|
Contact: info@bownsbest.com
Home - Austria - Benelux - France & Monaco - Germany - Italy - Russia - Spain - Sweden - Switzerland - Turkey - United Kingdom |
||
|
UNITED STATES CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO THE HUNTINGTON HOTEL
Perched on top of Nob Hill, this red brick tower exudes that feeling of discreet luxury which Americans are kind enough to call ‘European’. The Huntington is proudly, unashamedly, defiantly traditional. As soon as I walked into the lobby, my eye fell upon the oil painting behind the Reception desk. It was of King Charles II. The Merry Monarch looked pleased to be there. And well he might be pleased, for he liked good manners and comfort, and there are plenty of both in this family-owned and family-run establishment.
I am, however, very much a dinner person. When evening came I therefore struggled into a stiff collar and went down to the ground floor to the Big 4 Restaurant (pictured), named after the 4 most famous railway tycoons of the 19th century. Here I perched myself on the shiny green leather of one of the banquettes, and took in the room. Discreetly lit and clubby, this is a place which demands good portions of traditional food. And that is precisely what Chef Gloria Ciccarone-Nehls sends from her kitchen. I tucked into pan-seared scallops with lobster-truffle butter, saddle of antelope with roasted peach and warm cinnamon bread and butter pudding with custard and caramel. (Allow $65 upwards for three courses.) Here were good ingredients, carefully prepared and brought to the table by waiters in dark waistcoats and ties. The service, orchestrated by the English Restaurant Manager, Simon Harrington, was, naturally, very proper.
I returned to Big 4 the next morning. It struck me that it would certainly be the place for a ‘power breakfast’, for it has that dark, mahogany-laden atmosphere which is required for the completion of a big deal. This was probably happening at the next table, for one of the participants so forgot himself as to start using his portable telephone. A waiter appeared and the gentleman in question was – discreetly – escorted out of the restaurant, so that he could have his call without disturbing the rest of us. This was exactly what should have happened, and I was glad to see it. Then I set about my porridge, croissants, fresh berries and coffee with enthusiasm, for they were all excellent.
It seems right that The Huntington should be so close to the house of God. Both, in their different ways, embody Tradition. On Thursday afternoons there is Choral Evensong – with a choir of men and boys – at the Cathedral. I went to it, and offered a little prayer of thanksgiving for the hostelry on the other side of California Street – the splendidly traditional Huntington Hotel.
|
||
ADDRESSES THE HUNTINGTON HOTEL
|
|
|
© Francis Bown 2003
Although we often think of the United States as the Home of the New, it is also a land which values Tradition. As such, it has some particularly fine hotels of the traditional sort. They express values which many properly-brought-up people like very much indeed: effortless dignity, quiet good taste, considerate courtesy, sober comfort and sartorial propriety. It is true that not everyone cares for such things nowadays. (Indeed, my spirits sink as I see the number of folk who are happy to rush noisily about their chosen hotels, dressed as for a barbecue.) But there are – thank goodness – enough of us who do care for the maintenance of standards to ensure that these bastions of tradition continue to prosper. San Francisco is fortunate to possess a famous example of the kind of establishment I mean: The Huntington Hotel. 
It was built in 1924 as an apartment building and was turned into an hotel in 1947. Its original purpose explains why its 136 rooms are known as some of the most spacious hotel rooms in the city. My own room, number 610 on the 6th floor (pictured), lived up to the reputation. (It is classified as a ‘Luxury Double’ and is therefore $550 a night, breakfast extra.) I calculated that it was about 20 feet square, which meant there was a lot of space for the sofa, two easy chairs, a kitchen facility (with a sink and a refrigerator) and a substantial cabinet (with the television and lots of electronic gizmos – for those who need them). The apartment’s tones of beige and brown emphasized its generous dimensions. It was air-conditioned, of course, and through its windows was a view (pictured) of the town, looking towards Union Square. Table lamps provided pleasant lighting. I liked this room. It gave me the feeling of having my own flat on Nob Hill.
The bathroom was bright and oblong. Its first section contained the two wash basins, and the good-sized tub and the loo were in the second section. Had I wished to indulge myself in a bit of ablutionary pampering in more expansive surroundings, I could have paid a visit to the hotel’s highly regarded Nob Hill Spa (pictured), which covers 11,000 square feet – but, to be honest, I am not really a spa person.
The wine list has nearly 400 offerings, ranging in price from $36 for a rosé from Minervois to $468 for the 2001 Cheval Blanc. Good Schott glasses are used. Other bottles to catch my eye were: 2000 Dom Pérignon ($285), 1998 Margaux ($372), 2000 Yquem ($275, half), 2002 Grange ($380), 2005 Sassicaia ($280) and 2002 Opus One ($275). 
From 8.00 in the morning until 4.00 in the afternoon the hotel offers a complimentary car to Union Square or to the Financial District. After my post-breakfast rest, I took advantage of this facility and had the Lincoln Town Car – driven by a careful chauffeuse – take me to the Marcus Neiman department store on Union Square. I recommend that you do the same. I like to go to the Belle Époque splendours of its 4th floor restaurant for a pot of tea and a cake. I present to you a photograph of the said motor car, as I was about to clamber on board near the hotel entrance. In the background you can see the steps of Grace Cathedral.
