai salad with noodles
and marinated flank steak, cold Asian-style
appetizers with ginger and sesame oil, thin crusted
pesto pizza with artichokes, chicken pot pies and
several steaks, including a 10oz. rib
eye.
A
well designed hot and cold buffet area offers lots
of variety and is served daily at lunch and dinner.
It features a large number of salads, and seafoods,
including bountiful shellfish appetizers and
several different hot main dishes with innovative
trimmings. A different featured soup and salad are
prepared daily. There are also fresh breads and
croissants and a dessert bar featuring fruits,
cheese platter, and French pastries. Travellers
seeking the comfort foods of home might find it in
Chef Peter Poulson's special warm bread pudding,
made with sundried cranberries and other fruits
that change seasonally.
Chef
Poulson and sous-chef Steven Taran like the fast
paced, changing environment of the international
airport location. A switch in flight schedules
means that the kitchen may have only 30 minutes
notice to prepare meals for 250 people.
The
Café Suisse is open to serve three meals
daily, plus Sunday brunch, from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00
p.m. The Mahogany Bar extends those hours until
1:30 a.m. and features an abbreviated menu
selection for late night arrivals. The bar and
restaurant are complemented by the Sheraton
Gateway's fine dining room, The Mahog
The
Sheraton Gateway Hotel is owned by Starwood
Hotels and Resorts. It is classified by AAA / CAA
as a four diamond hotel.
Peter
C. Cotton, Sunburst Design Team
128 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario M6J 1J3
Tel.: 416-863-6743, Fax: 416-863-6041
E-mail: ellie@sunburstdesign.com.
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