Hotel restaurants were once dining afterthoughts—little more than glorified coffee shops with cuisine to match.
Times have changed, especially in Orange County. Now, many local hotels have elevated eateries that often rival more established venues.
Napa Rose at Disney’s Grand Californian is sold out nearly every night. Veteran Chef Lewis Butler has revamped the cuisine at the Waterfront Resort in Huntington Beach, and rocker Sammy Hagar recently opened his Cabo Wabo Beach Club there.
Surf & Sand, the Montage, Ritz Carlton, Lido House, and Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach, among other coastal properties, all have superb cuisine and chefs.
Add The Peel Craftbar & Kitchen at Orange’s recently rebranded Hotel Fera to the list.
Hotel Fera is on a busy stretch of City Drive in Orange, and while the 19-story tower—previously known as the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Anaheim-Orange County—stands out in the area near UCI Medical Center, not far from Angel Stadium, it’s easy to overlook the restaurant within.
Hotel Fera guests have enjoyed The Peel’s chef-driven coastal California menu, but casual diners are just beginning to discover The Peel, which opened in June.
Hotel Rebrand
The restaurant opening is one of several changes for the 461-room Hotel Fera, which in 2021 was bought by AWH Partners and funds managed by a subsidiary of Apollo Global Management Inc. (NYSE: APO).
Property records indicate the deal was valued around $51.4 million, and also included the assumption of debt, according to reports.
Along with property upgrades and the new Hotel Fera name, the tower also saw Spire Hospitality take over as the property’s manager following the sale.
The new restaurant caps the latest round of renovations and rebranding of OC’s 16th-largest hotel by room count.
Elegant Décor
The Peel has a casual elegance that starts with the eye-catching U-shaped bar and continues with the indoor space and the outdoor patio with fire pits and a waterfall.
The seasonally focused menu was created by Executive Chef Luis Martinez and features dishes that are varied and approachable with bold flavor.
“My passion in the kitchen comes from cooking with my grandmother as a young boy in Mexico, and my experience comes from more than 40 years in hotel restaurants,” said Martinez, whose inspiration from his grandmother’s wood-fire cooking can be found throughout the menu.
“The Peel menu combines my passion and experience to create a new type of hotel dining experience that focuses on cooking as I would for my own family.”
Local History
Chef Martinez said he also wanted to embrace the Orange and Anaheim area and the history of oranges and orchards, and also the culinary trend of blending cultures via the cuisine.
And, admitted Martinez, “in a hotel you have to be creative with your menu to entice people to come and try things.”
“I also want to celebrate local farmers. We want to be sustainable, and local within a 150-mile radius. That’s what the restaurant is based on.
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 from the Temecula Olive Oil Co.”
The OCBJ Review: BY CHRISTOPHER TRELA
Executive Chef Luis Martinez recently had me sample several of his signature dishes at The Peel Craftbar & Kitchen, including shrimp and scallop aguachile, mussels with white wine and coconut curry, and my favorite dish of the day: tempura cauliflower—small chunks of cauliflower in a sweet chili barbecue sauce with sesame seeds.
It reminded me of sweet and sour chicken (minus the chicken).
Other sample menu items include three types of flatbreads, California hummus, a Mediterranean charcuterie board, Power Bowls, Butcher Boy burger, Mary’s fried chicken sandwich with a Cajun aioli and citrus coleslaw; Cuban slow-roasted pork barbecue sandwich, and the Parisian steak sandwich.
The bar program features attention-grabbing craft cocktails, some with fun names that salute local icons: the Ohtani with Japanese whiskey, the Hat Trick with duck fat washed Knob Creek, and the Gene Autry, celebrating the former owner of the Angels.
Martinez changes the menu seasonally, so you’re bound to find something fun and creative that suits your palate.
The Peel at Hotel Fera: 100 The City Drive, Orange, (714) 634-4500, peelcraftbar.com
