Chez Roux at La Torretta Del Lago Resort & Spa
HOUSTON, TEXAS - Ronnie Ben-Zur,
owner of the new La Torretta Del Lago Resort & Spa,
has reached an agreement with one of the worldís most
acclaimed chefs and restaurateurs to create a signature, fine-dining
restaurant on the grounds of the Lake Conroe retreat.
Chef
Albert Roux, named with his brother by their peers
as the most influential chefs in the United Kingdom and whose
London restaurant became the first ever in the United Kingdom
to hold the coveted three stars by the Michelin Guide, will
create Chez Roux as the premiere dining venue among the more
than 10 restaurants and cafes to operate at the resort. Its
creation adds La Torretta to a remarkable list of famed, overseas
dining destinations under the Albert Roux Consultancy umbrella.
Chez
Roux is soon to be under construction and will be a free-standing,
upscale facility located on the lake shore. The famed chef†
agreed to give the restaurant his name because of his close
involvement in the project and will be directly and personally
involved in guiding the creation of a contemporary French menu
with heavy emphasis on local and fresh products to give it a
hint of Texas flavor. The restaurant is projecting opening by
yearís end.
With this restaurant by
Albert Roux, La Torretta will join the select company of†
The Walbrook Club in London, Inverlochy Castle in Scotland,
The Ellington in Leeds, Brasserie Roux in Londonís Sofitel
St. James, the Grand Jersey Hotel in the Channel Islands and
the Compass Group where Roux is chairman of its Contract Catering
Division, Roux Fine Dining. As the only American restaurant
in the group, Chez Roux has become a primary focus of Rouxís
many projects.
World wide, the accolades
for Albert Roux and his brother, are among the highest for any
chefs. In 2002, UK Foreign Minister Jack Straw described the
brothers as ìtwo of Britainís finest ambassadors
who have greatly enhanced Britainís gastronomic standing
in the world.î Straw continued to describe their influence,
saying, “Thirty years ago, just the phrase ëBritish
cuisineí would have led to a belly laugh. That we can
now talk proudly of ëBritish cuisineí owes a huge
amount to the outstanding work of the Roux brothers."
Albert Roux was already
a professional French chef when he arrived in Britain in the
1960s, having worked as a private chef for several of the worldís
most influential and wealthy families. His first restaurant
was Le Gavroche, which opened in Londonís Lower Sloane
Street. In 1981, the restaurant was moved to Brook Street, and
it was there, one year later, that it became the first restaurant
in the UK to obtain the highest accolade in the gastronomic
world, three stars by the Michelin Guide.
While Chef Roux will not
be in residence at La Torretta year round, he is already scheduled
for a series of week-long visits beginning Oct. 19 and continuing
through 2009, during which numerous special culinary events
will be planned. In his absence, Chez Roux will be presided
over by a chef personally selected by Albert Roux and trained
at Le Gavroche. The restaurant and chef will be supported by
a professional staff trained under Rouxís guidance to
meet the specifically high standards of a Roux property. In
addition, Chef Roux will be giving general consultancy on the
rest of the dining facilities at the resort.
Construction of La Torretta
Del Lago is well underway with an official opening date targeted
for early October, 2008.† The addition of Chez Roux will
add to La Torretta Del Lagoís future international status
as one of the ultimate Texas destinations for pampering, recreation
and conferencing in the state's most beautiful lake and forest
terrains.
Backed with an investment
of approximately $130 million, La Torretta Del Lago Resort &
Spa is being planned as a world-class business and leisure lodging
facility. When completed this fall, the 445-room resort will
offer in addition to the state-of-the-art spa facilities, internationally-recognized
dining options, an 18-hole golf course, upscale mini-golf course,
lake activities, swimming and water sports. The meticulously-planned,
self-contained property is located on one of the most beautiful
shorelines of Lake Conroe and is less than 90 minutes from Houston
and 45 minutes from the George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
French
Quarter VIII LLLP, a Houston-based hospitality firm which is
part of Mr. Ben-Zurís French Quarter Group and of which
he is president, acquired the former Del Lago Golf Resort and
Conference Center after the 25-year-old property closed last
year. Far more than a renovation, the plans for the once-popular
Del Lago include a combination of services and amenities found
only at leading resorts of the world. All rooms are a minimum
of 600 square feet, divided into separate sleeping rooms and
living rooms and include spacious bathrooms. Guests will have
free high-speed internet connections, two 42-inch flat-screen
televisions in each room and top-of-the-line furnishings. The
resort will have more than 70,000 square feet of meeting space.
Some of the rooms are in villas, each with their own boat slip,
located on the lakeís shores and cottages located on
the golf course for group, family or romantic getaways.
With the 22,000-acre Lake
Conroe as its closest neighbor, La Torretta will provide guests
with options to boat, sail, jet ski or just bask on its private
white-sand beach. The all new, modern, stand-alone spa facility
with 20 treatment rooms will offer a variety of standard and
specialty treatments and services. Six swimming pools - including
a 6,400 square-foot pool, an infinite edge elevated pool and
a uniquely designed Lay-Z River amusement ride- will be complemented
by three hot-tubs spas to create one of the largest aquatic
centers in any U.S. hotel.† The famed 18-hole, par 71
golf course has also been completely reconstructed. Miniature
golf and a myriad of planned activities add yet more to the
guest options.
Not unlike a lighthouse
to ocean mariners, the gleaming, 20-story main building of the
resort stands along the tree-lined shores of the magnificent
Lake Conroe, promising escape, comfort and safe harbor. It is
this impressive tower - La Torretta - that gives this one-of-a-kind
luxury resort its name.
For
additional information on Chef Roux, visit www.albertroux.co.uk.
For additional information on La Torretta Del Lago, please call
713-524-9994.